Green Chicken Tamales (Tamales de Pollo en Salsa Verde) 🫔 are Mexican tamales made with tender shredded chicken, flavorful salsa verde, and soft masa wrapped in corn husks. They’re a favorite for Christmas, tamaladas, and special occasions.
If you love tamales, also try my Tamales Rojos.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Classic Mexican flavor. Tender chicken and tangy salsa verde make a delicious filling for soft, fluffy masa.
- Perfect for holidays. These green chicken tamales are a favorite for Christmas, celebrations, and tamaladas.
- Make-ahead friendly. Cook the chicken and prepare the salsa or masa ahead of time to break up the work.
- Freezer friendly. Make a large batch and freeze the extras for an easy meal later.
- Great for a tamalada. Get family and friends together and make tamales as a group. The work goes much faster when everyone pitches in!
-Maggie
Instructions
🐓 For the filling
- Place chicken in a large stockpot.
- Add garlic, bay leaf, onion, salt and pepper.
- Then add 10 cups of water, or enough water to cover the entire chicken.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool. Strain and save the broth for another recipe.
- Once the chicken has cooled, separate the meat from the bones.
- Set chicken meat aside. Discard the bones.
Be careful with those bones! Best to remove the meat, then check it again for bones.
Make ahead: The chicken can be cooked, shredded, and refrigerated a few days ahead of time. You can also use a rotisserie chicken to save time.
🌽 How to Prepare the Husks
- Separate the corn husks.
- Remove any debris, corn hair, or bugs you may find.
- Place the husks in a large pot and cover with hot water.
- Add a heavy object, such as a pot lid, to keep them fully submerged.
- Soak for at least 20 minutes. Overnight is even better.
- The husks are ready when they are soft and pliable.
Those suckers like to float yet I’ve never seen them do the backstroke. That’s why putting something heavy on the corn husks will ensure they are submerged in water.
🥣 How to Make Masa for Tamales
- Beat the lard with your mixer until it’s smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Combine masa harina, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the lard, alternating with the hot water.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
- Continue mixing until a smooth dough forms. Set aside until ready to use.
Making masa for tamales is easier than you think. Most grocery stores nowadays sell masa harina to make masa.
Or, if you’re lucky enough to live near a Mexican grocery store, you can save some time and buy it already made.
Assembling Tamales
- Smear a thin layer of prepared masa on each corn husk.
- Add a small amount of shredded chicken to the center of the masa.
- Spoon salsa verde over the chicken, being careful not to overfill the tamale.
- Fold one side of the corn husk in.
- Fold the other side in.
- Fold the pointy top to the center of the tamale.
- Set standing up while assembling the other tamales.
- Repeat until there are no more corn husks left.
This is no Henry Ford automated assembly line. Assembly requires hands.
💨 Steaming Tamales
- Add 2 cups of hot water to a steamer pot.
- Add the insert and place some corn husks on the insert.
- Arrange the uncooked tamales upright in the steamer.
- The tamales should be standing with the open side up.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- Turn off the heat and let the pot stand covered for 30 minutes.
- The tamales are ready when masa peels away from the corn husks easily.
Corn husks break and rip. Use those for the bottom of the steamer pot.
Please Note: Old school Mexican cooks will tell you to add coins to the bottom of the pot. The rustling of the coins will tell you if there’s water in the pot. DO NOT do this! Coins are dirty, and there are metallic properties in coins.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips on Making Tamales
- Use rotisserie chicken. It’s a great shortcut when you don’t want to cook a whole chicken.
- Make the chicken ahead. Cook and shred the chicken a few days in advance and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble.
- Use store-bought salsa verde. Homemade is delicious, but a good jarred salsa verde can save time.
- Buy prepared masa. If your local Mexican grocery store sells fresh masa for tamales, use it!
- Freeze leftover chicken. Cooked chicken can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Make it a tamalada. Get the kids, neighbors, and friends into the kitchen. Tamales are much more fun when everyone helps!
- A faster cooking method. Try Instant Pot Pork Tamales or Instant Pot Chicken Tamales.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Green chicken tamales are Mexican tamales made with shredded chicken and green salsa, usually salsa verde made with tomatillos and green chiles. The filling is wrapped in masa and corn husks, then steamed until the masa is tender and cooked through.
Green chicken tamales are commonly called tamales de pollo en salsa verde, tamales verdes de pollo, or tamales de pollo con salsa verde. The exact name can vary by region and family.
For these chicken tamales, I use homemade roasted tomatillo salsa verde. It gives the chicken a bright, tangy flavor. You can also use your favorite store-bought salsa verde to save time.
Yes. Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut. Remove the skin and bones, shred the meat, and use it for the tamale filling.
Yes. You can prepare the chicken, salsa verde, masa, and corn husks ahead of time. You can also assemble the tamales in advance and refrigerate them until you’re ready to steam them.
These chicken tamales take about 1½ to 2 hours to steam. Check the water occasionally and add more hot water if needed so the steamer does not run dry.
Yes. You can use homemade or store-bought salsa verde for these green chicken tamales. A prepared salsa verde is an easy shortcut when you want to save time.
🫔 More Tamales Recipes
- Green Pork Tamales
- Tamales de Elote (Corn Tamales)
- Bean Tamales
- Jalapeno and Cheese Tamales
- Beef Tamales
- Strawberry Tamales
- Birria Tamales
- Pumpkin Tamales
- Red Chicken Tamales
- Chicken Mole Tamales
- Tamales Dulces
Green Chicken Tamales take some time to make, but they’re worth the effort. Make a big batch, invite family and friends over, and turn it into a tamalada. There’s nothing quite like enjoying homemade tamales together, especially during the holidays.
Green Chicken Tamales (Tamales de Pollo en Salsa Verde)
Ingredients
For the Filling:
For The Masa:
- 1⅔ cups lard (or shortening)
- 5 cups masa harina
- 3½ teaspoon salt
- 2½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4½ cups hot water
For the Corn Husks:
- 45 corn husks
- water (enough to cover the husks)
For the tamales:
- 6 cups salsa verde
- water (for the steamer pot)
Instructions
For the Filling:
- Rinse chicken and remove any gizzards from the inside.
- Place chicken in a large stockpot.
- Add garlic, bay leaf, onion, salt and pepper.
- Then add 10 cups of water, or enough water to cover the entire chicken.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the pot and let cool.
- Strain the liquid and set aside for another recipe.
- Once the chicken has cooled, separate the meat from the bones.
- Set chicken meat aside.
- Discard the bones.
To Make The Masa:
- Beat the lard with your mixer until it's smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
- Combine masa harina, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the lard, alternating with the hot water.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often. Continue mixing until a smooth dough forms.
- Set aside until ready to use.
For the Corn Husks:
- Separate the corn husks.
- Remove any debris, corn hair, or bugs that you may find.
- Place in a large pot and cover with hot water.
- Add a heavy object (like a pot lid) to fully submerge the husks.
- The husks should be pliable in order to use.
- Minimum 20 minutes. Best overnight.
How To Assemble Tamales
- Smear a thin layer of prepared masa on each corn husk.
- Add a small amount of shredded chicken to the center of the masa.
- Spoon salsa verde over the chicken, being careful not to overfill the tamale.
- Fold one side of the corn husk in.
- Fold the other side in.
- Fold the pointy top to the center of the tamale.
- Set standing up while assembling the other tamales.
- Repeat until there are no more corn husks left.
- Add 2 cups of hot water to a steamer pot.
- Add the insert and place some corn husks on the insert.
- Arrange the uncooked tamales upright in the steamer.
- The tamales should be standing with the open side up.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- Turn off the heat and let the pot stand covered for 30 minutes.
- The tamales are ready when masa peels away from the corn husks easily.
Ok so making them is not the hard part to me. I made twice. First time perfect. Second time I adddd little water but 1 1/2 in checked there was literally water up making the tamales soaked and ruined. Water was not higher than the insert. I added a layer of husk bottom. Tamales upward. My problem is the water. Plus I had a steamer pot not a tamale pot. Help please. I heard I could put a clean hand towel between lid and pot but I’m not doing that because it can catch on fire from burner. Any tips? Thank you.
Believe it or not, the weather can affect things. If you live in a humid client, there will be more moisture in the air. If you live in a dry client, you might need more water. That said, check your lid. It needs to be snug tight. The towel makes almost like a tighter pocket for the tamales to steam. Instead of towel, try corn husks. Corn husks on the bottom AND corn husks on the top. That’s what I’ve been doing lately, and it works well. Hope this helps.
Don’t forget to add the penny to the pot!
Ah, the penny trick! Thanks for the reminder.
When I use ready-made, masa preparada, the tamales are not fluffy.
They are dense, apretados, sometimes a bit dry. How can I improve the masa.
I’ve tried mixing more broth into it, but turn too soft and tamales are lighter but are more like little balls, LOL because when you stand the tamales in the steamer , the masa settles at the bottom.
What makes tamales fluffy is whipped lard or whipped shortening. I would take some lard and whip it up with a Kitchen Aid or an electric hand mixer. It has to be creamy and light. Then add it to the masa and mix well. This process of whipping up the lard or shortening will make fluffy tamales. If it’s not whipped well (which can happen if you’re buying the masa instead of making it yourself), will produce hard, dense tamales. Here’s my recipe for masa for tamales: https://inmamamaggieskitchen.com/how-to-make-masa-for-tamales/
Making these now! Yum.
Thanks Maggie
Huge fan!
That’s great to hear! Hope you enjoy the tamales. Thank you.
This recipe was amazing! I made two chicken breasts in a skillet and seasoned with almost all the same spices, but put on ground thyme in substitute for the bay leaf’s flavor, and my family loved it. I’m definitely making this again sometime. Also, homemade masa is worth the hassle. I followed your recipe, added onion and garlic powder, while also using chicken broth, and it was so flavorful. Thank you so much for the recipes!!
Yay! So happy to hear that your family loved this recipe. 🙂
This looks so delicious and healthy recipe it makes me feel hungry I would love to try this recipe. Save this post
So glad you enjoyed this!
These tamales are so delicious and perfect for dinner tonight!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
I have always wanted to try to make tamales. This recipe looks like the perfect place to start!
It is! It’s easy and delicious