My grandmother was famous for her red chile tamales. We would make them by the dozen during Christmas time—traditionally pork, but these Red Chicken Tamales are a delicious variation of her beloved family recipe. It was a big family affair. My aunts, cousins, even my uncles would help. We’d tell ghost stories as we smeared, folded, and steamed. My favorite ghost story was of Beatriz, a nun who fell in love with a soldier. He promised to return, but he died in battle. She haunts one of the towers of the Durango Cathedral, waiting for her lover.
Making tamales was about more than the food. It was time spent together as a family, and those are some of my favorite memories.
You’ll also want to try the traditional pork version, Red Pork Tamales.
Quick Recipe Notes
- Taste profile: Rich, savory red chile sauce with tender, juicy shredded chicken and flavorful corn masa.
- Texture: Soft, fluffy masa with a tender chicken filling.
- Best for: Christmas, holidays, posadas, and large family gatherings.
- Make ahead: Prepare the red chile sauce, chicken, and masa ahead of time to make tamale assembly easier.
- Freezer-friendly: These tamales freeze beautifully. Make a big batch, enjoy some right away, and save the rest for later.
-Maggie
These Red Chicken Tamales are a classic Mexican recipe made with tender shredded chicken, homemade red chile sauce, and soft, flavorful masa wrapped in corn husks and steamed until perfectly cooked.
The guajillo chile sauce gives the masa its beautiful reddish-orange color and adds bold flavor to the chicken filling.
🌽 How to Prepare Corn Husks for Tamales
- Separate the corn husks (hojas de maíz) and remove any debris, silk hair, or bugs.
- Do this one by one, even if they stick together.
- Soak in hot water, at least for 20 minutes.
If you are working with corn husks that are older and very dry, they will need more soaking time.
The corn husks are ready when they are pliable and move easily.
🌶️ How to Make Red Chile Sauce for Chicken Tamales
- Take dried guajillo chiles and remove the stems, cut lengthwise and remove veins and seeds, then place in a stock pot.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- Discard the water. (Traditionally, our Mexican grandmothers used this water, but chiles can be dusty and dust will go into your salsa. Best to discard and use fresh water).
- Strain the sauce, then divide it into two portions.
- Set aside 1 cup of the sauce and reserve the rest in another container.
This is a basic guajillo sauce. Taste it. Sometimes it can be spicy. To tame down the heat, add a tomato or use a mixture of guajillo chiles and ancho chiles.
- Add one cup of the red sauce to masa.
- Mix well.
- The masa will become orange in color, and texture-wise, it should be smooth.
- This is why they are called “red” tamales. In Spanish, you will hear them referred to as “tamales rojos de pollo.”
Make the masa for tamales ahead of time to save time, or buy prepared masa from a Mexican grocery store.
🫔 How to Assemble Red Chicken Tamales
- Shake off any excess water from a large corn husk.
- Spread the masa on a corn husk. Be sure not to spread masa on the pointy top half.
- Add shredded chicken and more of the red chile sauce.
- Fold both sides of the corn husk in.
- Lastly, fold the top pointy part inward to the center of the tamal.
Set aside standing up. Repeat until there are no more ingredients left.
- Place all the tamales inside a large steamer pot.
- Cook for 1 ½ hours, check after 1 hour.
Want to make them faster? Try Instant Pot Chicken Tamales. The upside to cooking tamales in the instant pot is that they cook in almost half the normal time. However, you can’t fit as many inside the pot. So, you’re left with fewer tamales.
👩🏼🍳 Maggie Tips for Making Red Chicken Tamales
- Make the chile sauce ahead of time. It stores well in the fridge for up to 5 days, or 5 months in the freezer. Add a splash of water if it becomes too chunky.
- Use a rotisserie chicken or make the chicken ahead of time. Shred and store. In the fridge, chicken lasts up to 4 days. In the freezer, chicken lasts up to 4 months.
- The difficult part about making tamales is the assembly. Get friends and family to help assemble tamales.
- I always make a big batch. Eat one and freeze another.
- Serve with an egg on top to make Breakfast Tamales.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The masa should be firm and pull away easily from the corn husk. If it’s still sticky, steam for another 15–20 minutes and check again. If the masa is still not firm after that, turn off the heat, lid on, let them sit for 15 minutes. Sometimes, they just have to chill out.
Yes, but homemade sauce gives the best flavor. If using store-bought, look for one with simple ingredients and no added sugar. Taste it before using and be sure it’s to your liking.
Rotisserie chicken works great and saves time! You can also boil or bake your own chicken breasts or thighs and shred them.
Dry tamales can be a result of too little fat in the masa or over-steaming. Make sure the masa is moist and spread evenly, and don’t overfill the pot.
How to Store and Reheat Red Chicken Tamales
- Storing: Chicken tamales with red sauce will last in the fridge for up to 5 days and up to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw and reheat before consuming.
- Reheat In the microwave: Place tamales on a microwavable-safe plate, cover with a wet paper towel, reheat on high for 2 ½ minutes.
- Reheat In a steamer pot: Place tamales inside a steamer pot that has been filled. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
🍴 More Tamales Recipes
- Green Pork Tamales
- Tamales de Elote (Corn Tamales)
- Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales
- Strawberry Tamales
- Birria Tamales
- Jalapeno and Cheese Tamales
- Pumpkin Tamales
- Tamales de Rajas con Queso
- Chicken Mole Tamales
- Tamales Dulces
These Red Chicken Tamales (or Tamales Rojos de Pollo) are packed with tender shredded chicken and bold red chile sauce wrapped in soft, fluffy masa.
They take some time to make, but the process is worth it. Gather your family and friends, make a big batch, and enjoy these chicken tamales with red sauce together.
And don’t forget to freeze a few for later. Future you will be very happy you did!
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Red Chicken Tamales
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 4 pounds chicken breast and thighs preferred for easier cooking
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- Water enough to cover 2 inches above the chicken
For the Red Sauce:
- 12 dried guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ tablespoon whole cumin
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 8 cups Water 4 cups for rehydrating chiles + 4 cups for blending
For the Masa Dough:
- 3 lbs masa for tamales
- 1 cup red chile sauce reserved
You'll Also Need:
- 1 cup chicken broth (for the chicken mixture)
- 40-45 corn husks
- A large steamer pot
- Water for steaming
Instructions
To Prepare the Corn Husks:
- Separate the cork husks. Remove any debris or silk hairs.
- Soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
- Place an object on top of the husks that’s heavy enough so they can soak.
- Repeat until the husks are pliable.
To Cook The Chicken:
- In a large stock pot, add the chicken pieces- breast and thighs, preferred for easier cooking.
- Add all the garlic, onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Cover with water about 2 inches above all the pot contents.
- Place a lid on the pot and cook for 45 minutes.
- (Skip this step and using rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another day)
- Once ready, let cool and chop or shred.
- Set aside until ready to use.
For the Red Sauce:
- Remove the stems, veins, and seeds from the chiles.
- Place the chiles in a pot along with the onion and garlic.
- Cover with water.
- Bring the pot to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
- Discard the water.
- To a blender, add the rehydrated chiles, onion, garlic, salt, cumin, and 4 cups of water.
- Blend until smooth.
- Taste for salt. Add salt, if needed.
- Strain the chile sauce.
- With the back of your spoon, push the sauce through the strainer.
- Reserve 1 cup of the red chile sauce, and set aside until ready to use.
Making Chicken Mixture:
- Pour the remaining red chile sauce to the chicken and 1 cup of the chicken broth.
- With your tongs, coat the meat.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Let cool slightly before assembling tamales.
For the Masa:
- Add 1 cup of the reserved red chile sauce to the prepared masa.
- Mix well until the chile sauce is fully incorporated.
- The masa will have an orange color.
- You can do this by hand with a large spoon or in a mixer.
To Assemble:
- Shake off water from the corn husk.
- Place the husk in your hand.
- Spread about 2 tablespoons of masa on the corn husk
- (Depending on the size of the corn husk you might need more or less masa).
- Only spread the masa on the bottom and halfway to the top.
- Take a tablespoon of the chicken filling and add to the center of the masa.
- Fold one side of the husk in. Then the other.
- Fold the pointy top over to the middle of the corn husk.
- Set aside.
- Continue assembling until you no longer have corn husks or filling.
Cooking Tamales:
- Fill the bottom of a large steamer pot with hot water.
- Insert the steamer and add your tamales with the open side up.
- Place corn husks on top of the tamales.
- Cover with a lid.
- Cook on low for 1 ½ hours, check them after 1 hour.
- Add water as necessary.
- Turn off stove and let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- The tamales are ready when the tamal pulls away from the husk easily.
Notes
FAQ
- How do I know when tamales are done steaming? The masa should be firm and pull away easily from the corn husk. If it’s still sticky, steam for another 15–20 minutes and check again. If the masa is still not firm after that, turn off the heat, lid on, let them sit for 15 minutes. Sometimes, they just have to chill out.
- Can I use store-bought red chile sauce? Yes, but homemade sauce gives the best flavor. If using store-bought, look for one with simple ingredients and no added sugar. Taste it before using and be sure it’s to your liking.
- What’s the best chicken to use for tamales? Rotisserie chicken works great and saves time! You can also boil or bake your own chicken breasts or thighs and shred them.
- Why do my tamales come out dry? Dry tamales can be a result of too little fat in the masa or over-steaming. Make sure the masa is moist and spread evenly, and don’t overfill the pot.
- Make the chile sauce ahead of time. It stores well in the fridge for up to 5 days, or 5 months in the freezer. Add a splash of water if it becomes too chunky.
- Use a rotisserie chicken or make the chicken ahead of time. Shred and store. In the fridge, chicken lasts up to 4 days. In the freezer, it lasts up to 4 months. Don’t worry. It won’t have any freezer burn taste because of the red chile sauce.
- The difficult part about making tamales is the assembly. Get friends and family to help assemble tamales.
- I always make a big batch. Eat one and freeze another.
The reason to reheat red sauce with chicken,
Infused flavor ?
In your bean tacos, I add pablano pepper & melted cheese? Very delicious! Is there a region for the?
Thank you so authentic your receipe, love the ease of your instructions!
Adding poblanos and cheese sounds delicious. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!