Recipe from Argelia Vergara
Adapted by Sam Sifton
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- 4(144)
- Notes
- Read community notes
These chicken tamales, drenched in tomatillo salsa, are a staple of the Christmas tamale season of Argelia Vergara, a Staten Island resident who makes them to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The recipe is labor-intensive, so enlist helpers in the kitchen to wrap the tamales in corn husks. The result is well worth the effort. —Sam Sifton
Featured in: Diverse Holiday Feasts From Five New York Families
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Ingredients
Yield:About 50 tamales.
- 50 to 60dried corn husks, or as needed
- 1pound tomatillos, husks removed
- 5 to 6jalapeño peppers
- 1quart chicken broth
- 1teaspoon teaspoon salt
- 2clove garlic
- ¼onion, sliced
- ½teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 2tablespoons lard
- 1pound boneless, skinless cooked chicken breasts, shredded
- 14.4-pound bag Maseca tamale mix
- 4cup lard, approximately 1½ pounds, melted
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1tablespoon salt
- 2quarts chicken broth.
For the Filling
For the Masa
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
For the filling, place husks in a large bowl. Add water to cover, and set aside to soften.
Step
2
In a large saucepan, combine the tomatillos, jalapeño peppers and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender, and add salt, garlic, onion and cumin. Blend until puréed. Return the mixture to the pot, and place over medium heat. Add the lard, cook for 5 to 7 minutes until fully melted, then remove from heat and set aside.
Step
3
For the masa, combine the masa mix with the melted lard, baking powder, salt and chicken broth in a large bowl. Knead dough until soft, 10 to 20 minutes.
Step
4
To finish and steam: Fill the bottom of a steamer with about 2 inches of water. Line the bottom of the insert with a layer of corn husks.
Step
5
In a corn husk, place about a handful of masa. Spread with 3 tablespoons of the sauce and some shredded chicken. Fold in the sides of each husk, and fold the pointed side up, leaving one end open. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Stand the filled husks in the steamer with the open ends up.
Step
6
Cover the tops with a layer of additional corn husks, and cover the pot tightly with foil and a lid. Steam until the tamales release easily from the husks, 45 minutes to 1 hour; add water to the bottom of the pan as necessary so it doesn’t run dry, and be careful not to overcook.
Ratings
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Cooking Notes
Edie Clark
Mark Bittman says you can use olive oil that you put in the freezer for a few minutes to solidify. I use olive oil in all of mine and my family loves them.
Susan
Lard is what makes Mexican food taste authentic. You could use another fat, but you lose a lot of the flavor. Crisco would work as a fat.
Make your filling juicier and add the juice to the masa mix. This works particularly well when you use red chile meat as a filling. Or use part chile and part water or stock to mix the masa.
S. Goodland
I grew up in Phoenix and ate a lot of homemade tamales. The best ones I ever had were made with butter, and the filling mixed into the masa. Then just dolloped onto the softened husks, folded into a little envelope shape, tied then stacked in a steamer to cook. Easy and delicious.
Connie Heap
Margarine works best as a lard substitute for veg tamales. Also, have made a filling of red peppers, hominy, corn, black beans onions, garlic with salsa as a binding agent.
Mark
Made this recipe and it makes so many tamales, def over 50-60 husks. Add chicken or any other filling to accommodate for the amount of masa you make. Other wise super bomb!!
OceanBeachSF
Need to add more filling. Use olive oil and bob red mill masa works great.
S. Goodland
I grew up in Phoenix and ate a lot of homemade tamales. The best ones I ever had were made with butter, and the filling mixed into the masa. Then just dolloped onto the softened husks, folded into a little envelope shape, tied then stacked in a steamer to cook. Easy and delicious.
Mary from Terry, MS
We have a tamale party every year. I prepare the masa using a stand mixer for fluffy dough and the chicken filling. Then everyone lines up along the kitchen island as an assembly line. I steam enough to feed everyone and freeze the remaining uncooked tamales for later. A big pot of black or pinto beans completes the menu. Tamales don't taste right unless you use lard, available at the local Mexican food store.
Edie Clark
Mark Bittman says you can use olive oil that you put in the freezer for a few minutes to solidify. I use olive oil in all of mine and my family loves them.
Susan
Lard is what makes Mexican food taste authentic. You could use another fat, but you lose a lot of the flavor. Crisco would work as a fat.
Make your filling juicier and add the juice to the masa mix. This works particularly well when you use red chile meat as a filling. Or use part chile and part water or stock to mix the masa.
Sara
Can these be made with a fat other than lard for people who do not ea pork products?
Connie Heap
Margarine works best as a lard substitute for veg tamales. Also, have made a filling of red peppers, hominy, corn, black beans onions, garlic with salsa as a binding agent.
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