Chicken Tamales

These are Mexican style  Chicken Tamales. I love them, but they are time intensive and hard to get just right. There's a lot of judging by taste and feel, but here is the basic recipe:

For masa:

3/4 cup shortening

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp baking powder

4 cups of Maseca (tamal corn flour)

1 can of broth

1 cup of water + additional water to get to the right consistency

chicken bouillon, to taste about 1 tsp

onion powder, to taste, about 1 tsp

For filling:

3 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 can of green enchilada sauce

Also needed: 

Soaked and cleaned corn husks

Large pressure canning pot with rack and lid

Directions:

Make the masa: In a mixing bowl, beat shortening and salt for a minute. Add the oil and baking powder and 2 cups of Maseca. Mix on low until combined. Add the broth and mix on low until combined. At this point, add in the chicken bouillon and onion powder. Add another 2 cups of Maseca and the cup of water and mix on low until combined. Taste the dough and adjust as needed. It won't taste great, but it shouldn't taste just like corn. Add more seasoning until you can taste the salt and the onion.  Add enough water to get it to the right texture. It should be like really soft play dough and spread like peanut butter. Beat on high for 4 minutes.

Make the filling: Mix the shredded chicken with the whole can of enchilada sauce. You want it to be a little saucy.

Prepare the pot: I like to put 3 balls of tin foil in the bottom of my pot to keep the steaming rack a little further from the bottom. Make sure the steaming rack is flat and then add hot water to the pot. Put in as much water as you can, but the water should not come over the rack or touching the tamales. 

Put the tamales together: Take a corn husk and open it up, the smoother side facing you. Hold the husk so that the wider part of the triangle is at the top by the tips of your fingers. Take a big spoonful of masa and spread it onto the husk. Start about1/3 to 1/2 way up the husk, leaving the bottom triangle empty. Spread the masa into a rectangle, about 1/2 in thick and 1/2 in from the top of the corn husk. Add more masa if you need to, or put some back in the bowl if it's a smaller husk. Take a spoonful of the chicken mixture (a smaller amount than the masa) and lay it down the middle of the rectangle of masa. It will be in a straight line going from the wide part at the top of the triangle down towards the skinny triangle bottom part. Now it's time to close the tamal. Hold the tamal with your left hand and with your right  hand, take the right hand side of the corn husk and close it over to the left, so that your hands are touching. This causes the masa to fold over the filling. You can use your right hand to shape the masa into a cylinder shape under the husk, if it needs shaping. Keep holding the wrapped tamal in your left hand while your right hand takes the empty triangle part of the husk and folds it up, toward the wider part of the husk. This closes off the bottom of the tamal. It's time to put the tamal in the pot.

Put the tamales into the pot: Place the tamal on the steaming rack, with the folded side down and the open side of the tamal facing upwards. Sometimes the folded triangle won't stay up, in which case you can squeeze another tamal in front of it holding the triangle up, or even better, pull it back out and wrap the tamal with a small long string of husk, like the picture at the top of the recipe. Then you place the tamal back in the pot. It's ok if they are leaning and touching the side of the pot. Just make sure that the open side of the tamal is facing up so that the filling stays inside. Once all of the tamales are in the pot, make sure the lid is on tightly and carefully set the pot on the stove. I don't put the canning weight on my lid.

Cook the tamales: Set the burner to medium high and listen for the water to sound like it's boiling. There will be a lot of steam and some water bubbling out of the air vent until the pressure builds and closes the vent. Once the pressure has closed the vent, turn the burner to low or simmer and start the timer. It takes about 50-60 minutes to steam the tamales. You can check them at 50 minutes or just go the full 60. It seems that they are hard to overcook.

Check the tamales: Once the time is up, pull your pot off the burner and wait for the vent-lock to fall, indicating that the pressure has lowered. It only takes about 30 seconds. Open the lid with hot pads, there will be a lot of hot steam. Carefully remove one tamal and let it sit for about 2 minutes. Gently unroll the tamal and check the masa. It won't be dry per se, but it should not be doughy. The tamales will firm up and dry out a little more as they sit too. If more time is needed, add more water if needed, close the lid, and pressure cook for 10-20 more minutes. 

Let the tamales sit for a few minutes in their husks before opening and serving. Enjoy!

Tip: Tamales reheat really well. Store the tamales in their husks in the fridge or the freezer. Warm them up one a time. To reheat from the fridge, wrap the tamal in a damp paper towel and microwave for about 1 minute. If frozen, microwaves for 1.5-2 minutes.