Homemade Tamales Recipe

This incredibly delicious tamale recipe is filled with slow-braised chicken in a zesty red sauce and steamed in corn husks until light and fluffy. These tamales will quickly become a household favorite after making and eating them.

While tamales are excellent and eaten by themselves, try serving them with Mexican Rice or Pico de Gallo on top for enhanced flavors.

Tamales

Tamales are a delicious Mexican specialty consisting of masa dough and filling wrapped in corn husks and steamed until finished. There are various types of tamales and a wide assortment of fillings, and they can be either savory or sweet. I made rojos de pollo tamales, slow-cooked chicken with a zesty red sauce enclosed in tamale dough.

These are the epitome of Mexican comfort food, dating back thousands of years to ancient civilizations living in Mexico. Tamales travel well and were often made for people going on long journeys as a great source of protein and calories. While this classic dish is a labor of love the flavors are incredible and well worth the effort. If you are making a lot, it is best to have several people to help.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Masa – Use good, finely ground masa flour. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill or Goya.
• Fat – Pork lard is the most traditional to use. However, you can use shortening or a combination of lard, shortening, and unsalted butter.
• Baking Powder – This will help make the dough light and fluffy.
• Stock – Chicken stock is best, but vegetable stock or water can also be used.
• Husks – You will need dried corn husks for this recipe. These can be purchased at any local Latin supermarket.
• Salt – I always use coarse sea salt and my cooking and baking.
• Filling – Chicken, olive oil, cumin, tomatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaves, guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, chicken stock, salt, and pepper.

How to Make Tamales from Scratch

Follow these foolproof instructions on making tamales from scratch with a zesty rojos de pollo filling. This does take time, and I would recommend making this with a few people to make it fun so that the process goes quicker.  

Rojos de Pollo Tamales Filling

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Add the 3 oil to a rondeau pot over high heat until it smokes lightly. Place the chicken skin side down, then turn the heat to medium-high.
3. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until well browned on both sides. Set it aside on a plate.
4. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves and sauté until the onion is well browned.
5. Pour in the chicken stock and season it with salt and pepper. Place the chicken back in the liquid on a lid, and cover over medium heat for 1 hour.
6. Remove the chicken from the liquid and set it to the side on a plate along with the onions and garlic cloves. Strain the chicken stock into a pot and set the liquid to the side.
7. Add the rondeau pot back to the burner over high heat and add in oil and heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Add the onions and sauté until well browned. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
8. Sprinkle in the cumin and toast before adding chiles and tomatoes. Sauté the vegetables together.
9. Add back half of the strained chicken stock. Simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles are softened.
10. De-bone, skin, and shred the chicken with your fingers or using forks. Keep it aside.
11. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend quickly until it is smooth.
12. Pour the red sauce into the pot, adjust the seasonings, add the shredded chicken, and combine. Remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.

How to Assemble Tamales

1. Add the husks to an enormous container, cover it completely with cold water, and let it sit overnight. You can also cover it in hot boiling water and let it sit for 1 hour to soften. Strain the husks entirely and set them aside.
2. Add the lard to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix quickly for 5 to 7 minutes or until it becomes light and fluffy.
3. Stop the mixer and add in the masa, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low speed.
4. While mixing, slowly pour in the remaining warm 4 cups of chicken stock until mixed in. You may need to wait a minute or two between adding the chicken stock to ensure it is mixed.
5. Once the dough is combined, it should be very soft and slightly sticky, like the consistency of peanut butter.
6. Take about a half cup of the masa dough and spread it to the center of a husk making about a 5” x 5” size. Be sure to leave about 1” inch at the top and several inches on the bottom parts of the husk. Watch the video to see how to do this.
7. Add about 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling to the center of the masa that is spread out on the husk.
8. Fold the husk over until the masa completely encases the filling.
9. Next, fold the husk over one more time and then fold the bottom part of the husk up.
10. This is optional, but you can tie a thin piece of husk around the tamale to help it hold in place, although it will hold fine and is unnecessary. This seems to be more for aesthetics.

How to Cook Tamales

1. Place the tamales open into a steamer basket until it is filled up.
2. Put a damp kitchen towel over the tamales. Place in a large pot with water below the basket and cover with a lid, and steam for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cooked through.
3. Remove and rest for a few minutes before serving.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make the filling up to 3 days in advance and the masa dough up to 2 days ahead. It’s best to serve these as soon as they are finished cooking. You can keep these warm on a pan covered in foil at low temperatures (150° to 200°) in the oven for 1 hour before cooking.

How to Store: Cover and keep them in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. These will freeze well and be covered for up to 6 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Re-steam the tamales in the exact same way as cooking them for 10 to 15 minutes or until warm. You can also place them on a pan covered in foil and bake them at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes or until warm.

Chef Notes + Tips

• There will be plenty of filling left over after making the tamales which go great in enchiladas or burritos, quesadillas, or tacos.
• I prefer to break down an entire chicken into breasts, thighs, drums, and wings because it’s more economical. The leftover carcass can be frozen for stock later. However, you can use all breast, thigh, drum, or wing meat to fill these tamales.
• You can make the tamale dough by hand by vigorously kneading the ingredients until very soft and combined.
• These can also be made in an instant pot using the steamer for 25 to 30 minutes.

More Mexican Recipes

• Elote
• Huevos Rancheros
• Baja Fish Tacos
• Picadillo
• Sopapilla

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Homemade Tamales Recipe

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5 from 4 votes

This incredibly delicious tamale recipe is filled with slow-braised chicken in a zesty red sauce and steamed in corn husks until cooked.

Servings: 36

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the Filling:

• 4 1/2 pound chicken broken down into individual breasts, thighs, drums, and wings
• 6 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
• 2 peeled yellow onions cut into wedges or slices
• 16 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 cups chicken stock, water, or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 seeded ancho chiles
• 3 seeded guajillo chiles
• 5 Roma tomatoes, cut in half
• coarse sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

For the Tamale Dough:

• 40 to 50 corn husks
• 2 cups lard
• 6 cups finely found masa
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups chicken stock

Instructions

• Filling: Season by seasoning the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
• Next, add the 3 tablespoons avocado or olive oil to a rondeau pot over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Place the chicken skin side down and then turn the heat down to medium high.
• Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until well browned on both sides. Set it aside on a plate.
• Add 1 peeled yellow onion, 10 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion is well browned. Pour in the chicken stock and season it with salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken back in the liquid, place on a lid, and cover over medium heat for 1 hour. Once the chicken is very tender, remove it from the liquid and set it to the side on a plate.
• Strain the chicken stock into a pot and set the liquid to the side. Add the onions and garlic from the strainer to the plate with the cooked chicken.
• Add the rondeau pot back to the burner over high heat and add 3 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil and heat until it begins to lightly smoke.
• Next, add the onions and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes or until well browned. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds.
• Now sprinkle in the cumin and toast for 1 to minutes before adding in the chiles and tomatoes. Sauté the vegetables together for 2 to 3 minutes, and then add back in half of the strained chicken stock. Simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles are softened.
• In the meantime, bone, skin, and shred the chicken with your fingers or using forks. Keep it aside. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend on high speed until it is smooth.
• Pour the red sauce back into the pot, adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, and the shredded chicken and mix to combine. Remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.
• Tamales: Add the husks to a large container and cover it completely with cold water and let it sit overnight. You can also cover it in hot boiling water and let it sit for 1 hour to soften. Strain the husks entirely and set them aside.
• Add the lard to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on high speed for 5 to 7 minutes or until it becomes light and fluffy.
• Stop the mixer and add in the masa, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low speed.
• While it is mixing, begins to slowly pour in the remaining warm 4 cups of chicken stock until it is mixed in. You may need to wait a minute or two in between adding in the chicken stock to ensure it is mixed in.
• Once the dough is combined it should be very soft and slightly stick, like the consistency of peanut butter.
• Take about a half cup of the masa dough and spread it to the center of a husk making about a 5” x 5” size. Be sure to leave about 1” inch at the top and several inches on the bottom parts of the husk. Watch the video to see how to do this.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling to the center of the masa that is spread out on the husk.
• Fold the husk over until the masa completely encases the filling. Next, fold the husk over one more time and then fold the bottom part of the husk up.
• This is optional, but you can then tie a thin piece of husk around the tamale to help it hold in place although it will hold fine and is not needed. This seems to be more for aesthetics.
• Place the tamales open side up into a steamer basket until it is filled up. Put a damp kitchen towel over the tamales and place them in a large pot with water that is below the basket and cover with a lid, and steam for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cooked through.
• Remove and rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make the filling up to 3 days in advance and the masa dough up to 2 days ahead. It’s best to serve these as soon as they are finished cooking. You can keep these warm on a pan covered in foil at low temperatures (150° to 200°) in the oven for 1 hour before cooking.

How to Store: Cover and keep them in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. These will freeze well and be covered for up to 6 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Re-steam the tamales in the exact same way as cooking them for 10 to 15 minutes or until warm. You can also place them on a pan covered in foil and bake them at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes or until warm.

There will be plenty of filling left over after making the tamales which go great in enchiladas or burritos, quesadillas, or tacos.

I prefer to break down an entire chicken into breasts, thighs, drums, and wings because it’s more economical. The leftover carcass can be frozen for stock later. However, you can use all breast, thigh, drum, or wing meat to fill these tamales.

You can make the tamale dough by hand by vigorously kneading the ingredients until very soft and combined.

These can also be made in an instant pot using the steamer for 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 11gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 172mgPotassium: 293mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 861IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: latin, Mexican

Author: Chef Billy Parisi