Spicy Chicken Tamales

I am celebrating Cinco de Mayo early! Actually, every week in my house is a mini Cinco de Mayo party. We always have Mexican food night at least once weekly.

Mexican food night includes tacos, enchiladas, homemade salsas and guacamole.

What Mexican food night doesn't include is Tamales, why you ask, because Tamales require dedication and work and it's not something you just make last minute.

I make tamales and I freeze them usually during the holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Because I am craving tamales and can't wait until Christmastime, I gave in and made them for Cinco de Mayo!

I pretty much smothered chicken breast in loads of spices, enchilada sauce, hot tomato sauce and broth.

You want your meat to shred apart and if you prefer you can substitute beef for the chicken and it would still work perfectly.

I stuffed the soften corn husks with masa, shredded chicken and cheese.

Steamed them for 90 minutes and topped them with more enchilada sauce and cheese. 

These tamales are delicious!

My family was happy that I made them big instead of those baby tamales where you gotta eat like 6 just to be a little full.

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Tamales

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 20 large or 40 small

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups co/jack cheese
2 cups hot tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth, low sodium
1 cup enchilada sauce
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon oregano, dried, crushed
extra virgin olive oil
1 bag of corn husk

For the Masa:

4 1/2 cups masa harina
2 cups enchilada sauce
1 3/4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 sticks butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Fill a large sink with hot water, place corn husks in water to soften about 1-2 hours.

To prepare masa, add butter to a mixer and beat until soft and creamy about 5 minutes, all remaining ingredients and mix well.

Cover masa with saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or overnight if desired.

To prepare chicken mix seasoning blend together, coat chicken in olive oil and season with about 2 tablespoons of seasoning blend and mix well.

Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan over medium heat, add onion and cook about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute more. 

Add chicken and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, add all remaining ingredients and seasonings, minus the cheese, cover pot with lid and cook chicken for about 30 minutes until the chicken starts to shred apart.

Allow chicken to cool slightly before stuffing tamales.

Create a work station. Set out corn husk, grated cheese, shredded chicken and masa. Form masa into golf ball size balls.  Place masa ball into corn husk, make sure you place masa on the smooth side of the corn husk to prevent sticking.

Flatten masa ball with your hand, in the middle of the husk, add about 1-2 tablespoons of meat and 1-2 tablespoons of grated cheese.

Roll half of husk forming a tight little wrap. Fold bottom of tamale under and tie with a string, not to tightly, do the same at the top and tie with a husk string. Repeat.

Heat a steamer with hot boiling water. Use foil if needed to raise the tamales up and prevent them from touching the water. Steam tamales over medium heat for about 90 minutes.

Replacing water as needed. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes before unwrapping and eating. Tamales can also be chilled and frozen after cooking.

Top tamales with enchilada sauce, extra cheese, sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!