Tamales Verdes de Pollo (Chicken Tamales in Green Salsa)
BAKE:
1.5 hours
PREP:
1 hour
YIELD:
3 ½ dozen
tamales
tamales
This recipe yields over 3 dozen tamales—wrap the leftovers in foil and deliver them to neighbors and friends (from a safe distance, of course).
Ingredients
For the salsa:
- • 1 ½ pounds tomatillos, diced
- • 8–10 serrano chiles; diced, seeds removed if desired
- • 2 jalapeños; diced, seeds removed if desired
- • ¼ white onion, diced
- • 2 cloves garlic
- • 1 bunch cilantro
- • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the filling:
- • 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces
- • ½ onion
- • 6 cloves garlic
- • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the dough:
- • 14 ounces vegetable shortening or lard
- • 4 cups instant corn masa flour for tamales
- • 5 cups chicken stock
- • 1 ½ tablespoons salt
- • 1 tablespoon baking powder
- • Corn husks
Instructions
- First, prepare the salsa. In a blender, blend the tomatillos, serrano chiles, jalapeños, onion, garlic, cilantro and salt on high speed. Strain the salsa and reserve the pulp. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken, onion, garlic and salt and simmer for 10 minutes. Set the chicken aside on a plate and discard the onion and garlic. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, use your fingers or a fork to shred it.
- Rinse the corn husks to remove any debris. In a medium bowl, cover the corn husks with hot water and allow them to soften.
- In a large bowl, beat the lard for about 10 minutes, until it is smooth and light. In a medium bowl, combine the masa and 3 cups of chicken stock, and mix them well to ensure the masa is hydrated. Incorporate the masa into the lard one handful at a time, followed by the salt and baking powder, until they are well combined.
- Add the remaining chicken stock and taste the masa. It should taste salty, because some of the salt will evaporate during cooking. Using your hands, mix the masa for about 30 minutes. In a glass of ice water, drop a small amount of masa. If it floats, it’s ready to use; if not, keep mixing it.
- Spread masa onto the widest half of the corn husk, leaving 1 inch of free space all around the edges. Don’t spread the masa too thick; otherwise, it won’t cook through and your tamales will taste raw. Add the shredded chicken and a spoonful of the salsa pulp. Fold the husk into thirds and fold the tail end of the husk upwards.
- In a large pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Place the tamales in an upright position in the basket and steam them, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the tamales sit in the residual steam for 20 minutes. You’ll know the tamales are ready when the husk peels off easily.
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
ROAST:
55 minutes
PREP:
10 minutes
YIELD:
4 servings
Try this one-pan recipe for your holiday dinner. Roasting the vegetables alongside the chicken not only saves time and dishes, but also legs the veggies soak up all of those delicious juices.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- • 1 4–5-pound whole chicken
- • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- • ¼ teaspoon paprika
- • 1 teaspoon onion powder
- • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- • ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- • Kosher salt, to taste
- • Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- • 3–4 sprigs fresh thyme
- • 1 lemon, halved
For the vegetables:
- • 1 large red onion, quartered
- • 2 russet potatoes, quartered
- • 3 small red potatoes, quartered
- • 4 carrots, sliced 1” thick
- • 1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
- • 2 large parsnips, sliced 1” thick
- • 2 lemons, halved
- • 2 heads garlic, halved crosswise
- • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
- • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- • 2 tablespoons olive oil
- • Kosher salt, to taste
- • Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
- If time allows, remove the chicken from the fridge 45 minutes before you are ready to cook and allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 ° F.
- In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, oregano, dried thyme, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and poultry seasoning, and set it aside.
- Remove any giblets from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse the chicken under cool water and pat it dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and pepper to taste, and stuff it with the rosemary, thyme and half of the lemon. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips behind the neck to keep them from burning. Gently loosen the skin and rub the butter mixture into the meat underneath. Squeeze the remaining lemon through a fine-mesh strainer over the chicken, season the chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a roasting dish.
- In a large bowl, toss the onion, potatoes, carrots, fennel, parsnips and lemon with the parsley, thyme and olive oil. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and arrange them in the roasting dish around the chicken along with the halved heads of garlic.
- Roast the chicken and vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 ° F. Rotate the baking dish to ensure even cooking and roast for another 35–45 minutes until the skin is golden-brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg reads 165 ° F.
- Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before carving and serving with the vegetables.