Red Chicken Tamales
Learn about red chicken tamales, a traditional Mexican dish with tender chicken and flavorful masa, wrapped in corn husks and steamed until tender.
Ingredients
Chicken and Broth
- 4 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- Liberally season with kosher salt
- Liberally season with ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 gallon water
- 1 head garlic, slice end off
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp whole allspice
- 5 sprigs fresh mint leaves
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs fresh oregano
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
Red Sauce
- 12 guajillo chiles, seeded, deveined, and stemmed
- 8 puya chiles, seeded, deveined, and stemmed
- 2 ancho chiles, seeded, deveined, and stemmed
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 white onion, roughly diced
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 cups warm chicken broth, homemade
- To taste kosher salt
Masa (Dough)
- 6 cups instant corn masa harina
- 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup pork lard
- 1 cup avocado oil
- 1 cup chili sauce - reserved
- 3-4 cups warm chicken broth, homemade
Additional
- 36 corn husk
Instructions
Cook The Chicken
- Season both sides of the chicken thighs generously with salt and black pepper. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding until browned on both sides.
- Once the last batch is browned, carefully pour in the water and return all chicken to the pot. Add garlic, onion, bay leaves, allspice, cilantro, mint, thyme, and oregano.
- Bring to a boil and skim off any foam from the surface. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Red Sauce
- Wipe the guajillo, puya, and ancho chiles clean with a damp paper towel, cut into smaller pieces, and set aside to dry.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the broth and let cool. Carefully strain the broth and set aside for later use.
Finish Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until slightly softened. Add oregano and cumin and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the dried chiles and toast for 1–2 minutes, stirring continuously to avoid burning, until they are lightly fragrant. Pour in 3 cups of hot chicken broth to hydrate the chiles for 10–15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove chicken skin and bones, shred the meat, and set aside.
- Blend the hydrated chile mix with the broth until smooth, straining any large pieces if needed.
Chicken Filling
- Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and pour in the blended sauce. Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth to the blender, swirl to collect any leftover sauce, and pour it into the pan.
- Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer over medium low heat. Cook 5–10 minutes until slightly thickened and darker in color.
- Remove 1 cup of sauce and set aside. Stir in shredded chicken and salt; cook 2 minutes until heated through. Remove from heat and let cool.
Prep Husks
- Sort medium to large husks, avoiding ones with holes in the middle or significant dark spots. Imperfect husks can be used for lining the pot or covering the tamales during cooking.
- Soak in warm to hot water for 15–30 minutes, or until softened and flexible, using a plate to keep them submerged. Rinse, remove any corn silk, and drain.
Masa (Dough)
- In a large bowl, combine the corn masa harina, salt, and baking powder by hand, mixing until evenly distributed.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the lard by hand or with a whisk until smooth, fluffy, and lighter in color, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually mix in oil while stirring continuously.
- Incorporate half of the masa mixture, then add the remaining half, mixing until fully combined. The dough should resemble wet sand.
- Knead in the reserved 1 cup of red sauce. Gradually knead in about 3¼ cups of warm broth, adjusting as needed (see notes). Knead the masa for about 5 minutes, until it is very soft, well-moistened, holds its shape, and spreads easily.
- Cover the masa with a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying. If it starts to dry out, gradually add a little more broth until it reaches the desired consistency.
Assemble the Tamales
- Click the HOW TO WRAP TAMALES link for detailed, step-by-step instructions.
Cook the Tamales
- Use a large steamer pot with a rack at the bottom. Pour in water, stopping just below the rack.
- Turn heat to medium-high. Cover the rack with husks. Make a base with three tamales in a T-shape, open sides toward the center.
- Lay remaining tamales around them, open side up. Cover completely with husk leaves and a damp clean kitchen towel.
- Once boiling and steam is visible, cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook on a simmer for 50–70 minutes, or until the masa is fully cooked.
Check for Doneness
- Remove a tamal and let cool 5–10 minutes. Unwrap; they are done if the masa releases easily from the husk, holds its shape, and does not taste raw.
- Turn off heat, keep the pot covered, and enjoy.
Notes
Husks Tips
- Choose medium to large husks. Small holes near the top are fine, but avoid any with large holes or very moldy spots.
- Imperfect husks can be used for lining the pot or covering the tamales during cooking.
- Overlapping smaller husks works if larger ones are unavailable.
- Spread masa on the smooth side of the husk.
- Chiles: Toast carefully; burning makes the sauce bitter.
- Chile sauce: Strain if large chili pieces remain to avoid gritty texture.
- Masa consistency: If too dry, add broth gradually; if too wet, fold in masa harina.
- Equipment: Use a proper steamer rack to avoid tamales sitting in water.
- Check doneness: Once the tamal has cooled, the masa should easily release from the husk and taste fully cooked.
Nutrition
Serving: 1TamaleCalories: 409kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 16gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 454mgPotassium: 367mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1326IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and intended as an approximation only.