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chicken & pork tamales

(3 ratings)
mikasldy avatar
Recipe by
Sandy Mika
@mikasldy
Chicago, IL

I make tamales probably only once a year but when I do I make a lot ! I no longer use the husk to wrap them in, that takes way too long, and I make too many for that, plus I don't really have any help any more. I use parchment paper to wrap them in now, I found that it is easier and faster , and it keeps the tamale more moist. You can use the husk for these if you like I just prefer the parchment paper. I think its less work if you prepare everything the day before.

(3 ratings)
prep time 10 Hr
cook time 6 Hr
method Steam

Ingredients For chicken & pork tamales

  • 1 or 2
    fresh picnic hams( the amount depends on how many you want to make
  • 20 lb
    chicken (i use thighs)
  • 1 lb
    dried ancho peppers
  • 4 to 6 c
    tomatillo / jalapeno sauce
  • 2
    onions (1 for pork, 1 for chicken)
  • 2
    green peppers (1 for pork, 1 for chicken)
  • 1 c
    chopped cilantro 1/2 cup for pork , 1/2 cup for chicken
  • 10 clove
    garlic 5 for pork, 5 for chicken
  • 1 tsp
    each, adobo powder,cumin, salt, pepper
  • 3 pkg
    sazon
  • 2 Tbsp
    salt
  • 1/2 c
    sofrito
  • 1 can
    tomato sauce
  • corn husks or parchment paper for wrap
  • 6 c
    masa
  • 3/4 c
    lard
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    baking powder
  • 2 tsp
    salt

How To Make chicken & pork tamales

  • 1
    simmer chicken in one pot and pork in another, and add onion, green pepper, garlic, cilantro, adobo, cumin, salt & pepper to each pan.
  • 2
    simmer chicken till done remove from pan , cool , shred and remove fat, skin and bones, set aside, keep the broth.
  • 3
    simmer pork about 4 hours till very tender, remove from pan shred pork, set aside. keep the broth. Mix chicken and pork together, set aside.
  • 4
    rinse ancho peppers put in a large pot and fill with water, bring to a boil and simmer about 1/2 an hour, till peppers are soft. remove from heat and let cool.
  • 5
    when peppers have cooled ,tear pepper open and remove stem and seeds ,put peppers in food processor and set aside. Strain seeds from the water ancho peppers cooked in, reserving the water. add about 2 or 3 cups of ancho water to food processor and process till smooth, you can add more water if needed. set aside. reserve 2 or 3 tbs for the masa.
  • 6
    heat a large pan add 3 tbs oil and heat oil and add about half a cup of sofrito and a small can of tomatoe sauce , about 1/2 tsp adobo powder and 1 pack sazon. cook 2 or 3 minutes, add ancho paste , 1/2 tsp cumin and 2 tbs salt, add 4 to 6 cups of tomatillo/ jalapeno sauce. cook 5 minutes stirring constantly.
  • 7
    pour over chicken and pork and mix well, add broth a cup at a time, if it needs more , you want a saucey mix, the pork and chicken absorb a lot of the juices, simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes. set aside.
  • 8
    prepare the masa or use the already prepared masa for tamales. I prefer the prepared, I do add ancho paste and broth and some lard to the prepared also.
  • 9
    to make masa : in a large bowl beat lard for 1 minute,add 2 or 3 tbs of ancho paste, mix well. in a separate bowl mix together masa , baking powder and salt. alternating add masa and broth to lard beating well after each addition, add just enough broth to make a thick creamy paste,(about consistency of thick peanut butter) add broth just a little at a time.
  • 10
    spread masa on husks or parchment paper not too thin or too thick, add filling and wrap up folding the top and bottom over to close. with husks you can leave the top open, but you need to pay more attention to how you stack them in the steamer pot.
  • tamales wrapped in parchment paper
    11
    stack in steamer pot and steam for at least 1 hour. enjoy 8] I make the masa as I need it, and I make a large amount of tamales, everything can be adjusted as you need. You can do any filling that you like, I always just play around and add what I like 8]
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