Chicken Tamales with Salsa Roja

Name: Chicken Tamales with Salsa Roja
Ingredients: 15 dried corn husks, divided; 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs); 8 ounces homemade or store-bought chicken broth; 1 teaspoon coarse salt; 0.25 teaspoon freshly ground pepper; Salsa Roja , for serving; 2.5 cups masa harina; 8 ounces lard or unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2.5 teaspoons coarse salt; 3 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen corn, thawed and thoroughly drained, divided; 0.5 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm chicken broth or water

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By

Martha Stewart Test Kitchen

Updated on September 28, 2016

Yield:

12 tamales

Making tamales is labor-intensive, but that's what it's about: The love you put into it really comes out in the tastiness of the end result.

Ingredients

15 dried corn husks, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
8 ounces homemade or store-bought chicken broth

Assembly

1 teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Salsa Roja, for serving

Tamale Dough

2 ½ cups masa harina
8 ounces lard or unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
3 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen corn, thawed and thoroughly drained, divided
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm chicken broth or water

Directions

Put 12 corn husks in a large bowl, cover with hot water, and weight down with a plate to keep them submerged. Soak until soft and pliable, about 2 hours; drain.
Simmer chicken in broth 12 to 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, shred into small pieces.
Dough:
Combine masa harina, lard, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 cups corn to processor and puree; transfer to bowl with masa mixture. Stir in remaining cup corn and warm broth. Knead mixture with your hands until a dough forms. Cover with a damp towel until ready to use.
Tear remaining 3 corn husks into 24 thin strips. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place 1 soaked corn husk on your flattened palm. Pinch off 1/3 cup dough with your other hand and press it into center of husk to form a 4-by-3-inch rectangle. Press 1/4 cup chicken into center of dough. Close your palm so sides of husk cover filling, and place on a work surface with a long side of the husk facing you. Roll up husk into a tight log, fold over the wider end of the husk, and tie with a strip of corn husk. Twist thinner end of husk and tie with another corn-husk strip. Repeat process to form remaining 11 tamales.
Insert a steamer basket inside a large pot filled with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Place tamales in basket, cover, and steam 1 hour, checking pot occasionally and adding hot water as needed to prevent scorching. Serve tamales with salsa.