Tamales are a pretty big deal around our house – although in most cases they pop up around the holidays, with dozens of them being made as family and friends visit..since we picked up our Instant Pot, we have been making them about once a month.
They are truly a labor of love – in the past, we have always made them with red chile, sometimes with green chile and cheese. Other times we have used pineapple and coconut – and even chocolate, too.
I’ve been married to my husband for over 15 years – and have been making tamales for 13 of those… we make them at Christmas, for New Years, and many times through the year. I’ve always used a huge stockpot and done 4-5 dozen at a time, but since we have had our Instant Pot (which we picked up in Dec., 2015), I have made them around once a month.
Oh I need to stop talking about those because they truly make me hungry for one right now… 😉
Just a few months ago we showcased our Instant Pot tamales, which are pretty amazing. What happens, however, when you have too many Tomatillos & Serrano Peppers to use up? Then you make Roasted Tomatillo & Chicken Tamales.
- For the Tamales & Sauce
- 1 pack Corn Husks (preferably those that are cleaned)
- 2-3 cups of Cooked, Shredded Chicken
- 1 1/2 - 2 C. Chicken Broth
- 7 Tomatillos
- 3 Serrano Peppers
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- 1/2 Onion
- Salt to taste
- For the Masa
- 3 C. Masa
- 1 C. Vegetable Oil (or you can use Lard, we just prefer the Oil)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 1/4 C. Chicken Stock (or water)
- 1 tsp Salt
- You'll want to start by making the roasted tomatillo sauce first - by placing the oven on broil, and laying the tomatillos, onion, garlic and serrano peppers on a lined baking sheet. Pop them in the oven and roast for 3-4 minutes on each side until they blister/turn black.
- Remove them from the oven and put them in the blender, along with 1 1/2 - 2 C. of chicken stock. Blend well until mixed.
- Pour the mixture into a large skillet and add the shredded chicken - turn the pan on low and let the chicken simmer in the roasted tomatillo mixture to absorb the flavor.
- Prepare the husks by rinsing the Husks and putting them in a dish where they can soak - put something of weight down on them so they stay submerged.
- In a separate bowl, combine masa, oil, baking powder, salt and broth - mix well. You don't want it to be doughy, but you don't want it to be runny - after all, you will be spreading it loosely in the husks.
- Get ready to assemble the tamales by clearing a space on your counter. Lay out your work area with husks - you aren't making too many at this point so you don't need a production line!
- Use a clean, dry dish towel to rest the husks down on to absorb some of the water.
- Spread the masa on the husks, not too thick - the back of a spoon works well.
- Place a small amount of the roasted tomatillo sauce & chicken down the middle.
- Fold the Tamale into thirds - left, then right, then fold the bottom up - don't squeeze.
- Leave the tops open.
- Add 1 1/2 C. Water to the Instant Pot; place the trivet inside.
- Then lay a piece of foil across the bottom trivet (or a steamer rack if you have).
- Place your tamales standing up (open end UP) - my pot fit exactly 17.
- Place the lid on, lock it, then push Manual (High) for 25 minutes.
- When 25 minutes is up, let it release naturally for 10 minutes, then let the rest of the steam out through a quick release.
- They should be soft at first - very hot to the touch, but as you remove them they will firm up even more as they cool. I use a tongs to remove mine, and I put in a huge baking pan so that everyone can grab one for their dinner plate.
- Push the Keep Warm button if you don't plan on serving them immediately.
- Keep the husks on until ready to serve.
- Your final count may ultimately depend on the size in which you make your tamales - we used 2 Breasts for 17 and we had enough Masa for about 10-12 additional Tamales. Our Instant Pot only fit 17 so it was a great time for us to "stop" at that point - but if you wanted to make more you could easily do another 17.
Don’t like Roasted Tomatillos? See our other Tamale Recipe HERE… along with a variety of other Mexican recipes for bean dip, refried beans, gorditas, enchiladas & more.
