Recipe courtesy of Rinconcito Salvadoreño
Tamal De Pollo
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 15 tamales
- Total: 3 hr 45 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
Chicken and Stock:
4 chicken leg quarters
2 small packets sazon (3 teaspoons total)
2 bay leaves
2 stalks celery
1 large carrot
1 small red onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1/2 large white onion
Marinade:
4 cloves garlic
2 red peppers
1 small red onion
1 green pepper
1/2 white onion
Handful fresh cilantro
Recaldo:
2 ounces peanuts
2 ounces toasted sesame seeds
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 guajillo chile
Masa:
8 cups corn flour
Small handful loroco flower bud
Sazon, as needed
8-by-11-inch banana leaves Sliced and seeded green peppers, for filling
Serving suggestions: curtido, pickled red onion, tomato sauce and lime
Directions
Special equipment:
patty paper- For the chicken and stock: Mix together the chicken, sazon, bay leaves, celery, carrot, red onion, peppers and white onion in a pot and bring to boil. Cook until the chicken is tender, then shred with a fork. Strain the stock.
- For the marinade: Blend together the garlic, red peppers, red onion, green pepper, white onion and cilantro.
- For the recaldo: Blend the peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic, bay leaf and guajillo with 8 to 10 ounces chicken stock. Add extra seasonings if need be.
- For the masa: Combine the corn flour with 2 cups marinade and 2 cups chicken stock in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to medium-low heat. Stir together until you get a thick, smooth consistency. Add the loroco flower buds and some sazon. Pull from the heat and let cool.
- Wet the banana leaves. Have a large patty paper next to them, and a large sheet of aluminum foil. Grab a spoonful of masa and place in a banana leaf. Push down and spread out to create a crater. Place in the chicken, peppers and any other veggies you'd like. Place the recaldo for flavor and to keep the tamal moist. Roll up like a burrito, then wrap in the patty paper. Finally, wrap it in the aluminum foil, making sure that it's completely sealed so water doesn't get in. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Boil the tamales in water for 1 hour. Plate with curtido, pickled red onion, tomato sauce and lime.