Tamales verdes: the traditional recipe, step by step
Fluffy masa tinted green with tomatillo-serrano salsa, filled with shredded chicken, all wrapped in a corn husk. Here's how real tamales verdes come together from scratch.
The short version
- Tamales verdes have the tomatillo salsa whipped directly into the masa —that's what makes them green inside— plus a shredded chicken filling.
- The secret to fluffy masa: whip it until a small ball of it floats in a glass of water.
- A medium chicken tamal runs about 200-220 kcal —three of them already add up to a full meal.
Ingredients (makes about 16 tamales)
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) fresh masa for tamales
- 300 g (10.5 oz) lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 500 g (1 lb) chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 500 g (1 lb) tomatillos, husked
- 2-3 serrano peppers, to taste
- ¼ white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- A handful of fresh cilantro
- 20-24 dried corn husks, soaked in hot water
Method
- Soak the corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes, until pliable and easy to fold.
- Boil the tomatillos, chiles, onion and garlic in water for 8-10 minutes. Blend with the cilantro and season with salt —this is your base salsa.
- Whip the lard alone until it fluffs up and lightens in color. Add the masa, salt, baking powder and about 4-5 tablespoons of the salsa —this is what gives the masa its green color inside. Work in the broth a little at a time until you get a smooth, spreadable paste. Keep whipping for 5-8 more minutes: the more air you beat in, the fluffier the tamales come out.
- Mix the shredded chicken with a bit of the salsa for the filling.
- Spread a layer of masa on each corn husk, add a spoonful of filling in the center, and close by folding the sides in and the tip down.
- Stand the tamales upright in a steamer, opening facing up, and steam for 60-75 minutes over medium heat. Check every 20 minutes that the steamer hasn't run dry.
How to tell when they're done
The classic test: cooked masa peels cleanly off the corn husk. Pull one out and let it cool for a minute —if the masa sticks to the husk, they need more steam time. If it releases on its own, they're ready.
How many calories are in a tamal
A medium tamal verde with chicken filling runs about 200-220 kcal —close to the tamale reference already in our calorie catalog, though the filling and how much lard goes in can shift that number from one tamal to the next. If you want to know exactly what's in yours, snap a photo with CalorIA Scan.
Stop guessing your calories
CalorIA Scan reads your plate from a photo and gives you calories and macros tuned for real Mexican and Latino food — where generic apps get it wrong.
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This article is informational and not medical advice. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet, especially with a pre-existing condition.
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