Chicken tinga tamales? Yes! And they are so delicious! We typically see tinga served on tostadas, but it is a delicious filling for any of your favorite Mexican dishes. Chicken tinga tamales are not a new thing. Any guisado can become a tamal filling for the most part.
Every now and then I crave tamales so bad!
After so many years of preparing tamales on my own I can literally prepare them so easily now. I do enjoy them during the holidays, but honestly, I will prepare them year-round.
I love fresh masa for tamales, but it’s not always possible.
Prep ahead!
Why Do You Wrap Your Tamales???
I get that question a lot. Is it necessary? No. My family has prepared tamales for generations with no deli sheets, lol! Here are the reasons I like to use the sheets. The tamales hold their shape better, keeps moisture in, keeps excess moisture out, ingredients stay within the paper instead of all inside your steamer pot. My sister, Blanca, is the one who started this years ago when she was preparing the rajas con queso (cheese and chile) tamal.
Get All Your Salsa Cravings Right Here!
Since I was a teenager a long, long, long time ago, lol! Thanks to my parents, I became very good at preparing three specific salsa recipes. First one, pico de gallo, second, tomatillo avocado (the green sauce) and third was mom’s toasted chile de arbol. They owned a small Mexican food restaurant for a few short years when we moved to Texas in 1979. I was in charge of preparing the salsa on the weekends. Little did I know then how it would play a major part in my future. In 2021, my first cookbook, Mexican Salsa was published! It’s still available along with the second book, Love in the Shape of a Tortilla. Plus, I have countless salsa recipes right here on my blog. So many that I have lost count!
La Chica Tinga, Tinga! Tinga Taquitos!
A bonus video to show you how I prepared the tinga and used some to prepare these delicious taquitos! I used freshly made warm corn tortillas too! The key for easy to roll taquitos is to fill and roll them while the tortilla is still slightly warm. Place them seam side down, side by side for about 20 minutes before frying. As the taquitos cool, the tortilla will hold its shape without having to use toothpicks. Just make sure the tinga is cooked down until very thick and fill taquitos when the tinga is cold or room temperature. It makes things a lot easier.
Check Out My BEEF TAQUITOS RECIPE For More Details!
Have you ever tried Tetelas or Tlacoyos?
Tetelas popular in the state of Oaxaca, have a corn masa base, and they are typically filled with a thick black bean paste. They are traditionally shaped like a triangle and cooked on a comal (griddle). In some regions they are called memelas. Tlacoyos are pretty much the same except they are shaped almost oblong, but with a somewhat pointed end. In Toluca, the tlacoyos are prepared with blue corn masa and can often be found sold in small stalls on the street. Both are delicious for breakfast.
Tamal de Tinga. Shredded Chipotle Chicken Tamales!
Equipment
- Large Steamer Pot
- individual deli sheets, optional
Ingredients
- 25 large cornhusks
- 3/4 c natural rendered pork lard that is chilled
- 1- 1/2 tsps. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt, to start
- 2- 1/2 cups masa harina for tamales
- 2 -1/2 cups cool chicken broth
- 2 lbs. previously prepared chicken tinga that is chilled
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken tinga recipe the day before. See link in the notes.
- Cover the corn husks with boiling water and let soak for at least 1 hour.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer add the chilled lard with 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Whip for 5 minutes. Gradually mix in 2 1/2 cups of the masa harina for tamales. Then gradually mix in the room temperature chicken broth. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Taste for salt. Continue mixing for another 5 minutes or until masa looks fluffy. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- When ready, prepare a 10-quart steamer pot. Drop two pennies in, then fill with water to the right below the line indicated. Add steamer insert. Take a few of the softened corn husks and tear them into strips. Place them above the steamer insert loosely. Set aside.
- Separate 12 large corn husks that are about equal in size. Shake off excess water. You are going to spoon on a generous amount of masa between the 12 husks. Use the back of the spoon to spread the masa evenly across the bottom of the corn husk.
- Spoon in a generous portion of the chilled chicken tinga down the center of each tamal. Fold in the sides, then fold down the top flap. If you are using the lightly waxed deli sheets, wrap each tamal tightly, making sure you place them open side up in the steamer pot.
- Once all the tamales are in the steamer pot, turn the heat to high. If there are any open spaces left in the steamer pot, you can place some of the extra husks or even a foil paper ball in to keep tamales upright and in place. Cover tamales with extra husks or a lightly dampened clean kitchen towel. Place the lid on the pot. When it begins to steam rapidly, reduce the heat to medium. Set your timer for one hour.
- You want to keep a saucepan of water warming on low in case you must add more water to the steamer pot. If the pennies stop making noise(rattling), that indicates that you may be running out of water. Carefully pour in the water to the inside edge of the steamer pot if needed. Carefully pull out one tamal and let it cool for 5 minutes. If the husk comes away easily, then the tamales are ready. If not steam for another 20 minutes.
Notes
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Your food Always looks Amazing 👏 Especially these tamales,.. Thank you! For sharing all your delishious recipes.. I will make these… I love Chx tinga..
xx Cf. ❤️
You’re welcome, Cindy! Thank you for stopping by!
Hi Sonia! I recently found your site and I’m excited to try all your recipes. I’ve been looking for a good tamale recipe that doesn’t use Manteca de cerdo. Would I be able to use Manteca vegetal as a substitute using the exact measurements?
Hi Vanessa! Of course you can use vegetable shortening, but may I ask why you don’t want to use the natural rendered pork lard? If it is because you don’t consume any pork products, I understand. A healthier option over vegetable shortening would be avocado oil or maybe even coconut oil. The vegetable shortening is hydrogenated and really not good for us to consume. Over the past several years, I have been trying to find substitutions for the shortening in my recipes. You could even use Irish butter because it contains no water. I hope this was helpful. The amounts are all equal to what you would use with the pork lard.