Chile Verde Chicken Tamales

Instructions

1. TO MAKE THE CHICKEN:
   
   Poach the chicken. Rinse chicken and remove any neck or giblets (save and freeze for later or discard). Place in a large stock pot with remaining chicken ingredients and cover by an inch or so with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook until chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, about 1-11/2 hours.
   
3. Shred chicken. Remove chicken to a baking sheet and let cool. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces removing any bone, skin, or fat, set aside.
4. Save broth to make masa. Strain broth into a clean stock pot, discard solids. Keep broth warm to use in the masa.
   
   TO MAKE THE CHILE VERDE:
   
   Cook vegetables. Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeños in a large saucepan. Cover with water by an inch or so and bring to a boil. Cook until tomatillos are soft but not falling apart, about 10 minutes.
   
5. Make salsa. Transfer vegetables to a blender along with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Let cool slightly then add salt and cilantro and carefully blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt as needed.
   
6. TO MAKE THE TAMALES:
   
7. Soak husks. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add corn husks and remove from heat. Push husks under the water until they are completely submerged. Let soak at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
   
8. Make the masa. Combine masa harina, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Pour 6 cups of the warm chicken broth over the masa harina mixture and stir to combine. Let sit 10 minutes to let masa harina hydrate.
9. Whip the fat. Beat lard or shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the blade attachment until lightly and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer on medium-low speed add small handfuls of masa harina mixture letting each one beat in before adding the next until all the masa has been added. Masa should be easily spreadable, like very fluffy mashed potatoes. If it is too thick, add more broth, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have a smooth mixture.
10. Assemble:
    
11. Prepare steamer. Fill a tamales steamer with water just until it reaches the rack where the tamales will sit. Use a few of the small or ripped soaked corn husks to line the rack. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and keep covered.
    
12. Spread masa. Dry a soaked corn husk with a clean kitchen towel. Hold the corn husk with the wide end toward you. Using a large spoon, evenly spread about 1/2 cup masa from the middle of the husk down leaving about 1/2-inch border on the sides.
    
13. Fill with chicken and salsa. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of chicken and 1 tablespoon of chile verde down the middle.
    
14. Fold and roll. Fold one side of masa over the filling until the two edges of the corn husk meet, and holding onto one side of corn husk, pull the other side toward the middle to press the two edges of masa together. Fold the pointy end of the corn husk up over the large end, and place on a clean baking sheet. Repeat with remaining corn husks.
    
15. Steam tamales. Place tamales vertically, open-side up in the tamale steamer, keeping them snug in the pot so they don’t unravel during cooking. Make sure water is at a steady simmer and producing lots of steam. Cover tightly and steam until masa is cooked through and not doughy in the middle, about 45 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if the pot looks dry.
    
16. Keep warm. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 to 10 minutes before removing from the pot. Tamales can also be left in the pot, covered with a clean towel (and then covered with the steamer lid) for up to an hour before serving. They will stay warm and soft if you want to make them in advance.
    
17. Serve! Serve with remaining chile verde salsa.