Chipotle Stuffed Chicken Tamales

I've upgraded my chicken tamales

So, today's culinary offering is a different twist on tamales, a tasty traditional Latin American favorite. For starters there is no corn involved, and the chicken is not totally wrapped in the corn husk! Are you confused? Don't be. Introducing chipotle chicken tamales. 

Something I love about being a food blogger are culinary challenges. Getting those little brain cells working is very exciting to say the least. When you throw in infusing your heritage into the mix, that is when things really get interesting. Take chipotle stuffed chicken tamales, it embraces my heritage in an out of the box (or corn husk) kind of way. Let's take a peek!

A little tamale history:

Tamales date back to  Pre-Columbian times. Their first recorded appearance dates back to roughly  5000 B.C.  In her book  Cuisine and Culture Linda Civitello talks about how tamales were an integral part of Aztec culture.

The busy market at Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Aztec empire) sold many different kinds, and tamales were also given to people at festivals. Individuals could take as many as they could carry in one hand. If you tried to go back for "seconds" however, you would be beaten, and your tamales taken away from you. I guess it didn't pay to be greedy!

The ingredients in this easy tamales recipe are flavorful and of the best quality. I actually love working with all of them.

How to make tamales with chipotle chicken

1. Pound out the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
2. Seasoned the chicken on both sides with Knorr® Chicken Flavor Bouillon Granulated Bouillon.
3. 1 teaspoon of La Morena® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo, down the center of the breast, followed by chopped cilantro, and finally grated queso fresco.
4. Tie the pieces of chicken with kitchen twine, and pan fry them until they're a beautiful golden color.

The chicken is presented in a "hammock" made by tying overlapping  corn husks on either end with kitchen twine. Finally garnish with chopped avocado, tomatoes and red onion.

Throughout Latin America tamales are prepared differently. Even their names are different. In Puerto Rico, tamales are called pasteles, and in Venezuela the name is hallaca. Puzzling? Just a bit. There are many more! My chipotle chicken tamales are one of many. 

I like to plate my chipotle chicken tamales with a garnish made with  avocados, tomatoes, and red onions in lime juice. It looks so pretty and the flavor is outstanding!  

By the way, if you have a couple of extra minutes, share my recipe for stuffed chicken tamales with your friends and family. If you have a couple of extra minutes, leave me a comment. I always LOVE to hear from my readers.

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📖 Recipe

Chipotle Stuffed Chicken Tamales

Try some spicy chicken breasts stuffed with chipotle Peppers in adobo, queso fresco and cilantro!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main dish

Cuisine: Latin American

Keyword: chicken breast recipes, Mexican food, spicy recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 6 teaspoon chicken bouillon Knorr® Brand
• 4 teaspoon chipotle peppers La Morena® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
• 8 tablespoon cilantro chopped
• 4 tablespoon queso fresco grated
• 8 corn husks

Kitchen twine to tie up stuffed breasts in the corn husks.

Avocado Garnish

• 1 avocado diced
• lime juiced
• 2 tablespoon red onion diced
• 1 Roma tomato cored, seeded and diced.

Enchilada Sauce

• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 16 oz vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste

Instructions

• Note: Soak corn husks in a rectangular glass dish for about 2-3 hours.
• First, make the enchilada sauce by heating oil in a small saucepan, then stir in the flour. Next quickly whisk in the vegetable stock. Add the spices, tomato paste, and stir. Turn heat to low and cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Cut each breast in half. You will end up with 4 pieces. To prepare the chicken for stuffing place each piece on a cutting board in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. pound each piece individually until it is about ¼ " thick.
• Sprinkle each piece with Knorr chicken boullion on both sides. Next, on each piece of chicken spread 1 ½ tsp. La Morena Chipotle Peppers in Adobo, 2 tsp. cilantro and 1 tsp. queso fresco.
• Next, in a large skillet heat olive oil and pan fry pieces until golden brown on both sides.
• Finally place the individual pieces of chicken in the center of each corn husk and tie ends to make a "hammock".
• Note: You will need two corn husks for each hammock. They need to be placed with the wide ends touching, and overlapping.
• To make the avocado garnish, place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
• Serve chicken with enchilada sauce and avocado garnish.

Nutrition

Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 876mg | Potassium: 686mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2025IU | Vitamin C: 10.6mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1.9mg