Tamale Casserole With Chicken And Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Food

TAMALE CASSEROLE WITH CHICKEN AND ROASTED-TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Heat the broiler. Place the tomatillos on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet 4 inches below the heating element. Broil tomatillos, turning once, until soft and blackened in spots, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove baking sheet from broiler, and set aside until tomatillos are cool. Position the oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Reduce the temperature to 425 degrees. Lightly oil an 8-inch pie plate; set plate aside.
• Place garlic in a medium skillet set over medium heat. After 5 minutes, add chiles. Cook, turning occasionally, until chiles and garlic are soft and blackened in spots, about 10 minutes more. Remove skillet from heat; set aside to cool. Peel the garlic.
• Transfer the tomatillos, any accumulated juice, chiles, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor or the jar of a blender. Cover, and pulse until a coarse puree forms. Transfer puree to a medium bowl.
• Place the onions in a sieve, and rinse under cold running water. Drain, and add to tomatillo mixture along with cilantro and salt; stir salsa until combined.
• Measure 3/4 cup salsa into a medium saute pan, and stir in the chicken. Set over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until chicken becomes tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
• Spread half of the tamale batter over bottom of prepared pie plate. Spread the chicken filling evenly over the batter, then spread remaining batter over chicken.
• Bake until golden, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce temperature to 300 degrees, and lightly brush top of pie with oil; loosely cover with foil. Continue baking until golden and center springs back when touched, about 35 minutes more. Remove casserole from oven, and let stand 5 minutes.
• Cut the casserole into wedges. Serve casserole warm, and drizzle with the remaining tomatillo salsa; if salsa is too thick to drizzle, thin with 1 or 2 tablespoons water.

TAMALE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Break up tamales and place in bottom of 1 quart casserole. Layer chili, chips, onion, and cheese. Pour juice from tamales over all.
• Bake 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Line baking tray with aluminum foil.
• Place chicken breasts on foil.
• Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle with cumin seed.
• Place 1/4 of onion slices on each chicken breast half.
• Cover all with tomatillo salsa.
• Place another sheet of aluminum foil on top of chicken breasts and fold all four sides until sealed very tight.
• Bake foil packet on tray in 375 oven for 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and carefully remove top foil sheet.
• Place a slice of pepper jack cheese on each chicken breast half.
• Sprinkle all with chopped cilantro.
• Return to the oven uncovered.
• Remove from the oven when cheese has melted.
• Meanwhile heat tortillas.
• Serve one chicken breast per person.
• Place a tbsp of sour cream on top of each chicken breast half.
• Serve with hot tortillas and refried or borracho beans.

TAMALE CASSEROLE - CROCK POT

Steps:

• Place half of the diced onions in a 4-quart electric slow cooker.
• Top with half each of the salsa, the chili, beans and olives.
• Place 4 or 5 of the tamales on top.
• Cover the tamales with half of the chili strips.
• Repeat the layers, ending with the remaining chili strips.
• Cover and cook on the low setting 6 1/2 to 7 hours.
• Pass shredded cheese and sour cream on the side.
• Tip: If you are using frozen tamales, the wrappers will be easier to
• remove if you microwave them for a few seconds first. Also, if using
• frozen tamales, increase cooking time about 1 hour.

TAMALES WITH CHICKEN AND SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Prepare the husks: simmer the husks in water to cover for 10 minutes, weighting them with a plate to keep them submerged, let stand for a few hours until they are pliable To make dough: Beat the lard in a mixer until very light, for about 1 minute Add 1 cup masa to lard, beat until well blended.
• Continue beating adding alternately the remaining masa and the poultry broth only adding enough broth to give the consistency of a medium thick cake batter.
• Sprinkle the baking powder and salt.
• Beat 1 minute more.
• To make the salsa: Husk and wash the tomatillos.
• Put the tomatillos and serrano chiles and some salt in a pot of water and boil them until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
• Drain and put them into the bowl of a food processor.
• Add the coriander, onion and garlic.
• Process until smooth.
• Heat 1 Tbsp of the lard in a medium large skillet over medium high heat, when the lard is hot enough to make a drop of the tomatillo puree sizzle, pour it all in at once.
• Stir the sauce constantly for 45 minutes until it gets darker and thicker, thick enough to coat a spoon.
• Add the chopped tomatillos and cilantro.
• Season with salt.
• Mix the shredded chicken with 1/2 cup of the cooked tomatillo sauce.
• To form the tamales: Remove the husks from the water when they have softened Pat husks dry.
• Tear the extra husks into 1/4"x7" long strips for each tamale.
• Take a husk that is at least 6"x7", lay out with tapering end toward you.
• Spread a couple of Tbsp of dough mixture into a square, leaving at least 1-1/2" border on side towards you and a 3/4" border along other sides.
• Pick up 2 long sides of corn husk and bring together, overlapping one over the other.
• Fold up the bottom section of husk tightly right up to the filling line.
• Leave top open.
• Secure it in place by loosely tying one of the strips of husk around the tamale.
• Repeat with remaining husks and dough mixture.
• Stand the tamales on the folded bottom in a prepared steamer, being sure they are not packed too closely so they can expand.
• Cover with a layer of leftover husks.
• Cover with lid and steam for 1 hour.
• Check carefully that all the water doesn't boil away, adding boiling water when necessary.
• Serve with salsa on the side.