Chicken Colombian tamales recipe {gluten-free, kosher)

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Colombian tamales on a plate with sauces

Chicken Colombian tamales recipe {gluten-free, kosher)

Colombian Chicken Tamales have a filling with three types of chicken meat, tamale red sauce and chickpeas. This variation is popular in Bogota, Colombia. Celebrate the holidays with this delicacy, wrapped in banana leaves and served traditionally for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Day, or freeze and eat any day of the week for a special take on Colombian tamales!

To develop this recipe, I consulted the seasoning recipe from Sweet y Salado, and several Colombian tamales recipes and preparations.

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Colombian, Latin American

Keyword authentic, breakfast, brunch, chicken, chickpeas, christmas, cornmeal, masarepa, New Year, onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, winter

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 2

Resting time 8

Total Time 13

Servings tamales

Calories 267kcal

Author Ksenia Prints

Equipment

Ingredients

Sazon seasoning replacement

1 tablespoon ground annatto achiote, paprika or turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon black ground pepper

Chicken marinade

1 onion
4 green onions chopped roughly
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoon homemade Sazon seasoning
3 cups water

Filling:

2 pounds chicken drumsticks
1 ½ pounds boneless chicken thighs diced
1 ½ pound chicken breasts diced
1 can chickpeas drained of liquid
4 large potatoes peeled and sliced into rings
4 carrots peeled and sliced into rings

Guiso (red Tamales sauce)

1 onion diced
4 scallions chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
4 tomatoes chopped
1 tablespoon homemade Sazon seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water

Masa

5 cups boiling water
1 pound yellow precooked cornmeal masarepa
2 teaspoon salt
½ cup cooked guiso
2 tablespoons homemade Sazon seasoning

To assemble tamales

2 pounds banana leaves cut into 15-inch-long pieces (this is about 2-3 bags of frozen banana leaves), defrosted, washed and dried
Cooking twine
Large pot of water
Salt

Instructions

Directions

Homemade Sazon seasoning

Mix all the seasonings together in a bowl and set aside.

Chicken marinade

Transfer all the marinade ingredients, along with 4 tablespoons of the spice mix, to a blender and process until smooth. Transfer into a large bowl or ziplock bag, add all the chicken meat and chickpeas (reserve potatoes and carrots). Refrigerate overnight to marinade.

Guiso

Set a large pan to medium heat. Add oil and diced onion, and cook for 5 minutes until it changes color. Add green onions and garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomatoes and diced peppers, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until everything is soft and a slightly cohesive sauce is formed. Add 1 tablespoon homemade Sazon seasoning, salt and pepper and water. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, until thickened.
Reserve ½ cup of the guiso for the tamales masa.

To make Masa:

In a large bowl, combined boiling water with masarepa, salt, reserved guiso, and homemade Sazon seasoning. Mix well with a wooden spoon until well combined.

To make Colombian tamales:

Place one piece of banana leaf on a counter. Cover perpendicularly with another piece, forming the shape a cross.
Top with ½ cup of masa.
Top with two slices of potato, and 2 slices of carrot.
Top with chicken, trying to get a bit of each type of chicken meat piece and 1 tablespoon of chickpeas on top of the meat.
To close each tamal colombiano, fold each side of the the banana leaves up, one at a time, so the leaves overlap each other and enclose the filling. Tie the package with butcher's twine.

Nutrition