Mexican Chicken Tamale Casserole Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes., In a large skillet, combine chicken, enchilada sauce, cumin and onion powder; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Spread over cornbread layer; sprinkle with cheese., Bake until cheese is melted, 10-12 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, top with green onions, tomatoes and avocado.

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts in casserole dish and sprinkle with onion soup mix. Pour white wine over. Cover with lid or foil. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until chicken is tender. Cool. Remove chicken in bite size pieces from bone -- discard skin. Be sure an retain the broth.
• Tamales might be wrapped in paper -- remove paper and strip as much juice off as possible from the wrapper, save. Cut into 1" pieces and place tamales and chicken in a bowl.
• In another bowl, mix enchilada sauce, white sauce, juice from tamales and broth from chicken. Mix well. Pour over chicken and tamales and gently mix. Transfer to large casserole dish.
• Sprinkle with olives (if using) and top with shredded cheese. Cover dish with lid or tightly with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Steps:

• Put achiote condiment or paste in a 6 to 8 quart pan. Use a heavy spoon to work condiment into a smooth paste, gradually adding a little of the water and mixing until well blended. Add remaining water and bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, then pour liquid through a fine wire strainer and return to pan; discard residue in strainer. (If you are using achiote substitute, it is not necessary to strain the broth.).
• To broth, add anise seeds, mint, and chicken, placing chicken on top. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes; do not stir.
• Core tomatoes and cut each into 6 wedges. After chicken has cooked for 25 minutes, add onions. After 10 more minutes, add tomatoes alongside onions.
• At end of cooking time, remove pan from heat. Gently lift out vegetables and chicken, letting broth drain back into pan. When chicken is cool to touch, remove and discard skin and bones. Tear meat into bite size pieces.
• Boil broth over highest heat, uncovered, until reduced to 2 cups; stir to prevent sticking. (if using achiote substitute, add masa flour water mixture and return to a boil, stirring.) Remove from heat.
• Grease a 3-quart shallow casserole; evenly spread about half the Masa dough (you need 5 cups dough total) over bottom and sides of casserole, flush with rim. Add chicken, tomatoes, onions, and eggs, distributing evenly, then cover with broth. Shake dish gently to level filling.
• Gently spoon dollops of remaining dough on top, then spread carefully to enclose filling; don't worry if a few thin areas develop and bits of filling show. Cover tightly with foil. Bake on lowest rack of a 425°F oven for 30 minutes; remove foil and continue to bake until top is golden brown, about 1 more hour.
• Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Accompany with radishes and green onions. Makes 8 servings.
• MASA DOUGH: Double recipe above and whip lard, butter, margarine, or solid vegetable shortening until fluffy, then stir in dehydrated masa flour and homemade chicken broth or canned regular strength chicken or beef broth. Stir until mixture holds together. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before using.
• ACHIOTE SUBSTITUTE: Mix 2 tablespoons vinegar, 3 tablespoons paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons dry oregano leaves, 3 cloves garlic (pressed), and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin.
• ACHIOTE PASTE: Place 2 ounces (1/3 cup) achiote )annatto sees (available in Mexican markets) in a small bowl with boiling water to cover; cover tightly and let stand for at least 12 hours to soften.
• Drain seeds and discard liquid. Combine seeds in a blender with 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons ground allspice, 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, 2 small dried hot red chiles (broken into pieces),1/2 teaspoon salt, and 6 tablespoons EACH orange juice and white wine vinegar.
• Whirl until smooth (takes several minutes). If made ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days; freeze for longer storage. Makes about 1 cup.
• The Best Of Sunset.

Steps:

• Combine masa harina, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine.
• Place vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium-high speed until fluffy.
• Mix in 1/3 of the masa harina mixture on medium speed, about 2 minutes. Mix in 1/2 of the chicken broth and mix until combined. Add 1/3 of the masa marina mixture, and mix about 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining broth and mix an additional 2 minutes. Add in the remainder of the masa mixture and mix about 5 minutes. The mixture will be a slightly thick batter. Allow to stand while the filling is prepared.
• Preheat the oven's broiler. Place poblano chiles directly on the oven rack under the broiler and broil until the skin is blackened and bubbly. Turn the peppers to blacken the skin on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
• Place broiled peppers in a paper bag, close the bag, and allow the peppers to steam inside the bag, about 10 minutes.
• When peppers are cool enough to touch, remove the skins. Cut the peppers open and remove the seeds and membranes. Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, use some more olive oil to grease a 10x10-inch baking dish, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Add garlic to the skillet and cook about 1 minute. Stir in sliced poblano peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes and juice, green chiles, capers, cumin, and cloves. Cook for 4 minutes. Stir in cooked chicken and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Pour filling into the prepared dish.
• Carefully and evenly spread the masa harina mixture on top of the filling.
• Remove excess water from each corn husk and place on top of the masa mixture, overlapping as necessary. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Remove foil and corn husks. Sprinkle on Monterey Jack cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
• Top with avocado slices, black olives, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and green onions to taste. Serve warm.