Honduran Chicken Nacatamales
In Honduras, we make a special kind of tamales that are very different from the most well-known Mexican corn husk tamales. These are called “Nacatamales” and have at least 10 more ingredients than the average Mexican tamal varieties.
Ingredients
White masa
- 2 pounds of masa flour
- 1 cup of lard
- 1 green bell pepper
- ½ bunch of culantro (Asian/Honduran cilantro) *you may substitute with cilantro
- 3 tbsps of Knorr® Selects Chicken Bouillon (instead of 1 onion, 5 garlic cloves and salt and pepper)
- 1 L of water, divided (½ for each masa)
"Red" Masa and "Recado" (seasonings with the meat for the red masa)
- 2 tbsps of Knorr® Selects Chicken Bouillon (instead of 1 onion, 5 garlic cloves and salt and pepper)
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts, cooked in a bit of water
- 1 tbsp of achiote (annatto)
- ½ to 1 cup of the liquid is reserved to mix with one-third of the Masa, to make the red masa
Fixings
- 2 cups of olives
- 3 potatoes, chopped in small squares
- 2 cups of white rice, cooked halfway through
- 1 can of sweet peas
- ¼ cup of capers
- ½ cup of canned garbanzo beans, rinsed
- ½ cup of raisins (optional)
You will also need:
- Big plantain leaves, cleaned
- String
Instructions
- In a blender, add about 1 cup of water, one bell pepper, cilantro, and 3 Tablespoons of Knorr® Selects Granulated Chicken Bouillon. Blend until well mixed.
- Add the seasoned blend and the masa flour in a big pot and mix well. Add liquid lard or oil and cook on medium stirring once in a while until it thickens. Separate one-third of the masa in another pot.
- Cook the chicken along with the other bell pepper, 2 tablespoons of Knorr® Selected Granulated Chicken Bouillon achiote in hot water. Mix to dissolve the achiote. Once the chicken is cooked, reserve half a cup of the broth and add it to the masa that you had previously separated.
- To make this red masa add a bit of lard or oil as well and cook until it thickens a bit more. You may add water if it thickens too much.
- Roast your plantain leaves on a comal or on the stovetop, just until they soften. This will allow you to bend them without ripping them.
- Prep your “nacatamales assembly station” with all the fixings: partially cooked rice, cubed potatoes, pieces of the chicken you just cooked, sweet peas, capers, olives, and the two masas.
- To assemble each nacatamal, choose a plantain leaf that is at least 3 times as wide as how you want the nacatamales to be. Place it on a clean surface and add about a serving spoon of the white masa in the center, and spread it out into a rectangle, to be used a base. On top, lay all of the fixings and top them off with about a couple of spoonfuls of the red masa, pressing it down a bit.
- Fold the tamales like you would fold a small gift (watch the video for guidance) and use string to secure the sides both horizontally and vertically.
- Prep a tall and large pot with a couple of plantain leaves used as a base - this is to prevent the tamales from burning. Start stacking your tamales inside the pot and add hot water to them, until you cover the very last one. Boil and cook for about 40mins.
- Unwrap each nacatamal and enjoy its goodness with lime, sour cream and/or hot sauce!