Tamales de Tinga (Chicken Tinga Tamales)
Soft steamed corn masa wrapped in husks around smoky chipotle chicken, a festive batch dish worth the effort.
Made with Chipotle tinga sauce and Shredded chicken (pollo deshebrado) and Tamale masa. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time2 hr
- LevelHard
- Costabout £3.62 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Soak the corn husks in a large bowl of very hot water for 30 minutes, weighing them down with a plate, until soft and pliable. Rinse and pat dry.
30 min - 2
Warm your ready made chipotle tinga sauce (see the base recipe) and shredded chicken (see the base recipe) together for 10 minutes until thick. Cool completely.
10 min - 3
Take a husk and lay it with the narrow end towards you. Spread about 3 tbsp of your ready made tamale masa (see the base recipe) over the top two thirds in a thin square, leaving a border on the sides.
- 4
Put 1 heaped tbsp of chicken tinga down the middle. Fold the sides over to enclose the filling, then fold up the narrow end. Repeat to make about 12 tamales.
- 5
Stand the tamales upright, open end up, in a steamer basket or a colander set over a pan of simmering water. Cover tightly with a lid and steam for 1 hour 10 minutes, topping up the water now and then.
70 min - 6
Test one: the masa should peel cleanly from the husk. If it sticks, steam for another 10 minutes. Rest for 15 minutes before unwrapping, then serve with extra warm tinga sauce.
Tips
- Spread the masa thinly. A thick layer steams to a heavy, dense tamal.
- Keep the water at a steady simmer and never let it boil dry. Use a coin in the pan, which rattles when the water runs low.
- Unwrap the tamal to eat it. The corn husk is only a wrapper and is not eaten.
Storing and freezing
Cool and keep the tamales in their husks in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Steam from chilled for 15 minutes or from frozen for 30 minutes, until steaming hot all the way through.
Questions
Can I make these ahead?
Yes. Tamales are ideal for freezing. Wrap them in portions after cooling and freeze for up to 3 months. Steam from frozen until steaming hot all the way through.
Where do I find corn husks?
Dried corn husks are sold in the world foods aisle of larger supermarkets, Mexican grocers and online. Use banana leaves as an alternative if you can find them.
Are they dairy and gluten free?
Yes, if you made the tamale masa with dairy free fat and your base recipes are gluten free. Corn masa contains no gluten, but check the stock and chipotle labels.
More made with chipotle tinga sauce
Tacos de Tinga de Pollo (Chicken Tinga Tacos)
GFEFNFCaldo Tlalpeno con Pollo y Garbanzos (Chicken, Chickpea and Chipotle Soup)
GFEFNFPapas y Ejotes en Chipotle (Potatoes and Green Beans in Chipotle Sauce)
GFDFEFSopes de Tinga (Thick Masa Cakes with Chipotle Chicken)
GFEFNFDouble check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.