Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales
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Updated Dec 16, 2025, Published Nov 27, 2021
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These Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales are a flavorful, comforting take on a holiday classic, made a little easier for home cooks. Using rotisserie or roasted chicken keeps prep simple while still delivering the authentic taste and texture you expect from homemade tamales. This is the kind of recipe that’s perfect for a cozy weekend, a festive tamalada, or stocking your freezer for later.
Table of Contents
- What Are Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales?
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- Recommended Tools
- How to Make Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales
- Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales Expert Tips & Tricks
- Storage Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Tamale Recipes
- Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales (Easy & Authentic) Recipe
What Are Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales?
Roasted chicken salsa verde tamales are traditional Mexican tamales filled with tender shredded chicken tossed in a tangy green salsa verde, then wrapped in corn husks and steamed until fluffy and tender. They’re savory, comforting, and deeply rooted in Mexican food traditions, especially during the holidays and special family gatherings.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Approachable & doable using roasted or rotisserie chicken
- Authentic flavor without overcomplicated steps
- Perfect for gatherings and tamaladas with family and friends
- Freezer‑friendly, so you can enjoy tamales anytime
- Versatile filling that can be made mild or spicy
Ingredients & Substitutions
This recipe uses simple, easy‑to‑find ingredients. The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Corn husks – Soaked until pliable. Mexican style tamales are wrapped in corn husks, but other cultures use banana leaves. Either will work for this recipe.
- Yellow or white onion – finely chopped
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Roasted or rotisserie chicken – Shredded. Swap chicken with turkey for a great leftover option
- Substitutions: You can also use poached shredded chicken, oven roasted chicken breasts, or chicken tinga
- Salsa verde – Homemade or store‑bought
- Masa harina – Or fresh masa if available
- Lard or vegetable shortening – Lard gives the most authentic flavor. Use vegetable broth and shortening for a vegetarian masa base
- Chicken broth – Adds moisture and flavor to the masa
- Baking powder & salt – For light, fluffy masa
Recommended Tools
- Stand mixer: Makes creaming the lard effortless and helps create light, fluffy masa.
- Steamer: Essential for steaming tamales, and handy for lobster, corn on the cob, and more.
- Instant Pot: A great option for speeding things up. Follow the cooking directions in this Instant Pot Tamales recipe.
- Food processor or blender. Perfect for dicing roasted green chiles and making homemade Mexican sauces and salsas.
How to Make Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales
Step 1: Prepare the corn husks. Soak corn husks in very hot water for at least 30 minutes until soft and flexible. Drain and pat dry.
Step 2: Make the chicken filling. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, just until fragrant. Add the shredded chicken and salsa verde, stirring to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer over medium-low for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is heated through and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
Step 3: Prepare the masa. In a large bowl, beat lard until fluffy. Mix in masa harina, baking powder, and salt, alternating with warm chicken broth, until the masa is soft and spreadable.
Step 4: Assemble the tamales. Spread masa onto the wide end of a corn husk, add chicken filling down the center, fold the sides inward, then fold the bottom up.
Step 5: Steam the tamales. Arrange tamales upright in a steamer. Steam for 1–2 hours, checking occasionally and adding water as needed.
Step 6: Rest and serve. Let tamales rest for 10 minutes before serving so the masa can fully set. Warm some extra salsa verde in a small saucepan to drizzle over tamales. Feel free to garnish with a dollop of guacamole salsa or crema Mexicana.
I made these Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales during a Facebook Live in partnership with Herdez to promote the movie Coco. If you’re more of a visual learner, you can watch the tamal-making video here, where I share authentic, step-by-step tamale techniques using Herdez Salsa Verde.
👉 Watch the video: Herdez — How to Make Chicken Tamales in HERDEZ Salsa Verde
Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales Expert Tips & Tricks
- The masa should feel like soft peanut butter, not stiff or dry
- Don’t overfill the tamales; a little filling goes a long way
- Expert Tip: Place a clean penny at the bottom of the steamer pot. As the tamales steam, you’ll hear the penny gently rattle. When the rattling stops, it’s a sign the water level is low and it’s time to carefully add more hot water to the pot.
- Tamales are done when the husk pulls away cleanly from the masa
- Let tamales rest after steaming for best texture
- Instant Pot: Want to steam tamales in your Instant Pot? Follow these step-by-step instructions.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store cooked tamales for up to 4 days
- Freezer: Freeze cooked tamales for up to 3 months
- Reheating: Steam until warmed through or microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Rotisserie chicken works beautifully and saves time without sacrificing flavor.
The husk should peel away easily from the masa when fully cooked.
Absolutely. They’re perfect for making ahead and reheating when needed.
Yes. Freeze fully cooked and cooled tamales for best results.
More Tamale Recipes
If you tried this Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Summarize & Save This Content On
Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales (Easy & Authentic)
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Steamer
- Instant Pot:
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 pounds poached chicken, or store-bought roasted chicken, shredded
- 3 cups homemade salsa verde , or Herdez Salsa Verde
- 40 dried corn husks
- 3 chicken flavor bouillon cubes
- 2 cups hot water
- 2/3 cups lard or vegetable shortening
- 2 cups instant corn masa mix for tamales
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
FILLING:
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir for an additional minute.
- Add shredded chicken and salsa verde. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring continuously to keep it from sticking to skillet. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
PREPARE HOJAS (CORN HUSKS):
- Soak corn husks in water for an hour before using, rinse well with running water to take off any dust or corn husk fibers. To keep corn husks pliable and easy to work with, keep in water while filling tamales. Place a handful of wet corn husks in a colander to drain before using.
MAKE MASA:
- Dissolve bouillon in a bowl of hot water and set aside. In a stand mixer whip the lard till fluffy, scraping sides so the lard stays in the center of the mixing bowl. (The flat beater is the ideal accessory for mixing.) Add masa and baking powder and mix. Slowly add broth and mix until combined.
SPREAD MASA:
- Place the wide end of the husk on the palm of your hand, narrow end is at the top. Starting at the middle of the husk spread 2 tablespoons of the masa with the back of a spoon in a rectangle or oval shape, using a downward motion towards the wide-bottom edge. Do not spread the masa to the ends; leave about a 2-inch border on the left and right sides of the husk.
FILL CORN HUSKS:
- Spoon 1½ tablespoons of chicken filling down the center of the masa. Fold both sides to the center; finish off by bringing the pointed end of the husk toward the filled end. Make sure it’s a snug closure so the tamal will not open during steaming. Secure by tying a thin strip of corn husk around the tamal. This will keep the tamal from unwrapping during the steaming process, especially if the husk is too thick and will not stay folded.
STEAM TAMALES:
- Use a deep pot or tamale steamer to steam tamales. If using a tamale steamer fill with water up to the fill line. Set the tamale rack over the water. Place tamales upright, with fold against the sides of the other tamales to keep them from unfolding. Cover pot with a tightly fitting lid. Set heat on high and bring to a boil, about 15 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Refill steamer periodically with water so tamales do not burn. Keep lid on tightly. To test if done, place one tamal on a plate and take off the corn husk. If it comes off without sticking to the tamal they are done.
TIP:
- Place a penny at the bottom of the pot, when you hear the penny rattle that means the water level is low and it is time to add more water to the steamer.
Serve:
- Warm some Salsa Verde in a small saucepan to drizzle over tamales. Or drizzle tamales with Guacamole Salsa.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
My chicken mixture seems a little too wet. Should I thicken it?
I was hoping if you ever can show the recipe for pork in red tasty , medium hot chile sauce tamales before Christmas sneaks up on me ? Profoundly appreciated .Gracias senora .
Hola Manuel, you can find the very popular recipe for Authentic Mexican Pork Tamales Rojos Recipe here: https://muybuenoblog.com/how-to-make-tamales-tamalada-video/
This is only the third time that I’ve made tamales. The two other times were with friends. This time I did it solo. I was drawn to this recipe because it called for 3 cups of salsa verde and I had just made a ton of salsa verde to freeze a few weeks ago (it freezes so well!). These tamales were delicious! My daughter gave them five stars and my husband couldn’t stop raving about them as he was eating. The salsa verde made the tamales moist and flavorful. I used a rotisserie chicken and instant masa mix. I had so much chicken mix left over that I made a second batch of masa. I ended up with about 50 tamales. I steamed them in my Instant Pot for about 40 minutes. I will freeze the leftovers for a quick meal at another time (15 minutes from freezer to steamer and they’re done!). Love, love, love this recipe!
So easy and wonderful. Added Serrano peppers to chicken since we like heat. Was great! Everyone thought I did all homemade, YAY!
The tamales look so delicous. Very well explained, and very entertaining.
i need a tomatillo salsa recipe
Hi Don, you can use either store-bought salsa verde or this homemade salsa verde recipe: https://muybuenoblog.com/2011/01/salsa-verde/