I Made My Family's Incredible Chicken and Salsa Verde Tamales Even Better—Don't Tell My Mom

For holidays and celebrations, it’s routine for my family to gather together to make various types of tamal, including tamales de pollo con salsa verde. The version of tamales with a chicken and green salsa filling that I grew up eating was made with shredded chicken tossed in a refreshing green salsa loaded with tomatillos, garlic, and fresh cilantro. My recipe here is inspired by my family’s version, but I’ve added a few of my own twists—crisped chicken skin is finely chopped and folded into the filling for a rich chicken flavor and textural contrast, plus ground coriander is added to enhance the salsa verde. When the bright, sharp, and herbaceous green chicken filling is spread into a thin layer over pillowy masa, and enclosed to form a tamal, the filling’s sharp flavor pairs perfectly with the rich corn dough.

There’s no working around it, tamales are a labor of love, but they are well worth it, and I’ve written a helpful guide on how to make tamales that I encourage you to read for tips on making the masa and shaping the tamales. I’ve also included the steps for making the masa and shaping the tamales below, but here are a few tips for making the chicken and green salsa filling.

Tips for Memorable Tamales de Pollo con Salsa Verde

Take the time to add crisped chicken skin to the filling. Crisped chicken skin is not typically used in tamales de pollo con salsa verde filling, but I was inspired to add the crisped skin after trying a version of tamales with chicharrónes guisados (stewed fried pork rinds) from my favorite tamal vendor at my local gas station. In that pork version, I loved the contrasting textures and rich flavor the crisped skin added to this tamal filling, and I wanted to use this technique with chicken. I In my chicken tamales filling, the crisped skin softens slightly when stirred into the saucy filling, but it still adds a welcome chewy contrast to the tender shredded chicken, and incredible flavor. (I mean, what’s more delicious than fried chicken skin?!) It’s important to render the chicken skin slowly, and stir frequently to avoid the skin sticking to the bottom of the pot, and to make sure it renders its fat and crisps evenly. 

Once rendered and strained, I like to save the chicken fat, or as I call it, “liquid gold.” Go ahead and even toss a few tablespoons of the rendered fat with the tomatillo mixture before charring under the broiler.

Char the fresh vegetables and add ground cilantro to the salsa verde. Smoky, spicy, sweet, bright, and complex, this salsa verde rules them all. If there were a Mexican restaurant on my desert island, this is the salsa I’d want. Two key features set this salsa verde apart from most: The first is taking the time to char the tomatillos, tomato (added for sweet fruity balance to the tomatillos), and serranos. It’s important to get them really deeply charred. Flecks of black, burnt tomatillo skin are delicious in the finished salsa. As the vegetables cook down under the broiler, they'll also start to release liquid that will caramelize and turn sticky, like honey. Make sure to scrape those delicious juices into the blender jar with the other salsa ingredients.

The second distinction is enhancing the salsa with ground coriander in addition to the raw cilantro leaves and stems. Ground coriander adds a bold, concentrated layer of cilantro flavor to the salsa. The final salsa is sharp and acidic, and once tossed with the chicken mixture, it pairs perfectly with the rich sweet corn dough. The result is tamales that may even better be than the tamales de pollo con salsa verde I grew up eating—just don’t tell my mom.

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