Tamales Oaxaqueños (Oaxacan tamales)

Those tamales Oaxaqueños are so flavorful, super moist, and perfect to serve with hot chocolate or champurrado.

📝 Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups masa harina
• 1 1/2 cup pork lard (or extra virgin olive oil)
• 2 cups chicken stock (from cooking chicken)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• salt (to taste)
• 13 large banana leaves sheets (read notes)
• 125 g Doña María mole jar (or homemade mole sauce)
• 1/4 tablet Abuelita chocolate (or 1oz dark chocolate )
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 cup chicken stock (from cooking chicken)
• salt (to taste)
• 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs and drumsticks (or 2 chicken breasts)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Make the filling: ---
2. 2Place chicken, garlic, oregano, and salt in a pot.
3. 3Cover with 2 inches of water and cook until chicken is tender (50 minutes).
4. 4Strain the broth and allow chicken to cool down.
5. 5Shred chicken, cover, and set aside.
6. 6Add Doña Maria mole paste to a cooking pan with chocolate, cinnamon, and 1 1/2 cup of the broth.
7. 7Cook over medium-low heat until there are no lumps left and sauce has thickened a bit (5 minutes).
8. 8Add the shredded chicken to the pan, mix to coat, and cook for 2-3 minutes more (read notes).
9. 9Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to reach room temperature.
10. 10--- Make the tamales dough: ---
11. 11Place lard and salt in a large bowl, beat at high speed until smooth and puffy.
12. 12Add masa harina and baking powder. Set the mixer to low speed and pour 2 cups of chicken broth.
13. 13Taste and add more salt if needed, then mix at high speed for 2 minutes or until you’ll have a fluffy dough.
14. 14--- Soften the banana leaves ---
15. 15Heat a large griddle or comal over high heat.
16. 16Take one banana leaf sheet at a time and hold it for a few seconds against the pan, just enough to soften so it will be easier to wrap it. Repeat will all sheets.
17. 17Make 12 strips with one of the sheets that will be used for securing the tamales.
18. 18--- Assemble tamales ---
19. 19Place a generous scoop of tamales dough in the middle of a sheet and spread it a bit.
20. 20Spoon some of the chicken mole mixture in the center and spread it also a little bit.
21. 21Fold first the two longer sides of the banana leaf to bring them together, overlapping one edge to the other.
22. 22Fold the two remaining sides under the tamal and use two strips of banana leaf to tie and secure the tamal.
23. 23Repeat the steps until all ingredients are used.
24. 24--- Cook tamales ---
25. 25Place a steamer rack inside a large stockpot.
26. 26Add enough water just a little bit below the rack level, then fold the steam rack with a few banana leaves.
27. 27Lay all tamales inside the pot and then cover them with more banana leaves.
28. 28Bring the water in the steamer to a boil, cover the pot and cook the tamales for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking occasionally and adding more water when needed.