Healthy Chicken Tamales | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are chicken tamales healthy for you? ›

Tamales provide healthy micronutrients, including folate, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, phosphorous, potassium, and iron. Adding chili peppers can give tamales an extra kick, and the capsaicin in spicy peppers may help support vascular and metabolic health.

“If you know you have high blood pressure or diabetes, you probably shouldn't eat traditional tamales,” Pascoe says. “Instead, I would recommend preparing a dozen or so healthy tamales, which use all of our healthy substitutions.”

With meat-based tamales (yes, I know it's tamal in Spanish no need to offer corrections), I prefer crema mixed with a red or green salsa (usually to match whatever chiles are inside). Sour cream and Tapatio work in a pinch.

Making the best tamales

You need a masa that is not dry and crumbly, making you sip after every bite. But the masa should be set, not mushy or runny. It should also be light, not heavy and dense. And of course, you need a delicious filling.

Tamales give a good supply of protein to repair and renew cells. Eat 1 tamale, and you'll get a good source of iron and phosphorus for a good dose of energy. Tamales are a good source of vitamins that can help a body in several areas; blood circulation and stress levels and aid a healthy brain and nerve cells.

tamales have a lot of carbs which turns into sugar so you should probably only have two even though they are really good just be mindful of how many you have,” said Thompson.

Carbohydrates: Tamales are made from corn dough, which is a high-carbohydrate food. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose in the body, which causes blood sugar levels to rise. Sugar content: Some tamale recipes include added sugar. Added sugar can also cause blood sugar levels to rise.

Since unfilled tamales are higher in carbs and lower in protein, they're more likely to increase blood sugars quickly. That being said, pairing an unfilled tamal with other sources of fiber and protein like beans or meat with avocado could help prevent blood sugar spikes, too.

You can serve tamales with a variety of sides such as fried plantains, potatoes with rajas, Mexican rice and black beans. “When planning a tamalada, or tamal party, you can accompany your tamales with bowls of red and green salsa, crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco, fresh lime and pickled red onion,” Sibley says.

What is a common mistake when making tamales? ›

One of the most common mistakes we've experienced with making tamales is having corn husks that are not soft enough to maneuver, fold, and seal. In order to have a husk that doesn't split and can be easily sealed together, you'll need to make sure to fully submerge your corn husks before you start filling and wrapping.

You may be surprised to learn that tamales are actually quite nutritious–providing fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, depending on the filling, tamales may be a good source of protein or vegetables. But of course we want to consider factors like portions, filling, and even cooking technique.

The prices for the most popular protein fillings of chicken and pork and even spices for tamale-making are up. “The majority of the spices we use to give the flavor to [tamales] come from Mexico,” said Cruz. “Exporting them here has a higher price. I think the spices went up 40% from previous years.”

Tamales are super nutritious and tasty; there's a reason they've been around for centuries! They have fiber, micronutrients, resistant starch, and protein that can promote health for many people.

Tamale with chicken contains 353 calories per 164 g serving. This serving contains 22 g of fat, 14 g of protein and 24 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 0.7 g sugar and 2 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Tamale with chicken contains 8.1 g of saturated fat and 66 mg of cholesterol per serving.

These chicken tamales are stuffed with shredded chicken in a spicy Mexican red sauce made with ancho and mulato chiles. The masa for these tamales is made with lard and chicken broth.

Tamales make an excellent Christmas dinner or a tasty snack to eat during your holiday travels. Some food explorers like to top their tamales with tomatillo sauce or red chile sauce.