Banana Leaf Tamales

Have you ever tried banana leaf tamales? They are amazing! They have a different flavor than the tamales wrapped in corn husks. They’re perfect during the holiday seasons. Give them a try!

These tamales are absolutely delicious. They are work though I’m not going to lie, however it is completely worth it! You’ll agree once you take a bite of one.

I really love the flavor that the banana leaves gives the tamales. If you haven’t tried them I highly suggest you do!

Tamale Ingredients

• 3 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thigh fillets
• 1 head of garlic plus 3 cloves
• 1 whole white onion plus 1/4 of an onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tbs chicken bouillon
• 3 quarts water
• 4lb masa preparada
• 2 cups manteca
• 3 bags of hoja santa
• 1 lb frozen banana leaves
• 8 guajillo chiles
• 8 morita chiles
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 2 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Looking for more delicious Mexican recipes? Try these:

• Sweet tamales
• Champurrado
• Mexican Christmas punch
• Buñuelos

How to make banana leaf tamales

The first thing we need to do is make the chicken. So put the chicken in a pot along with the head of garlic, 1 whole onion (peeled), the bay leaves, 3 tbs of chicken bouillon and the 3 quarts of water.

Bring it to a boil. Then start skimming of the foam that rises to the top.

Then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Once done transfer the chicken to a bowl to cool. Strain and reserve the broth.

When the chicken has cooled down shred it.

Now we can start on the salsa. Put the chiles and tomatoes in a pot and cover with water. Boil for about 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a blender and let them cool for about 10 minutes.

Then add the 1/4 piece of white onion, 3 garlic cloves, 2 whole cloves, 1/2 tsp of oregano, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbs of chicken bouillon and about 3 cups of the reserved chicken broth. Blend until smooth.

Heat up a tablespoon of lard in a pot over medium heat. Once hot strain in the salsa.

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste it for salt and add more to taste.

Then add the shredded chicken to the pot. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now that we have the filling ready it is time to prepare the masa.

Put the masa in a large bowl and break it up into small pieces.

slowly add in about a liter of the reserved chicken broth while mixing with your hands.

You want to continue to break up the little balls of masa with your hands until you get a smooth consistency.

This may take up to 20 minutes.

Now put the 2 cups of lard in a large pot and heat over medium heat. Once the lard is hot add the masa and stir well.

Now we’re going to add the hoja santa. Add 3 bags of these.

Crush the leaves with your hands over the pot as you add them.

Hoja santa adds an incredible flavor to the masa.

Stir the masa continuously for 10 minutes or until you notice the masa getting thicker.

Then slowly add in another liter and a half of chicken broth and continue to stir for about 15 minutes.

Also season the masa with salt to your liking during this time.

It’s very important that you stir continuously to prevent the masa from burning or forming lumps.

At the end of the 15 minutes the masa will have thickened. Remove the masa from the heat and set aside.

Now it’s time to assemble the tamales. I am using frozen banana leaves here.

These are great because all you have to do is leave them in the fridge the night before and then clean them with a paper towel when you’re ready to use them.

Cut the leaves into about 11 inches wide rectangles.

Put about 3 tbs of the masa in the center of the rectangle. Then put 2 tbs of the filling on top of the masa.

Fold one half of the banana leaf over the masa.

Then fold the other side.

Then fold in both ends to close the tamale.

You can tie the tamal close if you want using thin pieces of banana leaves but it isn’t necessary.

Repeat the above steps until the masa and filling is gone.

You should get about 30- 40 tamales depending on how big you make them.

Fill a steamer pot with water and put the tamales in the pot.

Some of the tamales are also wrapped in foil because the banana leaves cracked.

If that happens to you don’t worry and just wrap the banana leaf in foil.

Bring the water in the pot to a boil then cover the steamer and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 2 hours.

After the tamales are done steaming let them rest for about 10 minutes or so before serving.

You’ll notice that as they cool down they will firm up a bit.

Chicken tamales wrapped in banana leaves

I really hope you’ll try these banana leaf tamales. They’re pure deliciousness! And the holiday seasons are a great time to make tamales.

Let me know what you think of this recipe and don’t forget to leave it a rating below. Thank you so much for visiting, see you soon!