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Let me tell you about the time I made Tamales.
It was almost exactly a year ago.
Well, it was just after Christmas and if you were reading back then you may remember we had twenty-one people in ONE house. Food was going quick, but we always have some sort of Mexican dish on New Years Eve. Sure, we could have ordered out and made things super easy, but I had the brilliant idea to make a Mexican feast.
Only, it was not all that brilliant for me.
I am not sure what I was thinking trying to make homemade tamales for the very first time for twenty-one plus people (yeah, there where friends too). I am insane and normally I have fun cooking, but these tamales were just not fun.
I spent the entire day on New Years Eve cooking beef and shredding beef, trying to spread the masa evenly in the corn husk, wrapping tamales and then trying to figure out how to steam them with any kind of steamer.
And then I made Mexican rice, chorizo and guacamole.
Let’s just say it was a good thing that New Years Eve is such a long night. I needed it.
In all honesty the tamales turned out pretty good for my first time, but they were not pretty and I probably messed up multiple things within the recipe. Luckily that did not seem to stop anyone and they all got eaten.
I have to say though, the guacamole was the winner of the night, with the chorizo coming in close behind. Then the tamales.
And you know what?
I am pretty sure I want to try again this year. My cousins are coming out again for Christmas and I am just not sure we can do New Years without tamales.
So this meal was kind of getting me prepped.
Actually, not really.
These burrito bowls are so easy, but they taste like tamales. Well, they have tamale flavors. Authentic tamales are made with beef, but I only had chicken on hand and I wanted to keep things on the healthier side.
I have to say, polenta makes an awesome base to a burrito bowl.
Plus, it’s fun to switch up the rice, and polenta works really well with the saucy chicken. It is extra creamy and creamy is always, always good. Especially during cold winter days.
The best part is that this is so versatile. Use your favorite meat or whatever you have on hand. Just make sure to adjust the cooking times. And if you want to go vegetarian try swapping all beans for the chicken or using lentils. I think both would be SO good, but my family hates beans, so that was just not an option for me.
Oh, and I totally forgot to add the crushed tortilla chips to the top of this, but really you must do this. It is so good.
Easy Chicken Tamale Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast or thighs (I used a mix of both - you may also use pork, beef or lentils for a vegetarian version)
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 onion, slided
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 orange pepper, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed if using canned
Cheesy Polenta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup polenta, I used Bob's Red Mill
- 4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese shredded, plus more for topping if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2-4 tablespoons butter, your preference
For topping
- 1 avocado, mashed with a pinch of salt and pepper (or some [guacamole | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/margarita-chicken-quesadilla-with-margarita-guacamole/]
- 4 ounces queso fresco cheese, crumbled
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- in crushed tortilla chips (forgot to add these the photos, but you should do this!)
Instructions
- Heat a very large skillet over medium- high heat and add the olive oil. When the skillet is hot, but not smoking (if it starts to smoke, turn heat down a bit and wait 5 minutes before adding the veggies) add the onions and red and orange peppers. Stir fry the peppers for 3-5 minutes, until they just begin to soften. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Keep warm by covering the plate with foil.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is browned all over add the the enchilada sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic and onion powder and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer the chicken in the sauce for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through and shreds easily.
- Meanwhile, make the polenta. Pour the chicken broth and milk into a medium size saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the polenta. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta is soft and thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep warm and then just before serving, stir in the cheddar cheese and butter, season with salt and pepper. If the polenta seems a little thick you can add a tablespoon of butter or extra milk.
- When the chicken is done cooking remove the chicken from the heat and shred the chicken with 2 forks right in the sauce. If your peppers have cooled off too much I would toss them with the chicken to get them warm again. Toss in the black beans until warmed through.
- To assemble the bowls, add a nice serving of polenta to each bowl. Top with the peppers and saucy chicken. Finish the bowls off with a dollop of mashed avocado, crumbled queso fresco, chopped cilantro and crushed tortilla chips. Dig. In.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Can we just please dig in now? YES.
I veganized this recipe, and it was delicious! This is a new favorite!!
Hey Elaine,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xTieghan
I have had this floating around my menu planning board for a few weeks and we finally put it into the rotation this week. So. Good.
I made homemade enchilada sauce because I forgot to grab some at the store, and then made this recipe as written (But in full disclosure, I forgot to add the black beans. It was still great!). Served it up with ALL the recommended toppings (except the darn beans. ha!). The only change I think I would make is using chicken thighs next time. They just stay more tender than a chicken breast does.
My husband and I thought that this would make a stellar do ahead meal if you did the chicken ahead so that it could soak up all that yummy enchilada sauce and get over the top flavor. I was a little afraid it would be spicy with all that chili powder but it wasn’t offensive in the slightest. We’ll make it again!
Hey Carrie,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Delicious. I used the leftover polenta and sauce the next morning topped with eggs. Yum.
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Sounds delicious! Do the beans get placed in the slow cooker as well?
Hey Dee,
Yes you can add the beans to the crockpot. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Going to give these a try, loved the pork tamale bowls! Do you know if these make good leftovers? I want to make them for meals for the week! I don’t know how polenta is reheated. Thanks so much!
Hi Emily,
You could definitely have these as leftovers! I would recommend heating in the microwave or on the stove top on low. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This was incredible! Loved the texture of the polenta. Followed the recipe to a T and turned out perfectly.
Yay!! That is amazing to hear! Thank you Lauren! xTieghan
So delicious and I’ve made it many times before in the slow cooker. But what happened to the slow cooker instructions? I can’t seem to find them now. ?
Hey Molly! So sorry, I am not sure. Something weird happened. Let me try and get those back for you.
Hi! Dying to try this and would love the slow cooker instructions as well! Thank you!
Hi Amie,
So sorry, I no longer have those instructions. I would cook the meat on low for 6-8 hours. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is delicious! The chicken breast simmering in the enchilada sauce seasoned with spices become tender enough to shred. And over the cheesy polenta is a yummy base!!!
Thank you so much Amy! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
Made this in the instant pot on slow cooker mode and it is the most tender and tasty chicken! I am also a sucker for polenta, so this recipe called my name. Perfect with crushed chips on top!
Yes!! Thank you Alissa! xTieghan
Delicious! The only thing is that the polenta will cook faster than 15-20 min. More like 5 min.
But overall a hit ??
Thank you so much Hetz! xTieghan
Very tasty! The whole family enjoyed it! Will definitely be putting this into our meal rotation .
Thank you Melinda! xTieghan
SO DELICIOUS!
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
Wonderful dinner for a cool, rainy evening. Thank you! It was so delicious, we loved it! We are vacationing in our RV, I used the slow cooker settings on my InstaPot to cook-up this dish. We did some sight-seeing and by the time we got back to our 5th-wheel I had just enough time to cook the polenta and prepare the toppings. I used a pork roast, as for me there is nothing better than pork and red chile. I made sure my red chile powder was from New Mexico, it had great flavor with just the right amount of heat, totally over the top with the cheesey polenta and other toppings. Thanks again, I know this recipe is going down as a family favorite in our house-
Thank you so much Pegi! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
Made this tonight in my instant pot. It was a little strong on paprika as that’s a strong flavor in enchilada sauce anyway. Otherwise really good with polenta. Will adjust spices next time!
Great! Thank you Chris!
We love this recipe! I came back to make it again in the slow cooker and those directions are nowhere to be found. Ahhhhh! Is there any way you could respond/copy & paste here with them?? Pretty please?? We want to make this tomorrow and I want to make sure I’m doing it right. Thank you SO much in advance! This is the yummiest!
Hi Leah,
So sorry, I have never made this recipe in the slow cooker. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
A friend made this recipe for us when they had us over and we loved it. I’ve never made it myself though- how many servings does this recipe “as is” make? Trying to plan for about 10 ppl but not sure if I should double or how to plan related to that number. Thanks!
Hi Kristel! This recipe will serve about 6, so I would double it to be safe. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love it!
I can’t believe you decided to make tamales for the first time for a group of people and on New Year’s Eve. That is ambition! In Mexico tamales may be made with beef but in Honduras they are made with chicken. Every Christmas my mom or an aunt makes a giant batch of tamales and then there is tamales for days. I haven’t learned to make them and I don’t think I ever will, I’m too lazy for all the process but I’ll give these a try.
I find that I try new things for large groups often for some reason!
Having a giant batch on christmas sounds so so good!! They can take a while to prepare! Hope you love the bowls, thank you!