This recipe for low carb and Keto chicken tamales replaces cornmeal masa harina with almond flour to make tamales with just 5g net carbs each.
I've been singing the lamest song this morning as I made these low carb chicken tamales.
It's "Shake Your Booty" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. (below)
I woke up with it in my head and now I can't get it out for the life of me. I'm afraid that the only way to shake an ear worm is to pass it on, so here you go.
At least you can shake shake shake your booty while making some delicious low carb chicken tamales.
These tamales swap out the traditional cornmeal filling, called masa harina, with a low carb almond flour fillng. This lowers the carb count down to 5g net carbs per tamale. Pretty darn good.
Folding the tamales is a little tricky, so I've put together step by step instructions, just in case you need them.
Gather your ingredients: softened corn husks, pulled chicken and almond flour masa harina. 
Gather your ingredients: softened corn husks, pulled chicken and almond flour masa harina. 
Lay out one of the corn husks. Add ⅓ cup masa harina to the corn husk and form into a rectangle along the longest edge.
Place ⅛ of the pulled chicken down the middle of the masa harina.
Place ⅛ of the pulled chicken down the middle of the masa harina.
Bring the edges of the corn husk together so that the filling folds over on itself.
Bring the edges of the corn husk together so that the filling folds over on itself.
Roll the corn husk around itself.
Roll the corn husk around itself.
Fold the tamale in half.
Cut one of the cornhusks into thin strips and use one to tie together the tamale.
Cut one of the cornhusks into thin strips and use one to tie together the tamale.Ok, now that that's taken care of, I guess I'll get back to what I was doing before.
Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shaking my booty.
📋 Recipe
Low Carb Keto Chicken Tamales
This recipe for low carb chicken tamales replaces cornmeal masa harina with almond flour to make tamales with just 5g net carbs each
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 1:30
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 tamales 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
9 corn husks
masa harina:
- 3 cups super fine almond flour
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup lard or butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
pulled chicken:
- ½ pound chicken breast
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Add corn husks to a large pot of hot water. Put a plate on top to keep the corn husks submerged. Heat over medium until very hot but not boiling. Lower the heat to low to keep the water hot. Soak for at least 30 minutes.
2. Add chicken breast to a medium sized sauce pan and fill the pan with water so that the chicken is just covered. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the chicken is white and cooked through. Allow to cool for several minutes and then pull apart the chicken into bite sized pieces using two forks.
3. Add tomato sauce and spices to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add chicken to the sauce and mix well. Set aside.
4. Melt butter in the microwave and add to almond flour, water and salt. Mix well.
5. Remove softened corn husks from the pot of water, reserving the water to use later to steam the tamales.
6. Dry off the corn husks. Lay out one of the corn husks. Add ⅓ cup masa harina to the corn husk and form into a rectangle along the longest edge.
7. Top the masa harina with ⅛ of the chicken.
8. Bring the edges of the corn husk together so that the filling folds over on itself.
9. Roll the corn husk around itself.
10. Fold the tamale in half.
11. Cut one of the corn husks into thin strips and use one strip to tie together the tamale.
12. Repeat with remaining 7 corn husks.
13. Add tamales to a steamer basket, cover, and steam for 1 hour.
14. Allow to cool completely. The tamales will firm up as they cool. Discard the husks and serve with salsa verde.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tamale
- Calories: 476
- Fat: 45
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 15
Keywords: Low Carb Chicken Tamales, Keto Chicken Tamales, Paleo Chicken Tamales
If you liked these low carb tamales, then you might like my recipes for Beef Tamales, Cabbage Wrapped Enchiladas or Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Nancy says
Delicious recipe. i will try it
EmilyKrill says
Hope you like them!
Wanda says
Can you add cornbread flavoring to make them taste more like real tamales
EmilyKrill says
Yes, that would be great in this recipe. I only learned about the existence of corn extra very recently. (I used it to make jalapeno and cheese cornbread. https://www.resolutioneats.com/blog/cheesy-keto-jalapeno-cornbread/ ) I haven't tried using it in tamales though, so you'll need to test it out yourself. Add a teaspoon, taste it, add another teaspoon until you get it the way you like it. Please check back in and let me know how it went!
Fernando says
Could this masa be used for tortillas?
EmilyKrill says
No, it wouldn’t work for that. But the gnom-gnom blog has any easy low carb tortilla recipe that I make all the time. Here’s the recipe: https://www.gnom-gnom.com/grain-free-keto-tortillas/
Mendy Coker says
Where is a pic of the finished product? Also, I have been making tamales like crazy and they are just as good as regular ones. The masa is a little more detailed but they are worth it.
EmilyKrill says
Fair point. I just added an image of the final product. Glad you like the tamales.
K says
But do they TASTE LIKE REGULAR TAMALES?
EmilyKrill says
NO, OF COURSE NOT! WHY ARE WE YELLING? But no, low carb tamales are never going to be as good as real corn tamales. They’re a very good low carb alternative though.
Rosa says
Can I use coconut oil instead of lard or butter?
EmilyKrill says
Yes, that should be fine. It’ll be a 1:1 substitution, so just use the same amount of coconut oil.
Beverly K. says
I thought I was going to have to give up tamales forever! I can't wait to try these.
★★★★★
Jolene says
How much masa harina?
Emily says
The masa harina is made up of the ingredients listed below the words masa harina. So you make it out of: 3 cups super fine almond flour, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup lard or butter, 1 teaspoon salt.