the meat. Discard the bay leaf*.
To make the tomatillo sauce, heat the broiler. Place the
tomatillos in a cast-iron skillet and put the skillet under the broiler.
Broil until the tomatillos begin to char, and then flip them upside
down and char the other side. Continue doing this for
approximately 20 minutes, until the tomatillos are very soft and
charred all over, then place in a blender and mix.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil until
hot and cook the onions with a pinch of salt until soft. Add the
habanero and continue to cook until it softens, then add the
blended tomatillos. Simmer the sauce, with another pinch of salt,
until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and
then add the reserved chicken. Taste one more time for seasoning
and set aside.
Now it’s time to make the tamales. Set up a steamer and bring
water to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer with the whisk
attachment, mix the masa and the fat together on high speed until
the fat has worked itself into the masa and a smooth mixture has
formed. Mix in the baking powder and salt.
To assemble the tamales, tear off a strip of the soaked corn
husk (you’ll use this to tie the tamale up in a moment). Lay the
corn husk flat in your hand with the wide side to your left and the
narrow side to your right. Spoon a layer of the masa mixture onto
the husk, pressing it flat and keeping it more to the left side than
the right. Top the masa with some of the tomatillo chicken mixture
and then fold in the two sides and then the end, tying it all up with