A Tribute to the Best Chicken {Tamale} Casserole There Ever Was!
I have had SUCH an incredible start to my year this year--it is so exciting! I have this fire lit within me and I am on a decluttering rampage around my house. I will get more into some tips and tricks I have learned along those lines soon, but for now, I have to share one of the meals that came out from this recently that my family is obsessed with! It absolutely has a spot in our rotation a couple times a month now.
I am talking about the yummiest, most delicious casserole if you love Mexican food and tamales as much as I do! I will never forget the first time I tried tamales in high school from a sweet Hispanic woman who made a bunch of fresh Mexican food and salsas from scratch and shared with our church group.
I swear to you I think this was my first foodie experience that led me to love trying and wondering what other flavors I was missing out on from cuisines around the world! My mom was an incredible cook, but she mostly cooks typical American food, most specifically Southern comfort food so I love trying food from all over the world to experience what other amazing flavors and foods are out there.
When I tasted that marinated shredded beef with that incredible sauce and the soft corn outer shell, I was hooked! Ever since that day tamales have taken the top spot in the Mexican food entrees category for me!
One afternoon I was doing a bit of scavenging in the pantry to see what to make for dinner, and I saw some cornmeal and canned chicken and green chilies and wondered if I could make something with those ingredients. I came across a recipe for tamale casserole, and I couldn’t be more excited about finding this easy, go-to recipe.
The thing is, I have taken about a zillion pictures of the before and after work I’ve done on all my cupboards and spaces, but I forgot to snap a picture of this casserole. Granted, the before and after organization photos are probably more exciting if you’re anything like me, but nonetheless, I’m sad that I can’t show you what this looks like. Because of copyright issues, you were just going to have to use your imagination and what this beautiful meal looks like :)
It starts with a layer of cornbread on the bottom, including some creamed corn to give it extra great corn flavor. Then it is topped with chicken (I used leftover rotisserie), fresh or canned enchilada sauce, and is topped with cheese. I hope you’ll give this delicious Mexican food recipe a try.
CORNBREAD:
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
4 tablespoons butter (unsalted, melted)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup creamed corn
4.5 ounces diced green chiles (1 can)
TAMALE CASSEROLE:
2 cups chicken (cooked, shredded white or dark meat)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
1 cup Tex Mex cheddar cheese (shredded)
10 ounces enchilada sauce
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
cilantro
avocado
green onions
pomegranate seeds
sour cream
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
I am talking about the yummiest, most delicious casserole if you love Mexican food and tamales as much as I do! I will never forget the first time I tried tamales in high school from a sweet Hispanic woman who made a bunch of fresh Mexican food and salsas from scratch and shared with our church group.
I swear to you I think this was my first foodie experience that led me to love trying and wondering what other flavors I was missing out on from cuisines around the world! My mom was an incredible cook, but she mostly cooks typical American food, most specifically Southern comfort food so I love trying food from all over the world to experience what other amazing flavors and foods are out there.
When I tasted that marinated shredded beef with that incredible sauce and the soft corn outer shell, I was hooked! Ever since that day tamales have taken the top spot in the Mexican food entrees category for me!
One afternoon I was doing a bit of scavenging in the pantry to see what to make for dinner, and I saw some cornmeal and canned chicken and green chilies and wondered if I could make something with those ingredients. I came across a recipe for tamale casserole, and I couldn’t be more excited about finding this easy, go-to recipe.
The thing is, I have taken about a zillion pictures of the before and after work I’ve done on all my cupboards and spaces, but I forgot to snap a picture of this casserole. Granted, the before and after organization photos are probably more exciting if you’re anything like me, but nonetheless, I’m sad that I can’t show you what this looks like. Because of copyright issues, you were just going to have to use your imagination and what this beautiful meal looks like :)
It starts with a layer of cornbread on the bottom, including some creamed corn to give it extra great corn flavor. Then it is topped with chicken (I used leftover rotisserie), fresh or canned enchilada sauce, and is topped with cheese. I hope you’ll give this delicious Mexican food recipe a try.
Chicken Tamale Casserole
Chicken Tamale casserole in a skillet made from scratch! Delicious cornbread crust topped with shredded chicken, enchilada sauce and loads of cheese, and clocking in at under 300 calories per serving!
Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 154
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 154
CORNBREAD:
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
4 tablespoons butter (unsalted, melted)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup creamed corn
4.5 ounces diced green chiles (1 can)
TAMALE CASSEROLE:
2 cups chicken (cooked, shredded white or dark meat)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
1 cup Tex Mex cheddar cheese (shredded)
10 ounces enchilada sauce
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
cilantro
avocado
green onions
pomegranate seeds
sour cream
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Add the cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder to a medium size bowl and whisk together. Add the egg, butter, and buttermilk and whisk well. Stir in the creamed corn and the green chiles. Pour the cornbread mixture into a 12 inch skillet or a 9×9 inch baking pan.
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. To make sure the cornbread is done, insert a toothpick in the center of the cornbread and if it comes out clean, it’s done.
When the cornbread is done, poke holes into it with a fork, or I used the end of a wooden spoon.
Mix half of the enchilada sauce with the shredded chicken. Pour the other half of the enchilada sauce over the top the cornbread. Top with shredded chicken and all the cheese.
Bake the casserole for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and has started to brown on top.
Let cool for about 5 minutes then top the casserole with any of the optional toppings listed before serving.
Source: jocooks.com
Add the cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder to a medium size bowl and whisk together. Add the egg, butter, and buttermilk and whisk well. Stir in the creamed corn and the green chiles. Pour the cornbread mixture into a 12 inch skillet or a 9×9 inch baking pan.
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. To make sure the cornbread is done, insert a toothpick in the center of the cornbread and if it comes out clean, it’s done.
When the cornbread is done, poke holes into it with a fork, or I used the end of a wooden spoon.
Mix half of the enchilada sauce with the shredded chicken. Pour the other half of the enchilada sauce over the top the cornbread. Top with shredded chicken and all the cheese.
Bake the casserole for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and has started to brown on top.
Let cool for about 5 minutes then top the casserole with any of the optional toppings listed before serving.
Source: jocooks.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
