Chicken Tamale Pie

I have a soft spot when it comes to eating certain foods. Have I eaten Pop Tarts by the boxful? Absolutely. Have I melted half a brick of Velveeta cheese into a bowl of canned chili? Yep. Have I polished off a tub of Cool Whip because I could? Naturally.

Seeing things like boxed Hamburger Helper style lasagna make me nostalgic and take me back to a place where I would eat not one, but more like three servings on the regular.

Boxes of Jiffy Cornbread are probably the only thing that I still have no qualms whipping up from a box. It’s still some of my most favorite cornbread ever. It makes me a little weak in the knees. Is that normal for cornbread to do that? The problem now is it’s one whole box for me, and I really don’t need to eat a whole box to myself.

I haven’t had it in months. Seriously close to a year. Then Pinch of Yum posted a Chicken Tamale Pie that used an entire box of Jiffy as the base. Game on. It took the very cornbread I knew and loved and totally upped the ante. Creamed corn, green chilies, smothered in enchilada sauce, chicken, and cheese. It was absolutely heaven. I changed things up a bit, using ground chicken instead of shredded and put it all in an 11×7″ pan versus a pie plate. I think it’s all due to my preference of cake to pie. Or I just prefer square pieces. Or I’m lazy.  New Seasons had a habanero jack cheese that I used on top, but any cheese would work. The only thing I missed was cilantro. I must have used all of the stash in the freezer. Sad times.

So yeah, make this. Mom, I’m talking to you. It’s so, so good. Happy Friday!

Inspiration: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup milk [I used unsweetened coconut]
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper [optional]
• 14oz can creamed corn
• 4oz can fire roasted green chilies [or jalapenos!]
• 8.5oz box of Jiffy cornbread [or cornbread of choice]
• 10oz can of enchilada sauce
• 3/4lb ground chicken
• 3/4 cup shredded white cheese [or more…I honestly just covered it and didn’t measure]
• Cotija cheese and cilantro [for topping]

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400º and prepare your pan of choice with a light dusting of oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg, cornbread mix, creamed corn, chilies, and 1/2 tablespoon of taco seasoning.
3. Once most of the lumps are out [besides the obvious ones via the corn and chilies], pour the batter into a your prepared pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes. The edges should be starting to brown and the entire thing should be set.
4. While it bakes, brown your ground chicken. Add the remaining taco seasoning and ground cayenne pepper.
5. Once cooked, turn off the heat.
6. After taking out the cornbread, use a fork and stab holes all over the top.
7. Pour the enchilada sauce on top.
8. Top with the chicken and cheese.
9. Bake for another 15 minutes [or just until the cheese melts if you’re impatient].
10. Allow to sit for 5 minutes after removing from the oven.
11. Top with additional cheese and cilantro before serving.
12. Refrain from eating all of it so you actually have lunch the next day.