Chicken Tamale Pie

I'll be honest; I wasn't sure I'd like this dish. You see, it calls for more canned foods than I typically use in a week's time... and I admit to being a bit of a snob when it comes to things from the canned food aisle. But, a blog I love featured it and said it was delish so I had to give it a shot. Plus, Jason is a fan of 1) food in a can and 2) anything mexican.

She was right - it's delicious!

I tweaked the original recipe a bit since it seemed super spicy as written with an entire can of chopped green chiles and it ended up perfect for our tastes. If you have kids eating it, I'd choose a mild enchilada sauce, eliminate the red pepper, and cut back on the chiles. I also missed the message that I needed cooked, shredded chicken so instead I diced chicken breasts and browned them on the stovetop with the taco seasoning while the cornbread baked. It ended up making the pie a bit chunkier but delicious nonetheless.

This is easy, inexpensive, and a crowd pleaser. Even if you're a canned food snob like myself I hope you give it a shot!

Chicken Tamale Pie

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup egg substitute or two lightly beaten large eggs

1 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning, divided - make your own in 1 minute!

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)

1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained (I used half)

1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar - a Mexican blend would be great)

Cilantro for topping

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine the first 7 ingredients (milk through green chiles), using just 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a round pie plate coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. While corn is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. When corn is done – it will be just barely set and golden brown – pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with cilantro.

Source: Pinch of Yum