Rule #390: Ain’t nothing better than easy, light, and delicious for dinner.
This Chicken Tamale Casserole is one of those little delightful dinners that comes together so easily and leaves everyone in family feeling satisfied, even on a busy weeknight. The sweetness of the cornbread mixture combines perfectly with the cheesy, zesty enchilada topping!
I love me a good dollop ‘o sour cream on just about anything, y’all. Our kids devoured this dish with sour cream on theirs, too!
First, start with two little ole eggs.
Then add in 1/2 cup milk.
Next, add in 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend.
Now, we’ll add our spices: 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, and 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.
We use this corn muffin mix in our Chicken Tamale Casserole. I love the price and flavor!
Add in your corn muffin mix and give everything a good ole stir.
Next up in our flavorful roundup is 1 (14-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, 1 (14-oz.) can sweet corn, and 1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles. Make sure to drain all of them well before adding them to your delicious dinner.
Then, mix the tomatoes, chiles, and corn with the corn muffin mix. Spread it into a 13 x 9″ pan coated with cooking spray, and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, until set.
Just look at that perfectly sweet and enticing corn muffin base. I could grab a spoon and dig in now, but wait! There’s more!
This is the part of our show when you get to take your aggression out on your dinner. Using either a chopstick (my personal favorite – makes this a multicultural dish, no?) or a fork, poke a bunch of holes in your corn muffin mixture.
We shred a rotisserie chicken to use as the protein in our casserole, but you could honestly substitute a ground meat or sauté or grill a chicken breast and toss it in, too.
Chop your little chicken up.
Then add in 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese blend.
Finally, add in 2 (10-oz.) cans red enchilada sauce. Go as mild or spicy as your little heart desires.
Give everything a solid stir-a-roo.
Then, evenly spread your chicken mixture overtop your corn muffin base.
Bake your pan of perfection at 400 until it’s golden ‘n bubbly (about 20-25 minutes). Let it sit 5 minutes before serving.
Now, the world is your oyster… or casserole… or whatever… here. We love us some cilantro, so we garnish to our heart’s content with it, but you could also use chopped green onions, pico de gallo, or diced tomatoes.
And of course, a good ole dollop ‘ll do ya.
That’s one pretty pan, if I do say so myself.
We serve our Chicken Tamale Casserole with a simple side salad to keep it easy and light. Welcome to Tamale Tuesday, y’all!
Chicken Tamale Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend divided (1 cup + 1 cup)
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 6-oz. package corn muffin mix
- 1 14-oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 14-oz. can sweet corn, drained
- 1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles, drained (optional)
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast chopped (we use a rotisserie chicken)
- 2 10-oz. cans red enchilada sauce
- Chopped cilantro or green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- In a large bowl, combine first 10 ingredients (only 1 cup of cheese) and whisk to combine. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then spread the corn muffin mixture evenly in the dish. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until set.
- Meanwhile, combine chopped chicken with remaining cup of cheese and 2 cans of red enchilada sauce in a large bowl.
- Using a chopstick or fork, poke holes all over the bottom of the baked corn muffin mixture. Evenly spread the chicken mixture over top the corn muffin mixture. Bake at 400 or 20-25 minutes, until cheese has melted.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary, and Pineapple House Rules makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.