I've had this recipe on my "To Try" list for a while now. Doesn't it look delicious?!? It's basically a deconstructed (and much easier to make) tamale. It doesn't taste exactly like a traditional tamale because, well, it's not one. But it's got all the flavors there. I finally made it last week & we all LOVED it. It was so good, I'm sure it will become a regular in our house. It's got a yummy corn bread bottom topped with enchilada sauce, chicken & cheese. Yum! I think the original recipe came from Cooking Light, but this is the one that I had saved to try. It's from Pinch of Yum. I love her photos so I had to share one but I'm also including my finished product too. I am clearly a less talented photographer/ food stylist, but rest assured it tasted fantastic!! I'm listing the recipe the way that I made it, which is slightly different than the original so make sure you check it out too. I used chicken & black beans. I also used a round braising pan to bake it in. Pinch of Yum did hers in a pie plate. But you can use any casserole type dish that you'd like & substitute ingredients per taste!
Ingredients:
1, 8.5oz box Corn Muffin Mix (I used Jiffy brand)
1 egg
1/3 cup Milk
1, 14 3/4oz can Creamed Corn
1, 4oz can chopped Green Chilies, drained
1, 10oz can Red Enchilada Sauce
1, packet of Taco Seasoning, separated
1-2 cups cooked Chicken Breast, shredded
1, 15oz can Black Beans, drained
1 cup Cheese, shredded (I used a pre-shredded Mexican blend)
Optional toppings:
Avocado, sliced
Sour Cream
Lettuce, shredded
Tomatoes, chopped
Black Olives, sliced
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. (I used a 4 quart braiser.)
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the corn muffin mix, egg, milk, green chilies, creamed corn, & 2 heaping teaspoons of taco seasoning.
3. Pour the corn muffin mixture in the prepared dish & bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until just barely set & golden brown.
4. While the corn muffin mixture is baking prepare your chicken/ bean mixture. There are several options here. You can bake a chicken breast, shred it & mix it with the taco seasoning & black beans. You could use a store bought rotisserie chicken, shred it, then mix it with the taco seasoning & black beans. You could use left over chicken. Or you can do what I did, ahead of time. I put a large, boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crock pot with a half of a thinly sliced onion, 1/4 cup of chicken broth (or water) & the rest of the taco seasoning. I cooked it on high for 3-4 hrs, until it easily shredded easily with a fork. Then I mixed in the black beans.
5. After the corn bread mixture has baked, pierce it generously, all over with a fork. (Don't worry if it sticks a little, no one will see this layer!) Pour the entire can of enchilada sauce evenly over the top. Go as spicy as you like here. I used mild.
6. Add the chicken & black bean mixture on top of the sauce drenched corn bread & sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to set before serving. I liked mine with sliced avocado. But the little one love hers with sour cream. The hubs, of course, drenched his in his favorite Cholula sauce.
This serves 8, or 6 if you have really big eaters. Enjoy!
