4.15.2009

RECIPE: Chicken Tamale Casserole

I LOVE THIS RECIPE.
A - it's super easy to make
B - my husband could eat it all day long. And happy husband = happy me.

I found the recipe in Cooking Light and made a few changes. The original recipe calls for a box of Jiffy Cornbread mix but I couldn't believe the fat content in that tiny box, so I tried my favorite cornbread recipe (with adjustments) and it worked great!
Make this TONIGHT and enjoy!

CHICKEN TAMALE CASSEROLE

1 cup (4oz) grated cheese, divided (I used a mix of Colby jack and Sharp)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can creamed corn (14.75 oz)
2 Tbl canola oil
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1/2 Cup cornmeal
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar (I use 1/4 C sugar, 1/4 C Splenda)
1 Tbl Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup jar-prepared salsa
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cook chicken breasts or tenderloins (I boil 5 tenderloins in water) and shred with a fork. Mix shredded chicken with 1/4 cup salsa and set aside.

3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) and mix well. Add the dry cornmeal mixture to the large bowl with the wet ingredients and stir everything together until just moist. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan, coated with cooking spray.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and pierce entire surface liberally with a fork (mixture will still be slightly gooey, this is normal); pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

5. Top each serving with sour cream and enjoy! (we actually ate it without the sour cream and liked it just as well)


8 comments:

Lexie & Sharrid said...

I'm putting it on my menu this week, thanks!

dietcokegrrl said...

OK--that sounds so yummy, I MUST try it out this week!

megan said...

YUM! gotta try this one!

Jean said...

This looks SO good!! I love tamales (and really, everything Mexican), so I must try.

lyndsey said...

um...YUM!! i always love the dana recipes...looks like i'll be making this next week. thanks! :)

p.s. my word verification word for this post is "swear." a REAL word! yay. that is all.

Grayson Family said...

Thanks for the idea. I am always looking for new things to try. Chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs are all well and good but branching out can be fun too.

Sara said...

yum. can't wait to try it out.

sachia said...

Once again, Dana hits a homer with another fabulous recipie that I will pretend I'm gonna try but will get intimidated and stick to my usual hits. Shoot, the secret is out!