Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping

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Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping – a delicious, hearty casserole that is full of flavor. Perfect for an easy, cozy dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

March in New England, when it comes to the weather, is unpredictable. We’ll get a couple of nice days, where the temperatures are in the 60s°F and we think that spring is right around the corner. Then, inevitably, a cold front rolls in and temperatures drop. Case in point, last week we had a hail storm and yesterday we had a snow storm.

So, it’s no wonder, that with all this damp, cold weather, my family is in the mood for comfort food. Today, I have a new favorite comfort food recipe to share that is perfect for an easy family dinner, this delicious Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping.

Shopping for Ingredients

This past week, while I was doing my weekly grocery shopping at my local Walmart, I picked up the ingredients for my Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping, to have on hand for an easy dinner.

One of the key ingredients for this casserole is RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles. They are located in the Tomato Sauce aisle. I also picked up some PAM, for spraying my casserole dish. PAM is located in the Cooking Sprays aisle.

In the Fresh Produce section at Walmart, I picked up some onions, for making the casserole as well as some avocados for topping the casserole.

This Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping is so easy to prepare since it uses convenient RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles and is great for an easy family dinner. I also have another tip to share, that makes preparing this casserole dish even easier, and that is that I use my own homemade cornbread mix.

I love to make cornbread to go along with meals, especially during the colder months. I like to make my cornbread from scratch. However it isn’t always convenient to make a batch of homemade cornbread when I’m trying to get dinner on the table, especially on busy weeknights. In this situation, it’s easy to just use a mix, however a store-bought mix often contains additives and preservatives.

The solution, is to make my own homemade cornbread mix. I like to make a big batch of homemade cornbread mix and store it in my pantry. Then, when I’m making dinner, such as this Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping, I can just scoop out what I need and easily whip up homemade cornbread or cornbread topping.

How to Make Homemade Cornbread Mix

On the weekend, or whenever I have a bit of time, I’ll make a big batch of homemade cornbread mix. First I add flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixing bowl.

I whisk the mixture to combine and then transfer it to an airtight container. The mix can be used about 3-6 times, depending on the number of servings needed. Whenever I run out, I just mix up some more.

Making and using my own homemade cornbread mix is so convenient. It saves time and money and the best part is that I know what all the ingredients are in my mix, as compared to store-bought, which often contain additives and preservatives.

So, when it was time to make this Tex Mex Chicken Casserole, I had my homemade cornbread mix already made and stored in the pantry. It was ready to pull out to make the cornbread topping. But, first, I made the casserole filling.

How to Make the Casserole Filling

I gathered the filling ingredients, including olive oil, cubed chicken, an onion, garlic cloves, flour, cumin, chili powder, chicken broth, RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles, black beans, a lime and fresh cilantro.

I heated some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, added half of the chicken cubes, and cooked, stirring occasionally until browned, about 5 minutes. When browned, I removed the chicken, using a slotted spoon, and transferred it to a plate and set aside. I then repeated this step with the remaining chicken cubes.

I chopped the onion and minced the garlic and added both to the skillet and sautéed until softened, about 5 minutes. Then, I added flour, chili powder and cumin to the skillet, and stirred to combine, about 1 minute.

Then, I added the chicken broth to the skillet, stirring to combine and scrapping up any brown bits, along with the RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles and black beans. I also added the browned chicken cubes to the skillet and stirred to combine. I let the mixture come to a boil, then reduced the heat to medium low and simmered for about 10 minutes or until the chicken was cooked through.

Once the chicken mixture was done simmering, I juiced the lime and chopped the cilantro and added both the juice and chopped cilantro to the skillet. I gave the mixture in the skillet a good stir to combine and turned off the heat.

Next, I sprayed my casserole dish with PAM and transferred the chicken mixture from the skillet to the dish, spreading evenly.

How to Make the Casserole Topping

To make my cornbread topping, I whisked an egg in a medium bowl, and added a cup of my homemade cornbread mix and a few tablespoons of water.

I then stirred the mixture to combine. This part only takes about a minute and can be done while the chicken mixture is simmering, if desired. Finally, I dolloped the cornbread topping over the top of the casserole and placed the casserole in the preheated oven.

This Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping will bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until it is bubbly and the topping is cooked through.

Serve Casserole with Fresh Cilantro and Diced Avocados

This hearty, Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping, is so delicious and full of flavor. It is wonderful for a comforting, family dinner on a chilly day. I like to serve it topped with some additional fresh cilantro sprinkled on top, diced avocados are the perfect accompaniment.

This flavorful Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping, made using convenient RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles and homemade cornbread mix is so quick and easy to prepare and perfect for a stress-free family meal.

What is your family’s favorite comfort food? Please let me know in the comments below!

And, be sure to visit Yes You Can Recipes! for more quick and easy seasonal recipes and tips. For even more great ideas, visit RO*TEL on Pinterest and Facebook.

Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping + Homemade Cornbread Mix

March 22, 2016

by Joy

Category Main Dishes

Tex Mex Chicken Casserole with Cornbread Topping - a delicious, hearty casserole that is full of flavor, perfect for an easy, cozy dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

Persons

6

Notes

Use the remaining Homemade Cornbread Mix to make cornbread topping for other casseroles or to make cornbread or cornbread muffins.
To make cornbread or cornbread muffins using the Homemade Cornbread Mix, add 2 cups of the mix, ½ stick (¼ cup) melted butter, 1 cup 1% milk, 2 beaten eggs and ¼ cup honey to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Transfer batter to a 12-cup muffin tin or 8 x 8-inch baking pan and place in the preheated 400°F oven. The muffins will bake for about 12-13 minutes, the cornbread will bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Ingredients

for the homemade cornbread mix

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups corn meal
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ cup sugar

for the casserole

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ cup chopped onion (from about 1 medium onion)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from about 2 garlic cloves)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz) can RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from about ½ lime)
• diced avocado and additional chopped fresh cilantro for serving, optional

for the cornbread topping

• 1 egg
• 1 cup homemade cornbread mix
• 3 tablespoons water

Instructions

for the homemade cornbread mix

1. Add all ingredients for cornbread mix to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart airtight container and secure the lid. You will need 1 cup of the cornbread mix to make the cornbread topping for this casserole. Store the remaining cornbread mix for later use, see Notes.

for the casserole

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
2. Pat chicken cubes dry with a paper towel, to remove any excess moisture and season with salt and freshly ground pepper
3. Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add half of chicken cubes, and cook, stirring occasionally until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove browned chicken, using a slotted spoon, from skillet and set aside. Repeat step with remaining half of chicken cubes.
5. Add onions and garlic to skillet and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
6. Add flour, chili powder and cumin to skillet, stir to combine, about 1 minute.
7. Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to combine, scrapping up any brown bits.
8. Add RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles, black beans, and browned chicken cubes to skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
9. When chicken mixture is finished simmering, stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice. Turn off heat.

for the cornbread topping

1. Beat egg in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Add 1 cup of cornbread mix and 3 tablespoons of water to mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. When chicken mixture is done simmering, transfer mixture to prepared casserole dish.
4. Dollop cornbread topping mixture evenly over top of casserole.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cornbread topping is cooked through (a toothpick inserted in the topping should come out clean).
6. Serve casserole with diced avocado and sprinkle additional chopped fresh cilantro on top, if desired.

Tags

avocado,

black beans,

casserole,

chicken,

comfort food,

cornbread,

cozy,

dinner,

family,

meal,

recipe,

spring,

tex mex,

topping,

winter

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