Recipe Friday: Chicken Tamale Casserole

The one thing I miss about living in Arizona is all the wonderful Mexican and Southwestern foods. Since moving back to Illinois, I haven’t been able to find anything like it. A friend of mine sent me a recipe and said it was “pretty close” to the real thing so I should try it.

Of course, I tweaked it a bit to have more fiber and some more spices. So here you have the updated, almost “Mexican” version of Chicken Tamale Casserole.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Ingredients:

      1 1/2 cup pre-shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided

      1/3 cup fat-free milk

      1/4 cup egg substitute or one egg

      1 teaspoon ground cumin

      1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

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

      1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)

      1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained

      Cooking spray

      1 (10-ounce) can red or green enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)

      2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (seasoned with your favorite spices)

      1 can black or kidney beans, drained

      1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/2 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chilies) in a large bowl, stirring just until  moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set.
4. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour ½ can of enchilada  sauce over top. 
5. Mix chicken, beans, and remaining ½ can of enchilada sauce together. Pour over top of corn bread mixture.
6. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. 
7. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. 
8. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
9. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream 

Happy Eating!!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue