Chicken tamale casserole is one of my favorite easy recipes to make for family dinners. It’s a perfect balance of a little spicy with a little sweet! It is simple to put together, so it’s ready in a flash! It is a regular staple in our family’s dinner recipe rotation.
I found the original version of this chicken tamale casserole years ago on a recipe sharing website. I wish I could remember where, but I wrote it down and promptly forgot. I have changed it a bit, and the whole family loves it!
The only slightly tricky thing about this chicken tamale casserole recipes is the first baking step. It’s hard to get the cooking time quite right. I swear it’s different each time I make it. It usually falls in the range of 20-30 minutes. Basically, you make the batter for the casserole and bake it until it’s set. Then you stick it with a fork, but don’t want it to be straight runny batter, just a very moist ALMOST done bake. Then you top it with some things and pop it back in the oven. It’s a forgiving recipe and not complex. Follow your gut, it’ll work out! I have typed up this chicken tamale casserole recipe as best as I can for youn below. Be sure to top it with sour cream! Yum!
Enjoy!
Cook time:
Total time:
- 6-8 ounces of pre-grated Mexican blend cheese
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can cream style corn (14.75 ounces)
- 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 1 small can chopped green chilis (4 ounces)
- 1 can red enchilada sauce (10 ounces)
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- sour cream
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix together ½ cup cheese, milk, egg, cayenne pepper, cumin, cream style corn, corn muffin mix, and chopped green chilis (DRAINED!).
- Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan or casserole dish.
- Bake the mixture at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until set. (It's ok to take it out, test it, and put it back in. It's a very forgiving recipe.)
- Poke the top of the baked mixture all over.
- Pour the red enchilada sauce on top of the mixture as evenly as possible.
- Add the chicken and as much of the remaining cheese as you desire on top.
- Bake it again, this time for an addition 15 minutes so the cheese is melted.
- Once you remove it from the oven, let it sit for about 5 minutes.
- Serve it up with a generous dollop of sour cream on top. YUM YUM!
If you love this chicken tamale casserole recipe, you will also love these family favorite Mexican recipes:
Green Chili Cream Cheese Enchiladas
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