Growing up, my mom made the BEST homemade tamales. Everyone loved them so much, she would sell them to friends, neighbors, and coworkers. My favorite was her chicken tamales! She would make queso dip to go with them and the combo was amazing. Unfortunately, my mom passed away before I could get her recipe. I know that if I tried to re-create them, they’d never taste as good as hers! Instead, I thought I’d try something that has those same flavors-chicken, cheese, onions, cornmeal, green chilies, and spices. My Skillet Chicken Tamale Pie is the result of my experiment and it turned out so great!
This beauty starts with a simple chicken mixture. I love using rotisserie chicken in this! I almost always have it in my freezer in 2-3 cup portions. If you don’t have rotisserie, you can precook some chicken breasts. One way is in an Instant Pot or slow cooker. Just add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to give it some flavor. Or you could cube up some chicken breasts, add seasoning, then saute them in oil for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Use the same skillet that you’ll use for the rest of the recipe.
I LOVE how yummy this Skillet Chicken Tamale Pie turned out! This is one of those recipes that I made up as I went and hoped that it tasted as good as it did in my head. It definitely did and then some! The chicken mixture is simple but super flavorful from the Rotel and enchilada sauce. Then the fluffy Mexican cornbread bakes up perfectly on top for the most delicious “tamale” flavor! One of my favorite things is that it’s all in one skillet! This is a quick, flavorful meal that your family will devour!
Sponsored post for Lee’s Marketplace. Items on sale June 9-15: chicken breasts, cornbread mix, green chilies, Mexi corn, Kraft Mexican cheese blend, Rotel, red onions
Skillet Chicken Tamale Pie
Ingredients
- 1 small onion (red, yellow, or white), diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups pre-cooked chicken (rotisserie)
- 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce, mild
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
- 1 (15 oz) box cornbread mix (plus eggs, oil, milk or water to make)
- 1 (4 oz) can green chilies, drained
- 1 (11 oz) can Mexican corn, drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In an ovenproof skillet, on medium-high heat, add olive oil then onions. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
- To the skillet, add chicken, enchilada sauce, and Rotel. Stir to combine and let simmer while making cornbread.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix cornbread according to package directions. Add green chilies and corn then stir to combine.
- To the skillet chicken mixture, add 1 cup shredded cheese. Stir to combine. Pour cornbread mixture over the top of chicken. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the top.
- Place skillet in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and cornbread is cooked through.
- Serve immediately and top with sour cream if desired.
Loved this dish! Easy and oh so good!
So happy that you loved it! Thanks for the comment!
Such a yummy dish! My husband went back for thirds! ❤️
So happy it was a hit! Thanks for the comment!
This turned out great! I diced up some zucchini and hid it in the base layer and nobody noticed. Yummy!
Thank you for the review!