Chicken Tamale Casserole

Okay, so by now you know I’m on a casserole kick in preparation for the birth of my baby girl.  Here’s another one that I love.  This chicken tamale casserole really sticks with the no pressure theme as it is easy to make, takes little prep, and is a great weeknight meal.  The inspiration for this recipe came from Cooking Light but I made some significant changes and turned it into “my own”.  I hope you enjoy my experiment!

Mexican flavors are highlighted with green chiles, cumin, and red pepper.  The tamale part of this casserole is made from a corn bread mix that soaks up and pairs well with the enchilada sauce.  Like I do for most casseroles, soups, and other dishes that call for chicken – I used a rotisserie chicken.  Seriously, always keep a rotisserie chicken on hand!

Chicken Tamale Casserole

1c pre-shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided

1/3 c milk

1 egg

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1 (14 ¾ oz) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5oz) box corn muffin mix

1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles, drained

cooking spray

1 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce

2c shredded cooked chicken breast

½ c sour cream

cilantro (for garnish, optional)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine ¼ c cheese and next 9 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist.  Pour mixture into a 13x9” baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Product plug: I prefer to use Jiffy corn bread mix.  I like how light the corn bread turns out and I also like the bit of sweetness it adds.  As for the enchilada sauce, I prefer Chi-Chi’s brand.  It tastes more authentic and less like it’s been sitting in a can for months.  But you can obviously use whatever suits you best or whatever you have on hand :)

Bake at 400F for 15 mins or until set.  Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top.  Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining ¾ c cheese.  Bake at 400F for 15 mins or until cheese melts.  Remove from oven; let stand 5 mins.  Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tbsp sour cream.

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

Casseroles tend to be great weeknight dishes.  I love that many of them call for throwing a bunch of ingredients in a bowl, placing in a casserole dish, and then spreading on some yummy topping like cheese or crunchy breadcrumbs.  They also tend to be great dishes to make when you’re preparing for arrival of a new baby.  I’m in the process of testing out many casserole recipes in planning for having a bunch of meals prepared and frozen for when our little bundle of joy arrives :)  After all, I won’t have much time for cooking! 

This dish was inspired by a Paula Deen recipe.  However, I made significant modifications so that it was more of a “one-pot” meal.  I added veggies, reduced the butter, and added a few more spices that she didn’t use.  Adding celery and broccoli gave the casserole a little more substance so it’s less creamy and "one-noted" and all of the distinct flavors come out.  Can’t wait for you to try it!

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

1 (8oz) package wild rice

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ green bell pepper, seeded & chopped

½ onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined

2 tsp minced garlic

1 (10 ¾ oz can) condensed cream of mushroom soup

2c grated sharp or medium cheddar

2c small broccoli florets

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp ground thyme

salt & pepper

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 325F.

Cook the rice according to package directions minus 1/4 c water.  Fluff with a fork and cool.  Note: This prevents the rice from overcooking when baking in the oven.

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.  Add butter and olive oil. 

Heat the butter in saucepan and sauté the peppers, onions, and celery until sweating (about 1-2 mins).  Add shrimp.  Add garlic.  Sauté shrimp until just pink on each side.

Cooking lesson: A mirepoix (pronounced “meer-pwa”) is a set of 3 vegetables that are typically used as aromatics in cooking.  Mirepoix is a French term and consists of celery, carrots, and onion.  However, other variations for other cuisines have come on the scene.   The mirepoix often used in Cajun or Creole cooking includes onion, celery, and bell pepper – which is what I used in this recipe.  This combination is also known as the holy trinity.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 ½ c cheese, shrimp mixture, and broccoli.  Add crushed red pepper and thyme.  Add salt & pepper, to taste.  Mix well.  Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.  Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining ½ c cheese.  Bake for 30 mins, or until bubbly.

Chicken and Biscuits with Veggies

Well, it's started raining in the Pacific Northwest. 'Tis the season for taking a jacket everywhere you go - even if you leave the house and it's 72 degrees and sunny... it won't be for long! My husband and I have lived in the PNW for 8 years now and while there is a saying "Don't like the weather?? Wait 10 minutes," it's hard to get used to being so invested in what the weatherman claims the day will bring. Weather changes this dramatic brings a pretty swift change to our dinner menus. Soups, casseroles, pastas all come back with a vengeance!

 

I love this casserole! It's totally comfort food and it's super adaptable. I make this with cheesy biscuits, a lot of veggies and only a bit of chicken.

Chicken and Biscuits with Veggies

Heat oven to 375, this makes about 6 meal-sized servings

 

Cheesy Sage Biscuits 

2 cups of flour

1 stick of cold butter, cut into small pieces 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheese - I used half cheddar and half Parmesan

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

In a food processor, combine flour, butter, baking powder, salt, cheese and sage. Pulse until well mixed and butter is in small, pea-sized bits. Pour in milk while pulsing until everything is just combined. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Chicken and Veggie Filling

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped (or chicken breasts, or shredded rotisserie chicken, or ground chicken, or chicken sausage... or whatever you like!)

1 cups chopped potatoes (about 3 small)

1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 a large)

1 cup chopped zucchini (about 2 medium)

1 cup chopped carrots (about 3 medium)

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup chopped fresh green beans

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large skillet heat half of the olive oil and cook onions, carrots, celery and potatoes until onions start to get translucent - about 5 minutes. Then add green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, thyme, salt and pepper. Turn down the heat to low and continue to cook.

In a second skillet, heat the other half of the olive oil and cook chicken. Add chicken to the veggies and add cream of mushroom soup and milk. Stir to combine and heat through.

Pour the chicken and veggie mixture into a 9x13 glass pan, or other large casserole dish and top with biscuit dough. No need to spread the biscuit dough around - it will spread to cover most of the veggies as it cooks. Cover with foil (I spray the inside of the foil with cooking spray to make sure the biscuits don't stick.) Cook covered at 375 for 20 minutes, uncover and turn up the heat to 400 and bake another 10-15 minutes, or until the biscuits are well browned on the top and the filling is bubbling. 

A few things about this recipe...

Like I said, this is a really adaptable recipe. I find this a great way to clean half used bags of veggies out the freezer, or use up fresh veggies when I've gone nuts at the farmers market. 

Hate green beans? Leave them out. 

Love butternut squash? Add it in. 

Have 3 half used bags of frozen corn? Throw one in. 

Hate mushrooms? Leave them out and try cream of celery soup.

Vegetarian? Don't use chicken at all. 

Want to make this even easier? Don't make biscuits from scratch - make Bisquick biscuits and add cheese and herbs (though they are barely easier than from scratch!)

Leftovers reheat really well.

Happy comfort eating!

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