Chicken Enchilada Cornbread Casserole is saucy shredded chicken, black beans and melted Mexican blend cheese baked between two layers of tender cornbread studded with corn and green chilies. It comes out of a cast iron skillet with a golden brown top, and the rest of the enchilada sauce goes over it just before you serve. It serves 6 and makes an easy weeknight dinner from pantry cans.
How to make it: Heat the oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet in a 350°F oven. Pour in half the cornmeal batter, layer the sauced chicken, beans and cheese, cover with the rest of the batter and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and 165°F in the center.
Why You’ll Love It
- Cornbread in every bite: the batter goes under and over the filling, so each wedge has a bottom crust, a saucy middle and a golden top.
- Pantry friendly: enchilada sauce, green chilies, cream-style corn and black beans all come from cans, and a rotisserie chicken covers the meat.
- One skillet in the oven: the whole casserole bakes and goes to the table in the same pan.
- Other ways to build it: a ground turkey version with a muffin-mix topping and a ground beef version on a baked cornbread base (both in Variations), plus a meatless slow cooker version in the FAQ.
Ingredient Notes
Rotisserie chicken: Two cups, shredded. It is already cooked, so it only needs to heat through in the oven.
Enchilada sauce: One 10-ounce can, divided. Half a cup coats the chicken and the rest is saved for the top.
Self-rising cornmeal: One cup, with a teaspoon of salt, 3/4 cup of milk and 2 eggs, makes the batter.
Cream-style corn and green chilies: A 14.75-ounce can of cream-style corn and a 4.5-ounce can of diced green chilies go into the batter, not the filling, so the cornbread itself is full of corn and mild chile.
Black beans: One 15.25-ounce can, drained and rinsed. Pinto beans work in their place.
Cheese: One cup of shredded Mexican blend. Pepper jack, cheddar, Monterey Jack or a mix of them can stand in.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chilies
- 1 can (14.75 ounces) cream-style corn
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Cornbread Casserole
1. Heat the skillet. Heat the oven to 350°F. Put the oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set it in the oven to heat while you work.
2. Sauce the chicken. In a small bowl, mix the shredded chicken with 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and set it aside.
3. Mix the batter. In a large bowl, stir the cornmeal, salt, milk, eggs, green chilies and cream-style corn together until just combined.
4. Layer it. Carefully take the hot skillet out of the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Pour in about half of the batter. Sprinkle the chicken over it, then the black beans, then the cheese. Pour the rest of the batter over the top and spread it evenly.
5. Bake. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Sauce and serve. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top and serve warm.
Cornbread on the Bottom, on Top or Both?
Where the cornbread goes changes the pan, the oven temperature and how long the casserole bakes, and each layout has its own filling and batter. Here are the three ways to build it and what to watch for with each.
Both, in a hot skillet. This is the recipe above. The filling sits inside the cornbread, so the bottom layer bakes against the hot, oiled cast iron and the top layer browns in the oven. Save most of the sauce for the end: only half a cup goes in with the chicken, and the rest is poured over after baking.
On top only. This is the ground turkey version from Variations, not the chicken skillet recipe. Spread the turkey filling in a greased 9×13 dish and sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese over it before any batter goes on. That cheese layer acts as a barrier, so the cornbread does not sink into the sauce.
For the topping, whisk one 8.5-ounce box of corn muffin mix with 1/3 cup of milk and 1 egg. Spoon it over the cheese and spread it gently to the edges; it will not look smooth. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling bubbles, the cornbread is golden brown and set, and a thermometer in the center reads 165°F. Let it sit 10 minutes, then spoon it onto plates or cut it with a knife for even slices.
On the bottom only. This is the ground beef version from Variations. Bake the cornbread first: stir an 8.5-ounce box of corn muffin mix with 1 egg, 1 cup of sour cream and a 14.75-ounce can of creamed corn, spread it in a greased 8×8 dish and bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, until it is lightly golden and baked through.
Poke it all over with a fork; the holes let the sauce soak down into the cornbread. Pour the taco-seasoned beef and enchilada sauce filling on top, cover with 2 cups of shredded cheese and bake 15 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the center reaches 165°F. Stick with the 8×8: it keeps the cornbread layer thick, and a larger pan spreads it too thin.
Tips for Success
How smooth should the batter be?
Not very. Stir the batter only until it is just combined. A few small lumps are fine.
How do you spread batter over the filling without making a mess?
Drop the batter on in spoonfuls all over the filling, then use a spatula to gently join them into one layer. It does not need to look perfect.
How do I make it milder or spicier?
Pick the enchilada sauce to match. Canned sauces vary: some are mild and some are spicy, so taste yours before you start.
Variations
- Ground turkey: brown 1 pound of ground turkey, breaking it up, until it reaches 165°F, and drain it. Add a 15-ounce can of red enchilada sauce, 1/4 cup of water, 1 envelope of taco seasoning and 1 teaspoon of chili powder (skip the chili powder if the sauce is already spicy), let it bubble for 1 minute to thicken slightly, then stir in a drained can of black beans and a drained can of whole kernel corn. Build it as in the top-only layout above.
- Ground beef: brown 1 pound of lean ground beef to 160°F and drain it, then mix it with a 1-ounce envelope of taco seasoning and a 10-ounce can of red enchilada sauce. Use it in the bottom-only layout, and add pinto or black beans for a heartier filling. Ground chicken works too; cook it to 165°F.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Freeze cooled wedges in a freezer-safe container and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat single servings in the microwave, or the whole pan in a 350°F oven, covered with foil, until it reaches 165°F. Do not reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
For another cornbread bake, try tamale casserole, made with ground turkey and salsa. Shredded chicken and enchilada sauce also make chicken enchiladas with homemade red sauce and cream cheese chicken enchiladas. For more Tex-Mex casseroles, there is an easy chicken burrito casserole with rice and black beans, and a layered Mexican tortilla casserole. On a cold night, start with a bowl of 8-can chicken taco soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use corn muffin mix instead of cornmeal?
Not in the skillet recipe: its amounts and bake time are written for the self-rising cornmeal batter, so keep that one there. Corn muffin mix belongs in the other two layouts above, where it makes the topping on the ground turkey version and the baked base under the ground beef version.
Can I make enchilada cornbread casserole in a slow cooker?
Yes, as a meatless version. In a 3.5-quart slow cooker, stir together a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles, 1/2 cup of salsa, 1/4 cup each of chopped cilantro and green onions, a 15-ounce can each of corn and drained black beans, a 15-ounce can of enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup of rinsed quinoa. Cook on LOW for 4 hours, spoon the same corn muffin batter as the top-only layout evenly over the top, and cook on LOW for 1 hour more, until the cornbread is done; check the center with a thermometer, as in step 5. Sprinkle on 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese and cook 5 minutes, until it melts.
What toppings go on enchilada cornbread casserole?
Top each serving with sour cream, chopped cilantro and sliced green onions. Guacamole or diced avocado, salsa or pico de gallo, diced tomatoes, olives, fresh or pickled jalapeños and shredded lettuce all work, so set out a few and let everyone build their own plate.
Do I need to rinse the black beans?
Drain them either way. This recipe also rinses them, but drained beans that go in unrinsed work too.
Final Notes
Have the chicken, beans and cheese ready before the hot skillet comes out of the oven, so the layers go in quickly. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Chicken Enchilada Cornbread Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for the skillet
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1 can enchilada sauce 10 ounces, divided
- 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 can diced green chilies 4.5 ounces
- 1 can cream-style corn 14.75 ounces
- 1 can black beans 15.25 ounces, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Put the oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set it in the oven to heat while you work.
- In a small bowl, mix the shredded chicken with 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the cornmeal, salt, milk, eggs, green chilies and cream-style corn together until just combined.
- Carefully take the hot skillet out of the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Pour in about half of the batter. Sprinkle the chicken over it, then the black beans, then the cheese. Pour the rest of the batter over the top and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top and serve warm.
