Try this Chicken Tamale Pie recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 pound skinless chicken breast cubed
- one clove garlic minced
- 2 cans beans drained and rinsed (i used one black one great northern)
- 1 can sweet corn drained and rinsed
- one 4-ounce can hot green chilies
- one 12-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
- 1/4 cup chicken stock (optional)
- Carbohydrate 197.625016217244 g
- Cholesterol 293.586699613081 mg
- Fat 37.155041664747 g
- Fiber 22.9900839055752 g
- Protein 129.539620357081 g
- Saturated Fat 11.6513396605535 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1556g)
- Sodium 518.092207392239 mg
- Sugar 174.634932311669 g
- Trans Fat 3.79581240724374 g
- Calories 1607 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375degrees F.
- In a large pot or deep saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add cubed chicken, garlic, coriander, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Cook until chicken is browned on all sides, then remove and set aside.
- Add chopped onion to the pot and cook down until soft and fragrant. Add beans, corn, chilies, and tomatoes, including the liquid. If there is not very much juice with the tomatoes, add up to 1/4 cup chicken stock. You don't want a soupy chili at all, but enough liquid to cook everything together.
- Bring mix to a boil and allow to cook and thicken. When nearly done, add chicken and mix in, heating through to finish. Remove chili from heat.
- In a small pot, heat water and salt over medium high heat; it doesn't need to be boiling. Stir in cornmeal and continue whisking while it incorporates the water and thickens, which should take about 5 minutes. When thick, add butter and mix in to melt. Remove from heat.
- In a deep round glass dish, pour all of the chili. Oh man. You just want to eat it now, don't you? Oh man. Now scoop the (essentially polenta) cornmeal mixture over the top of the chili, and spread into a single layer. Top with a sprinkling of black pepper.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until polenta has firmed up. Allow to cool briefly, and then scoop into bowls to serve.
Ground cornmeal anchors this dish by providing structural contrast and absorbing aromatic fluids released during baking. Toasting the dry spices like coriander, cumin, and chili powder directly in olive oil alongside cubed chicken activates fat-soluble flavor compounds before any moisture is introduced to the pan. This technique deepens the savory profile of the filling without requiring expensive ingredients or long simmering periods.
Simmering the diced tomatoes, beans, and green chilies together reduces excess liquid, concentrating the natural glutamates in the vegetables. Control the consistency carefully; too much moisture prevents the polenta-style crust from adhering properly to the surface of the filling. Adding up to a quarter cup of chicken stock should only happen if the canned tomatoes lack sufficient liquid for proper reduction.
Whisking the cornmeal into warm water for five minutes gelatinizes the starches, creating a cohesive paste that spreads easily over the heavy glass baking dish. Butter added at the end of the grain cooking process introduces milk solids that brown slightly under dry heat. Continuous whisking during this initial stovetop phase prevents scorching and eliminates lumps.
Baking at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty minutes sets the cornmeal layer into a firm crust. Visual doneness relies on observing the edges of the polenta pull slightly away from the sides of the container and noticing a matte, dry surface texture rather than a glossy wet sheen.
