Chicken Tamale Casserole

October and school is in its stride, which is the closest thing to normal I have had in seven months. Hybrid teaching has its own rhythms now — the days I am in person with the kids who need me most, the days I am remote with the others. It is still hard. It is a different kind of hard than the spring was. The kids I see in person are masked and distanced and behind plexiglass and also they are here, physically present, which makes things possible that were not possible over a phone. I will take what I can get.

One of my students — I will call her A — had been refusing all remote school since March. Complete refusal, parents exhausted, two months with essentially no contact. She came in on Monday, first hybrid day, sat in her spot, and did her whole morning routine exactly the way she used to. Like she had not been gone. Her mother cried in the hallway. I managed to hold it together until after the kids left. This is the work. These are the moments that make it worth everything.

I made chili for the first time this season on Sunday — my version, not Ryan version. My version is turkey and black bean with chipotle and a lot of cumin, smoky and thick. His version is the legendary three-chili beef version that has its own reader following on my blog. We agreed that both can exist. We are making two chilis in October and I am calling it a taste test for the wedding. This may not be true but it gives us an excuse to eat chili twice.

The October blog posts are doing well — soup season is everyone season, turns out. The butternut squash soup last week got shared around a lot. This week the turkey chipotle chili got a long thread of reader chili opinions, which is apparently unavoidable. Ryan made an appearance in the comments, defending his version. The readers are delighted by him. I am choosing to find this charming.

That Sunday chili-making session reminded me how much I reach for those deep smoky Southwestern flavors the moment October arrives — chipotle, cumin, something warm and thick on the stove while the light goes golden outside. On the nights when I don’t have time to tend a pot of chili, this Chicken Tamale Casserole has become my answer: all of that same smoky, layered comfort, baked into something you can pull from the oven in under an hour. It feels like the right thing to feed yourself after a day where a student walks back in and sits down in her spot like she never left.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cooked and shredded
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 box (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
1 egg
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend or sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Sour cream, sliced scallions, and fresh cilantro for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Make the chicken filling. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, black beans, enchilada sauce, green chiles, minced chipotle and adobo sauce, cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper and stir until evenly coated.
Spread the filling. Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
Mix the tamale topping. In a separate bowl, whisk together the corn muffin mix, egg, and milk until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Fold in the corn kernels and 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese.
Top the casserole. Dollop the cornbread batter evenly over the chicken filling, then gently spread it to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese over the top.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the cornbread topping is set, golden at the edges, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Serve. Scoop into bowls or plates and top with sour cream, sliced scallions, and fresh cilantro if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Tamale Casserole — The Comfort That Shows Up When You Need It Most