This chicken tamale casserole with jiffy mix is not too spicy! Easy tamale casserole for all spice levels. The sweet cornbread muffin mix blends well with the savory enchilada sauce. I was a little hesitant at first because I did not know how it would blend, but it blended in a perfect way. This chicken cornbread tamale casserole recipe serves 10-12 people and is 365.11 kcal per serving.
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Key ingredients for cheesy chicken rice casserole:
- Chicken breast - for protein, rotisserie chicken is easiest to use
- Rice - Knorr Mi Arroz seasoning mix with long grain, enriched rice. If you don't have the seasoning, you can make Spanish rice with salsa.
- Corn - for hidden nutrients
- Milk - whole milk
- Seasonings - to add flavor
- Cheeses - shredded, freshly shredded is best
- Enchilada sauce - To flavor the mixture. You can use store bought or homemade enchilada sauce.
How to make chicken tamale casserole:
- Make cornbread layer - this will be the base of the tamale egg casserole. These ingredients include muffin mix, corn, eggs, milk, cayenne pepper, cumin, oregano, celery salt, and cheddar cheese. Bake in a baking dish.
- Cut slits in cornbread - this will be where the enchilada sauce will enter the inside of the casserole. Only pour enough sauce on top so that still gets absorbed. You do not want it swimming in sauce or else it will get soggy. Save remaining sauce for final topping.
- Bake again with chicken, rice, and shredded cheese. Serve!
How to serve:
How to serve tamales is fairly easy as they are similar to enchiladas. I like to put the usual Mexican toppings. These include, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, refried beans, green onions, black beans, black olives, extra cheese, etc. Do not forget about the leftover enchilada sauce you can put on top as well!
Cheesy chicken tamale casserole recipe variations:
- Omit rice - if you want to cut back on calories, you do not have to add rice to the top of the casserole.
- Change seasonings - if you have other seasonings you normally use on Mexican recipes, you can use those in lieu of or in addition to the spice options I provided.
- Sauce - you can probably use green enchilada sauce instead of red enchilada sauce to change it up on top of this tamale casserole with cornbread.
How to store:
- Fridge - store this chicken tamale casserole without masa in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week
- Freezer - I have not tried freezing jiffy tamale casserole. If you would like to try it, go for it! Let me know how it goes. I would not see a reason as to why it would not work as cornbread is definitely freezable.
Check out my Mexican main dishes:
Chicken Tamale Pie Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken breast
- 2-3 cups of cooked Spanish rice
- 8.5 oz Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 1 14.5 oz can of cream-style corn
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce
- 1 cup cheddar jack cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together muffin mix, corn, eggs, milk, cayenne pepper, cumin, oregano, celery salt, and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Pour into a sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
- When the 20 minutes are up, take dish out of oven and stab the cornbread with a condiment spreader knife so create little slits all over. Pour 1-to 11/2 cups of the enchilada sauce over the cornbread ensuring that the sauce goes into the slits. Save remaining sauce as you do not want to pour it all in or the cornbread will get soggy.
- On top of the enchilada sauce, place shredded chicken, rice, and then the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until cheese is melted.
- Cut and serve your chicken tamale casserole! Each person can use as much of the remaining enchilada sauce on their plate as they want for topping. Can also garnish with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. If you need a guacamole recipe, click here.
Nutrition
All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. Nutritional facts listed are a rough estimate and should only be followed as a general idea.
This recipe was really delicious and so easy to make! Thanks for sharing.
Super yummy and everyone loved it! Can't wait to add it to our monthly rotation.
I happen to have a couple of boxes of this Jiffy cornbread and I am glad to find a recipe to use it for. I only make the regular cornbread with it but never incorporate it into recipes.
This is so yummy! I’ve been craving tamales but can’t get the corn husks. This recipe turned out perfect and tasted just like regular tamales. Will definitely make it again, thanks!
This recipe turned out great! I love the fact that it uses the muffin mix. Everyone loved it!