Tamale Pie

As we make a quick trip to Alabama to renew Johnny's driver's license, here is a recipe that has been popular this summer!

Tamale Pie

Base:

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 large can stewed tomatoes

1 large can tomato sauce

1 cup strong chicken broth (I use a boullion cube in warm water)

1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder (How picante do you want it?)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 can whole kernel corn (with peppers, if you can get it), drained

Cornmeal topping:

1 1/2 cups cornmeal, plain without flour

1 1/2 cups flour

2 eggs

3 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp baking powder, omit if using self-rising flour

Grease bottom and sides of a 9X13 pan. In large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until everyone comes to the kitchen to see what's for supper...or until the onion is softened. Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, chicken, chili powder, oregano, corn and mix well. About this time, taste it to see if you need salt or more picante (chili powder)! Taste it again, just to be sure! Put into 9X13 pan.

In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, eggs, sugar, butter and baking powder. Stir together well. If you live in the South, Jiffy Corn Muffin mix is a good substitute...if not, well, get to mixing! You will need to "dot" the top of the chicken mixture with the cornmeal mixture, so if it needs a little more liquid, add water a little at a time until it is a little thicker than pourable. "Dot" the top of the casserole and put in a preheated 350 oven. Because I make this in quantity, you may have a full casserole. If so, place the casserole on a cookie sheet before putting in the oven. When done, the cornbread topping should be browned and the chicken mixture hot.

Since this recipe was given to me as: "Oh, about a cup of this and a pinch of that...", play with it. Since I'm usually making 3 to 4 pans at a time, I just add until it looks right. I usually have too much chicken mixture, so I have found it freezes well and can be thawed at a later date and cooked with just the addition of the topping! Try it and let me know if I am really off on my measurements!