Comforting Chicken Tamale Pie

Comforting Chicken Tamale Pie

Dairy Goodness
After an afternoon in the great outdoors, this ultra-comfort food is the piping hot way to end the day. Just one taste and it’s sure to become an instant winter classic.

Ingredients

Filling
  • 1 small deli-cooked chicken
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) salsa
  • 1 cup (250 mL) frozen corn
  • 1/3 cup (75 mL) coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) Butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (250 mL) Milk
  • 1 cup (250 mL) shredded Canadian Aged Cheddar
Topping
  • 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) Milk
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) Butter
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) cornmeal
  • 1 cup (250 mL) shredded >Canadian Aged Cheddar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Discard chicken skin and remove meat from bones. Shred meat into long bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl along with red pepper, salsa, corn and cilantro.
  2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for a couple of min until soft. Sprinkle with flour. Whisk about 1 min, then gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Whisk for 2 to 3 min until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar. Add to chicken mixture; stir to mix.
  3. Scrape mixture into a 10-inch (25 cm) square casserole dish.
  4. Topping: In the same pan that you’ve just used for cheese sauce (no need to clean), bring milk, butter and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Whisk continuously until thickened, about 3 min. Remove from heat. Stir in Cheddar, then one at a time, stir in eggs.
  5. Using a large spoon, dollop over chicken mixture, then spread to barely cover. Bake for 15 to 20 min until hot in centre.

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