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This chicken tamale casserole is simple to prepare and great for company, even your in-laws.

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What’s the first thought going through your head when you hear your in-laws are coming to town and staying with you and your significant other? Is it frustration? Is it horror? Or if you’re anything like me, it’s “OH MY GAWD, I have to clean the entire house from top to bottom and crap, what am I making?!” Yup, that’s what I did two weeks ago when they came to town. I love it when they come to town, but I always have this pressure of having to make something super delicious because they know about this blog (and are probably reading this right now) and it’d be sheer disappointment if I made something complete opposite of what I’d usually make for the blog.


And so I scoured my saved recipes on my computer and at the time, I was craving some sort of Mexican dish but I also wanted it to be easy since I was also working the day they were coming in. I found this chicken tamale pie that Lindsay had posted and it was like fireworks, y’all. Haha, super easy decision for me. It made a large portion and I knew it was going to be a hit!


Needless to say, there wasn’t a single bite left in this casserole dish after we were all through with it. It had the perfect amount of spice and it was so flavorful. The cornbread was such an awesome addition. My in-laws LOVED it. They couldn’t get over it.

I did learn a few things from their visit, though: 1. my house had never looked cleaner, maybe they should come more often so my house will be pretty much spotless ;) 2. shredding chicken sucks. The whole fork and fork method blows. I wish there were a faster way to shred 2 cups of chicken. I almost shoved it in the food processor but then it would’ve turned it to mush Not anymore! Put it in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment!! 3. Adding cornbread to Mexican food is not a bad idea, at.all. and this is unrelated to their visit but I’m freaking starving right now and I want a huge hunk of this at 8 in the morning. It can be spun into a breakfast casserole, right?

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Tamale Casserole

A delicious casserole that everyone will love!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • cup (79 ml) milk
  • ¼ cup (63 g) egg substitute
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 ½ tablespoon taco seasoning, divided
  • 14.75 ounce (418 g) can cream-style corn
  • 8.5 ounce (241 g) box corn muffin mix
  • 4 ounce (113 g) can chopped green chiles
  • 10 ounce (284 g) can red enchilada sauce
  • 2 cups (280 g) shredded chicken
  • ¾ cup (84 g) shredded white cheese
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Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C) and spray casserole dish with cooking spray. My casserole dish was 9 x 13.
  • Combine the first 7 ingredients, using just 1/2 tbsp. of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, and mix until moist. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and bake for 15-20 minutes.
  • While the corn mixture is baking, toss the chicken with the remaining 1 tbsp. of taco seasoning. Set aside.
  • When the cornbread is done, it will be barely set and golden brown. Pierce the entire surface liberally with a fork. If it’s sticking to the fork, it needs to cook longer or rest for about 10 minutes before piercing (if it sets up, it won’t be as moist so it won’t stick to the fork as much)
  • When ready, pour the red enchilada sauce over the top, then top with chicken and sprinkle liberally with cheese.
  • Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Source: Pinch of Yum

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 625kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 1987mg, Potassium: 509mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 24g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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42 Comments

  1. Put the cooked chicken in your kitchen aide mixer using the wire wisk! Like you said we DONT want mush, but about 30-45 seconds and you have PERFECT shredded chicken! Hope this helps you as much as it has helped me!

  2. This looks amazing! As for the shredding chicken thing. Cook chicken in water or broth in the crockpot all day or overnight. It falls apart! If you are super aggressive, cook a whole big frozne bag on the weekend and freeze in 2 cup portions. Total time saver!

  3. Pampered Chef Salad Chopper (a pair of handheld, double-bladed scissors)- I love it for shredding chicken!! Just throw it in a bowl and cut a few times and you have shredded chicken!

  4. I definitely stress more about cleaning for my in-laws and more about cooking for my own parents since my mom is a really good cook :) And yes, the paddle attachment in the mixer is a great way to shread chicken! Although Bev’s idea is a good one too… :)

  5. This looks and sounds amazing. I cook a lot of mexican food in our home but never a tamale casserole. Must make this asap!

  6. To Peggy and Julie, 1/4 cup is equal to about one large egg.

    As far as shredding chicken, I like to use canned chunk chicken which shreds easy with a quick stir.

    By the way, the directions say to mix the first SEVEN ingredients, but then wants you to pour the enchilada sauce (#7) over the baked cornbread in step 5. Can you clarify? I’d like to try this recipe!

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Karen, thanks for catching that. I was typing too fast! ;) I forgot to add in red pepper flakes, so if you look now, there’s 7 ingredients before the enchilada sauce. Sorry about that! I hope you make it and enjoy :)

  7. Oh boy does this look delicious! What a fabulous and flavorful looking weeknight recipe. Thanks for sharing, Julie!