Skillet Chicken Chili Cornbread Pie

This is another crowd-pleasing, one-pot, comfort food dish. I was immediately drawn to this recipe because making cast iron skillet cornbread on top of skillet chili is genius. Calling it a pie makes it even more fabulous!

This recipe was adapted from HowSweetEats.com. I modified the proportions and added thinly sliced kale to the chili. The smoked paprika was essential to the finished dish. Great.

Yield: Serves 6

For the Chili:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large sweet or yellow onion, diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups thinly sliced kale (ribs and stems removed)
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used grilled chicken thighs)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp coarse salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cups chicken stock

For the Cornbread Topping:

• 1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 T light brown sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For Serving:

• plain greek yogurt or sour cream
• cilantro, chopped
• scallions, sliced
• corn
• jalapeño slices
• lime wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, preferably on convection.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. (I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet.)
3. Add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the thinly sliced kale leaves and continue to cook until tender, about 5 additional minutes.
5. Stir in the diced green chiles and shredded chicken.
6. Add in the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir well until the spices are combined with the mixture.
7. Stir in the cannellini beans, corn and chicken stock. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Reduce the heat to low while you make the cornbread topping.
8. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.
9. In a smaller bowl, stir together the eggs and milk.
10. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring until just almost combined.
11. Stir in the green chiles. Stir in the melted butter until combined.
12. Drop spoonfuls of the cornbread over the chili, using the back of the spoon to spread it slightly, if necessary.
13. Bake the skillet for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cornbread layer it set. Be sure to check that the cornbread is set in the center- sometimes it needs a few extra minutes to cook through.
14. Serve with sour cream/greek yogurt, cilantro, scallions, corn, jalapeño, and limes for spritzing, as desired.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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