This chicken tamale pie is the easiest recipe to enjoy tamales–none of the rolling, and all of the flavor of restaurant-style tamales in minutes!
And, frankly, who has time for making tamales?! Honestly, it’s so much faster for a single dinner to just make tamale casserole.
Plus, it’s a great way to make homemade tamales if you’ve never made them before. No learning curve and no need to mess with the corn husks.
Just yummy tamales without the whole wrapping thing. Sweet. Or, well, savory. Ha!
What You Need
This is a very simple chicken recipe that’s no-fail. Seriously, anyone can make a tamale casserole, as long as you can follow some basic cooking instructions. Here’s what you need:
- 2 cups masa corn meal
- 1 tsp paprika powder (optional– I ran out)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs and legs, deboned (so about 2 lbs bone-in)
- 1 cup chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 can no-bean chili
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
How to make Chicken Tamale Pie
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, then chop onion and boil with deboned chicken in about 6 cups of water. Reserve 2 cups of the resulting broth.
Step 2
Remove chicken and shred using a hand mixer (makes short work of it!) and add the seasoning, then stir well.
Step 3
Combine the reserved chicken broth and masa corn meal until completely combined.
Step 4
In an 8×8 baking dish, make a layer of masa, using about half of the masa mixture, to cover the entire baking dish’s bottom surface.
Step 5
Add the chicken on top of the masa in an even layer.
Step 6
Add the remaining masa in an even layer over the top of the chicken.
Then spread the chili over this last layer of masa.
Step 7
Sprinkle entire dish with cheese, then bake in the oven for 25 minutes before enjoying!
More Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this easy chicken recipe, but you’re not quite ready to bust out your cutting board, just pin this to your favorite easy Mexican dinner ideas board on Pinterest so you can find it quick later!
Chicken Tamale Pie
You're not going to believe how easy it is to make this easy chicken tamale pie. It's just like the real thing--without the mess of rolling tamales!
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa corn meal
- 1 tsp paprika powder (optional-- I ran out)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs and legs, deboned (so about 2 lbs bone-in)
- 1 cup chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 can no-bean chili
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, then chop onion and boil with deboned chicken in about 6 cups of water. Reserve 2 cups of the resulting broth.
- Remove chicken and shred using a hand mixer (makes short work of it!) and add the seasoning, then stir well.
- Combine the reserved chicken broth and masa corn meal until completely combined.
- In an 8x8 baking dish, make a layer of masa, using about half of the masa mixture, to cover the entire baking dish's bottom surface.
- Add the chicken on top of the masa in an even layer.
- Add the remaining masa in an even layer over the top of the chicken.
- Then spread the chili over this last layer of masa.
- Sprinkle entire dish with cheese, then bake in the oven for 25 minutes before enjoying!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 552Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 979mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 7gSugar: 3gProtein: 37g