Chicken Chili and Cornbread Casserole

I found this recipe on Food and Wine.com and couldn't wait to try it (this was Pre-17-Day Diet, obviously).  Mr. Happy Plate has never been a huge fan of corn bread (I know, I know... you're thinking there is something majorly wrong with him!!!  I totally agree.), but he couldn't stop commenting on how great this cornbread was!  Now that tells ya something!

This recipe calls for shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken, but you could also use leftover turkey, or I just poached some chicken breasts in chicken stock and shredded the meat.  I definitely added some heat to this recipe, and a few other things, otherwise it was a little too bland for us.
  

This is also a great recipe to double.  I made a few personal-sized dishes of this for us (reduce cooking time!), and gave a large dish to my in-laws, or you could freeze it and reheat for an easy dinner later.  Hope you enjoy!

Here is a Printable Version of this recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil 

2 large onions, chopped 

6 garlic cloves, minced  

2 large jalapeños, minced (seed them if you don't want too much heat)
2 poblano peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped 

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels 

2 tablespoons New Mexico chili powder 

1 tablespoon ground cumin 
1 tablespoon ground coriander

Salt 

5 tablespoons tomato paste 

5 cups shredded chicken or turkey

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Cornbread
1 1/2 cups fine white cornmeal 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

3 tablespoons sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups) 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

 3 large eggs, beaten 

Fat free sour cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeños, poblanos, red pepper, and corn kernels and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and cumin, season with salt and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the shredded meat and broth and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the chili thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.  Pour the chili into a 9-by-13-inch ceramic baking dish.  

In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal with the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cheese.  (I know you're supposed to combine the wet ingredients separately, and then mix them together with the dry, but I just went ahead and mixed everything together in one bowl.  As you know, I hate doing dishes.)  Add the milk, oil, and eggs, and stir to combine.

Spoon the batter over the chili.  (I sprinkled some crushed red pepper flakes on top.)  Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, until the cornbread is golden. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

We served with sour cream on top.  Delicious!