Southwest Chicken & Cornmeal Mush Bake

A hearty Southwest-inspired casserole layered with crispy cornmeal mush, seasoned chicken, black beans, corn, salsa verde, and plenty of melted cheese 🌽🧀 A flavorful and comforting dinner with a little Southwest kick!





Southwest Chicken & Cornmeal Mush Bake

Test Kitchen

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hours

Cuisine

Southwest

Category

Dinner

A hearty Southwest-inspired casserole layered with crispy cornmeal mush, seasoned chicken, black beans, corn, salsa verde, and plenty of melted cheese 🌽🧀 A flavorful and comforting dinner with a little Southwest kick!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ - 2 bricks prepared Cornmeal Mush

  • 2 T Oil or melted butter

  • 2 ½ c Cooked Chicken, shredded

  • 1 15 oz can Black beans, drained & rinsed

  • 1 c Corn, drained or frozen

  • 1 - 4oz can Diced green chiles

  • ½ c Diced red or green bell peppers

  • ½ c Diced Onion

  • 1 tsp Chili Powder

  • ½ tsp Cumin

  • ½ tsp Garlic Powder

  • ½ tsp Salt

  • 1 c Salsa Verde

  • ½ c Chicken Broth

  • 2 c Shredded pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese, divided

  • ½ c Crushed tortilla chips, optional

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  • Chopped green onions

  • Fresh lime wedge

  • Chopped cilantro

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

  2. Cut the cornmeal mush into approximately 3/4” cubes

  3. Gently toss the cubes with the oil or melted butter

  4. Spread them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned and slightly crisp around the edges

  5. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees

  6. Sauté the onion and bell pepper in a skillet for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened

  7. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, black beans, corn, green chiles, sautéed onion and bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt

  8. Combine the salsa Verde and chicken broth

  9. Stir approximately half of the sauce into the chicken mixture. The filling should be moist but not overly wet

  10. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking

  11. Arrange the browned cornmeal mush cubes evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle 1/2 c. of the cheese over the mush

  12. Spoon the Southwest chicken mixture evenly over the top. Drizzle with the remaining salsa Verde mixture

  13. Top with the remaining 1 1/2 c. cheese.

  14. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted.

  15. If using crushed tortilla chips, sprinkle them over the casserole during the last 5 minutes of baking
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