Craving comfort food, but you’re short on time? This 30-Minute Chicken Tamale Casserole delivers all of the goodness of traditional tamales without all of the fuss. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, this simple tamale bake can be topped with sour cream, fresh salsa, or guacamole.
Weeknights can be such a crazy time for many families. Simple and delicious dinner recipes that are ready in a short amount of time are such a lifesaver! This 30-Minute Chicken Tamale Casserole comes together with just a few common ingredients. This dish is loved by kids and adults alike, and it also freezes well for later. It is delicious when topped with sour cream, fresh hot salsa, or guacamole.
Tips for making this easy Chicken Tamale Bake:
- You can use whatever cooked and shredded chicken you prefer. Grabbing a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is such a convenient and quick option, and I love to take advantage of that. I can shred the chicken while the bottom layer of this tamale bake is in the oven, and dinner is ready that much faster.
- If you are sensitive to spice, you can reduce the amount of cayenne pepper that you use in this recipe or you can eliminate it entirely. If you love spicy food, you can go ahead and increase the amount of cayenne that you use.
- The cheese in this recipe can be swapped for whatever cheese you prefer without an issue. You could use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or any other kind.
- This recipe could also be made with ground turkey or ground beef if you would prefer.
Ingredients for this Chicken Tamale Casserole:
- Corn muffin mix
- 1 egg
- Milk
- Creamed style corn
- Diced green chilies
- Cumin
- Cayenne Pepper
- Enchilada sauce
- Chicken
- Mexican cheese
How to make this easy weeknight dinner:
To make this recipe, you will mix together the first 7 ingredients and bake that mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish for 20 minutes. Then, you will top that first layer with enchilada sauce, Chicken, and cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. That’s it!
Making this recipe really is that simple! This is a great comfort food to serve for anything from a quiet Tuesday night family weeknight meal to a dinner with guests. I also like to make this dish as a freezer meal for friends that may be under the weather or have something going on in their lives. I hope you love this dish as much as our family does. If you like this recipe, you may also like my Easy Mexican Chicken and Biscuits Skillet!
Ingredients
- 8.5 oz box corn muffin mix
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup milk
- 14.75 oz can creamed corn
- 4 oz can diced green chilies (not drained)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
- 10 oz red enchilada sauce
- 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and grease a 9x13inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the corn muffin mix, egg, milk, creamed corn, green chilies, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- While the corn muffin mixture is in the oven, get your enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, and cheese ready to go.
- Remove the dish from the oven and pour the enchilada sauce over the corn muffin mixture. Sprinkle the shredded chicken on top of the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken.
- Bake for 5 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: You can make this recipe even easier by using a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store.
We hope you enjoy this 30-Minute Chicken Tamale Casserole from SoFabFood Home Chef, Regan from Hungry Six. If you love this easy comfort food, be sure to visit our 30-Minute Meals Section for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
