Tamale Casserole Twice Adapted

I pinned a recipe for Tamale Casserole a long time ago, and I just recently clicked through it and found out it was from espressoandcream.com!  Espresso And Cream is a blog I read all the time, from a fellow Des Moines girl.  I love when that happens.

Anyway, I got all the ingredients and whipped it up today, and I have to say... YUM! 

Tamales are one of my favorite foods.  I've always been intimidated to give them a shot because someone told me it was useless unless you had a small Latino lady holding your hand. 

This recipe was quick and easy.  I used my George Foreman to cook up the chicken and shredded it.  Mixed it with the green chiles for the first layer. 

The second layer was the cornbread mixture.  Love me some Jiffy Corn Bread mix.  I make pancakes from it ALL THE TIME.  Favorite! 

The final layer came after it cooked for 15 minutes or so.  I pricked the top with a fork so the enchilada sauce could soak in. I only used about 1/2 the can.  And then sprinkled 1/4 cup of the cheese over the top.  Nom. 

So I adapted Madison's recipe that she adapted from Cooking Light.  I used far less enchilada sauce, because I just don't like it that much.  And I tucked the shredded chicken and green chiles under the corn bread goodness.  Not sure if the sour cream was for garnish, or what. But I just didn't bother. 

Tamale Casserole (Cooking Light version with a few edits)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk 
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce 
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine Chicken with Green Chiles and spread out on a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture over chicken mixture.
4. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Serves 8.