This past weekend we had a chili cookoff at church. I found my winning entry in Martha Hall Foose’s new cookbook, “Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook.”
I wanted to do something different this year. At last year’s cookoff it seemed every chili was a variation of ground meat, kidney beans and tomato sauce. Ugh. I thought Martha’s Cornbread-Crusted White Chili was a perfectly different twist on the same old.
Well, while I didn’t come in first, I did take third place. I think the recipe is better than that – my husband asked me to make a second batch less than 24 hours after I made my first! If you’re looking for easy, warm and tasty comfort food, you’ll want to give this a try, it’s really yummy!
Cornbread-Crusted White Chili with Green Chilies and Hominy
Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
Salt
1 (8-ounce) can creamed corn
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg, beaten
3 cups diced cook chicken
1 small white onion, chopped
2 (11-ounce) cans tomatillos, rinsed, drained, and chopped, or 1 1/2 cups diced hulled fresh tomatillos
2 (4.5-ounce) cans green chilies, rinsed, drained, and chopped, or 2 fresh green chilies, roasted (see notes), seeded, and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin/
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup sour cream, plus extra for serving
1 cup shredded jalapeño jack cheese
Cilantro
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375o.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the creamed corn, milk, and egg. Whisk together just until moistened. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, onion, tomatillos, green chilies, cumin, garlic, hominy, sour cream, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. I could not find canned tomatillos so I used the fresh ones. {NOTE: The first time I made this recipe, the onions and the tomatillos still seemed quite raw after 40 minutes in the oven. When I made this recipe the second and third times, I put them both in a sauce pan and cooked them for about 10 minutes. That really helped!}
Spoon half of the cornbread mixture into the skillet or baking dish, and spread to an even, thin layer. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Spoon the chicken mixture over the cornbread layer in the skillet. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon the remaining cornbread mixture over the top and spread to an even layer.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown. Allow to cool and settle for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional sour cream and cilantro, if desired.
About Diana
I’m a busy working designer & home stager who gets a lot of joy & happiness helping clients transform their houses into homes they love. I blog as part of that creative process. In our “spare” time my hubby & I are updating our Cottage in the Woods that we share with our cats. I’m a Christian & look forward to someday working for my Heavenly Father, the Greatest Designer of all, decorating mansions in Heaven!
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