Chicken Tamale Pie is a family friendly South-of-the-border inspired dish made with ingredients that are easy to find. A chicken filling is sprinkled with cheese then covered with a layer of cornbread and baked until golden. While it bakes, whip-up a batch of homemade pico de gallo to go on top and it’s a homestyle fiesta that won’t break the bank.

Easy Chicken Tamale Pie Recipe is a Riff on Tamales

Tamales are a traditional Spanish dish that are made using Masa, a starchy dough, usually corn based. The “tamal” is then boiled or steamed in dried corn husks. The flavor of a genuine, made from scratch tamale is truly out-of-this-world and one of our favorite Mexican dishes. They’re often sold by street vendors in Mexico, and filled with pork or chicken and then served with a green or red mole sauce.

How to Make the Best Chicken Tamale Pie Recipe

This tamale pie, takes a simpler approach than hand made tamales cooked in corn husks but, it hits all of the same flavor points with a sweet and spicy explosion of taste. The cornbread topping is sweet, and the spice and traditional flavors are in the creamy chicken filling. In this dish, I used chicken instead of pork, but the flavor palate is still intense and uniquely Mexican.

Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Chicken Tamale Pie: Two boxes of corn muffin mix, rotisserie chicken, olive oil, jalapeno pepper, diced onion, salsa, whipped cream cheese, shredded Monterey jack, pepper jack or cheddar cheese, minced garlic, half and half, salsa, taco seasoning, seasoned salt, cream style corn, buttermilk and chopped cilantro.
I use rotisserie chicken in this recipe. That said, you can use any precooked chicken either roasted, grilled or poached. You could also use leftover holiday turkey for a round two meal.
It’s best to use a corn muffin mix that isn’t terribly sweet for this tamale pie recipe. I used Martha White brand but it’s perfectly fine to use a brand you already enjoy.
If you’d like to make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning see how here.
You can top this tamale pie anyway you like. A big batch of homemade pico de gallo is a nice touch with sour cream or a drizzle of crema.
Store leftover chicken tamale pie in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave in single servings.

More South of the Border Inspired Recipes to Make

You may also like to try these easy recipes for your next homestyle fiesta:

You may like to serve a delicious Roasted Mexican Corn on the side of this tamale pie recipe.
These flavorful and Easy Refried Beans goes perfectly with any Mexican food meal.
Just before serving, top my Chicken Tamale Pie with a generous serving of fresh pico de gallo.
You may also enjoy topping this tamale pie with spicy verde sauce from Peas and Crayons.

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