Chicken Chile Relleno Casserole

We’ve made a wedding website, y’all! We also just finished up our registry yesterday…

This whole thing is really starting to get official! We’re only 167 days out from the big day. I’ve still got a ton of planning left to do, including the most important part of our wedding day: what food will be served. We’ve been going back and forth on whether we want a food truck, a taco bar, or just normal wedding catering. I’m leaning toward a taco bar—-because everyone loves tacos, right?!

In the midst of all the chaos that is wedding planning, we’ve been really bogged down at work. May sweeps is coming up, storm season is hitting its stride, we just switched over to a new editing system, and special projects (like our collaboration with St. Jude Hospital) are right around the corner. I feel like I have less and less time to cook, but I still try to sneak it in when I can on the weekends.

Enter the casserole; my favorite thing to make when our lives are just too busy. You’ve got everything you need in one pan, easy cleanup, and endless leftovers. I’ll probably be taking this casserole with me for lunch for a few days this week.

Never heard of a chile relleno? Don’t worry. I don’t think many people outside of Texas know what it is. It’s a Tex-Mex delicacy. Fresh poblanos are stuffed with a wide assortment of cheeses (Asadero, Monterey Jack, or in this case: Pepper Jack) then dipped in a cornmeal batter and deep-fried.

I tried my first chile relleno at Pioneer, a landmark restaurant in my hometown of Wichita Falls. It was love at first bite. I think they actually use large green chiles instead of poblanos, but it is still absolutely delicious. If you’ve never tried a chile relleno, I suggest you book it to the closest Tex-Mex restaurant and order one ASAP. You won’t regret it.

This casserole combines all of the best parts of the chile relleno—without the unhealthy hassle of deep-frying. Cornmeal, poblanos, and melty pepper jack cheese are the real stars of this dish, and I threw in some Hatch green chiles for good measure. The best part of this casserole is that it is creamy on the bottom, crunchy and sweet on top. The cornbread mixture forms the perfect crust on top of the creamy chicken-chile-cheese mixture.

Happy casserole-ing, y’all!

Chicken Chile Relleno Casserole

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 45 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

An easy casserole based on the Tex-Mex favorite, the chile relleno.

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers, deseeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 TBS. butter
• 1 lb. chicken breasts
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. hot paprika
• 1 small onion, diced
• salt and pepper
• 2 TBS. all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup milk, plus more for cornbread mixes
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
• 2 pkgs. (8.5 oz. each) corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, melt 2 TBS. of butter over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, 1 tsp. cumin and 1 tsp. hot paprika. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into chunks or shred with two forks. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In another large skillet, melt remaining 2 TBS. butter over medium-high heat. Add the poblano peppers and onion and saute for 4-6 minutes or until onion is translucent and peppers are tender.
3. Add flour and remaining cumin and paprika and stir until well blended. Pour in milk and bring to a boil (this will only take maybe 1 minute). Stir in cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, cooked chicken and green chiles. Stir until melted and well-combined. Pour chicken mixture into the bottom of a greased 11×7″ baking dish.
4. In a large bowl, make the corn muffin mixes according to package instructions. Spread over the chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until cornbread is a deep golden brown.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large bowl, prepare corn muffin mix according to package instructions.

In a large skillet, heat 2 TBS. of butter over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, 1 tsp. cumin and 1 tsp. hot paprika. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into cubes or shred with two forks. In another large skillet, melt remaining butter. Add poblano peppers and onions and saute until translucent and peppers are soft, about 4-6 minutes.

Stir in flour and remaining cumin and hot paprika until well blended. Pour milk into skillet and bring to a boil (about 1 minute).

Stir in cream cheese, chicken, green chiles and pepper jack cheese.

Heat through until cheese is melted and mixture is well combined.

Pour chicken mixture into a well-greased 11×7″ baking dish.

Top chicken mixture with prepared corn muffin mix.

Bake in oven set to 350 degrees until cornbread is a deep golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.