Chicken Chili Cobbler

                                    

I had a Bisquick recipe book that had some main dish cobbler ideas.  I had never thought of that.  I have made some dumpling recipes when the bread topping was basically steamed on top of the meal, but this was new.  I don't really love the texture of a dumpling.  It's kind of doughy.  So baking it on top seemed like a winner.

One again I am making this on the fly, so there are things I would do differently and things I loved about this dish.  I'll write what I did and at the end I'll tell you what I would do differently.  You can decide how to proceed!

Chicken Chili Cobbler

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup diced onions, divided use
1 small can green chilis
3 cups cut up cooked chicken.  I used a big slice of chicken breast from the deli at the market.
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, divided use
1 can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lime
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided use
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided use
1 cup sour cream

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Heat a large cast iron pan with the oil.  Add the diced onions and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.  Add the can of chilis and stir.  Cook for a minute or two, then take about 1/4 cup of the mixture and place it in a medium mixing bowl.

                             

While the onions are heating, dice up the chicken and drain the black beans.  Add the chicken, corn, beans and the undrained can of tomatoes to the pan.  Add the cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano.  Squeeze the lime over everything, making sure you don't drop in a seed!Gently stir.

                               

While the chili is cooking it is time to start the topping.  You already have the onion mixture in a bowl.  Add the Jiffy mix and the egg and milk.  Divide up the chopped cilantro, putting half in the chili mixture, which might need a stir by now.  The other half goes in the corn bread mix, along with 1/2 of the grated cheese.  Mix the corn bread just until moist and then let it set for a bit.  It will start to rise if you let it rest, making for a lighter corn bread.

                                 

When the chili is heated through and the oven has reached 400, place drops of the corn bread all over the top.  Place everything in the oven for about 20 minutes.  The top should be nicely browned.

                                  

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of Cheddar cheese.

OK.  Here is where I critique the dish.  It was really good.  I don't like super spicy chili and this was just enough spice to be flavorful and not so much to be hot. It was a bit dry, however.  If I made this again, I would add a can of tomato sauce for a bit more moisture.  There was even room to add another can of black beans if you wanted to serve more than four people. 

Maybe the corn bread absorbed some of the liquid, but as a topping/cobbler it was wonderful.  I served it with a slice of watermelon and it was a great meal.  It helped that we had some wonderful company and Jackie was nice enough to say she liked it just the way it was.