Southwest Chicken Bake

This is a "clean the pantry" meal. It is the result of my asking, "What do we have in the house that would allow me NOT to get out on a rainy day and go to the grocery store?" The answer: 2 split chicken breasts, already cooked but not yet shredded or chopped; frozen corn; a can of black beans; a can of chicken broth; hot sauce; brown rice. And when this is what you have, this is what you can do...

Melt 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Sprinkle 4 Tablespoons flour over melted butter; let it cook out for a minute or so, then stir in 1 can chicken broth and about 1/3 cup or so of hot sauce. Cook 1 cup dry brown rice separately. Add chopped chicken, a cup of frozen, fresh, or canned corn, and a can of black beans to the hot sauce mixture. Once the rice is done, add that as well. Stir it all together and pour into a casserole.

Top with cornbread batter. I was running low on cornmeal so I used what I had, which was a little shy of a cup, and then a little over a cup of unbleached all purpose flour. Add 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup demarara sugar, 1 egg, and 1 cup milk (no oil necessary). Mix and spoon over the whole casserole.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. I like to cook it early and then cut the oven off and leave the casserole in until suppertime. I think the flavors mix together better that way.


Southwest chicken with cornbread crust. Pretty darn good for a clean-the-pantry meal. Enjoy!