Chicken Black Bean Tamale Casserole

I'm back! For those readers who don't know me (if there are any), I've been busy moving to a new continent. From the title of this recipe, you'd think I landed in Mexico, but I'm way farther south...Paraguay! So from here on out I'll try to make my recipes a little more international as far as temps and measurements go. I might post some local recipes, but I'll be honest, moving here doesn't mean I know how to make chipa, milanesa, or sopa....at least not yet.

This recipe was inspired by a slow cooker recipe with beef, found here: http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2013/02/slow-cooked-tamale-casserole.html Well I don't have a slow cooker anymore, and I prefer chicken, so this is what I came up with!

What you need:

• 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (shown was about one but I wish I'd used two).
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 C milk
• 3/4 C corn meal
• 1 packet of taco seasoning, or make your own
• 1 C black beans (drain if using canned)
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of sliced olives, unless you took your olives to a pizza party the night before
• grated cheddar cheese (the original recipe calls for 2 cups but I had a little less)

What to do:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts pieces, and cook through.
• In a bowl, mix the egg, milk, and corn meal. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir.
• Oil a baking dish (I used a 13x9 inch one)
• Put meat in the bottom and pour everything in the bowl on the top.
• Bake at 350 (180 C) for 25-30 minutes, or until mixture starts to solidify. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes more. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

Here's the mixture before cooking (and topping with cheese)

I have to use a phone app to convert temperatures...

Disclaimers and Tips!

I made my own black beans, which I added onions, diced garlic, and cumin to. If you're using canned beans, you might want to add these as well. I'd throw them in with the chicken.

If they sell "real" cheddar cheese here, I don't know where to buy it. I could only find sliced stuff. I started off trying to grate it, then got lazy and just put the slices on top. :)

Casseroles never look pretty for pictures. But this one tastes good!