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Spoon lifting a serving of chicken cornbread casserole with melted cheese stretching and creamy shredded chicken underneath the golden cornbread topping
Katie

Chicken Cornbread Casserole

Creamy shredded chicken and sharp cheddar baked under a golden Jiffy cornbread topping, with a ten-minute pre-bake that keeps the cornbread from going gummy underneath.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Calories: 495
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Filling
  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken rotisserie or leftover
  • 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup 1 can
  • ½ cup sour cream full-fat
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt or to taste
Cornbread Topping
  • 8.5 oz Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 box
  • 14.75 oz creamed corn 1 can
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup butter melted and slightly cooled
  • ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups cheddar, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt until evenly combined. Taste and adjust the salt now.
  3. Spread the filling into the prepared dish and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. It should be hot through and bubbling at the edges. If the center is only warm, give it 2 to 3 minutes more.
  4. While the filling bakes, whisk the corn muffin mix, creamed corn, egg, and melted butter in a medium bowl until just combined. Fold in the 1/2 cup cheddar and the sliced green onions. A few lumps are fine.
  5. Spoon the batter over the hot filling in dollops, then nudge them together gently with the back of the spoon. Do not spread it in one sweeping motion or you will pull the filling up into the batter.
  6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is deep golden with darker edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. If the top browns before the center sets, lay foil loosely over the dish and keep baking.
  7. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting. The filling firms up during this time and the squares will hold their shape.

Notes

The ten-minute pre-bake is the step that matters most. Raw batter dropped onto cold filling soaks downward before it can set, which is what leaves a gummy seam through the middle.
Use a 9x13 dish rather than a 9x9. The same amount of food sits nearly half again as deep in a 9x9, and cornbread bakes outside-in, so the edges finish and brown while the center is still wet.
Cream of mushroom soup works in place of cream of chicken. A drained 4 oz can of green chiles stirred into the filling is a good variation.
The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. If it goes into the oven cold, pre-bake for 15 minutes instead of 10. Do not assemble the full casserole ahead of time — the leavening in the batter burns out and the topping bakes up dense.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat at 350°F, covered with foil, for about 20 minutes. The microwave works but leaves the cornbread soft.
Shred your own cheddar if you have the patience. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch and melts slightly chalky.