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Chili Cornbread Cobbler

Dress up your pot of chili and pan of cornbread by transforming the duo into a savory cobbler (similar to tamale pie).  This twist on the classic comfort food combo of chili and cornbread combines the two foods into one dish.  The cobbler can be served in individual ramekins or in one large baking dish.  The creative presentation makes it appealing for dinner parties, appetizer courses and potlucks {think Super Bowl!}.  Make cornbread muffins with the leftover cornbread batter or refrigerate the chili and cornbread batter and make more cobblers to order another day.

Chili Cornbread Cobblers
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Course
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8+
 
Dress up a pot of chili and pan of cornbread by transforming the duo into a savory cobbler. This twist on the classic comfort food combo of chili and cornbread combines the two foods into one dish.
Ingredients
Chili Meat
  • 1 pound of ground turkey, chicken or beef
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
Chili
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pasilla pepper, chopped
  • 1-2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 - 3½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder (ideally a mix of chiles such as ancho and chile de arbol
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp paprika
Cornbread Topping
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup honey or sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ cup shortening or low-fat plain yogurt
  • 1 cup canned corn, drained
Instructions
Cornbread Cobbler
  1. Mix the dry ingredients.
  2. Add the wet ingredients and stir the batter until it is smooth.
Chili Meat
  1. Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and heat at medium-high.
  2. Brown the meat with the spices listed above (1/4 tsp salt – ¼ tsp chili powder). The meat can still be raw in the center because it will continue to cook as the chili simmers.
Chili
  1. Lightly coat a large pot with oil and cook the onion, garlic and peppers over medium heat until they are translucent.
  2. Add the browned meat and the remaining ingredients to the pot.
  3. Let the chili simmer for thirty minutes to an hour (or longer), continuing to season it to taste once the meat is fully cooked.
  4. Spoon one cup chili into each of the oven-safe individual serving dishes.
  5. Pour ⅓ cup cornbread batter over the chili.
  6. Place the dishes on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the corn bread is cooked and golden and the chili is bubbling up around the edges.
  7. Garnish the chili cornbread cobblers with light sour cream or Greek yogurt drizzled with honey.