This Mexican Chicken Cornbread Casserole has a creamy chicken filling and a cheesy cornbread top. It makes a wonderful weeknight meal and can be made start to finish in 30 minutes.

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Mexican Chicken Cornbread Casserole in a cast iron pan.

Only 8 Ingredients

Only 8 ingredients are needed for this easy weeknight recipe. The creamy chicken filling is a simple mixture of rotisserie chicken, canned corn, taco seasoning, rotel tomatoes, and sour cream.

For my casserole I used a packet of Martha White® Cotton Country Cornbread (6-ounce), but Martha White® makes a variety of cornbread mixes that could be used.

Martha WHite Cornbread mixes

Use Rotisserie Chicken

To make this Mexican Chicken Cornbread Casserole super quick, easy, and stressfree, I used shredded chicken form a rotisserie chicken.

Mexican Chicken Cornbread Casserole Recipe Tip

If you remove the chicken from the bone right when you get home from the store and the meat is still warm, it is much quicker and easier to do. If I’m not going to use it right away, I put the meat in a large ziptop bag for later and pop it in the fridge.)

Mexican Cornbread Chicken Casserole

How To Make

I place the chicken in a bowl along with a small, drained can of corn, a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, a packet of taco seasoning, 1 cup sour cream, and 1 cup Cheddar Jack (or just Cheddar) cheese. Give it a stir and transfer it to a 10-inch cast iron pan or an appropriately sized casserole dish.

In another bowl, (or you can reuse the same one if you do a good job of scraping all the chicken mixture out!), combine the Martha White® cornbread mix, 1 egg, whatever liquid the package calls for, and 1 cup of  shredded Cheddar Jack cheese you used in the filling. Mix it together, pour on top of the filling, pop in the oven. About 25 minutes later you have a hot, delicious supper and barely any dishes to clean!

Mexican Chicken Cornbread Casserole

Variations and Substitutions

  • Add 1 cup of rinsed and drained black beans to the filling.
  • Add a finley diced jalapeno to the filling or you can scatter sliced jalapeno on top of the cornbread batter before baking.
  • Use 1 pound of cooked and crumbled ground beef in pplace of chicken.

How To Store Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.

Slice of cornbread casserole on a plate.

Equipment Needed

You will need a 10-inch cast iron skillet for this recipe.

There are a million things you can do with cornbread besides using it to mop up your potlikker. Just look at the amazing pot luck recipes below.

Cornbread Waffles with Chili & Fixins’ from Brandi of The Country Cook

Cornbread Pan Sandwiches from Christy of Southern Plate

Kickin’ Crab Corn Muffins from Melissa of Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen

Cheesy Chorizo Cornbread from Paula of Call Me PMC

Stuffed Peppers with Cornbread Crust from Robin of Add a Pinch

Mom’s Mexican Cornbread from Stacey of Southern Bite

Taco Cornbread Muffins from Stephanie of Plain Chicken

Mom’s Meaty Cornbread Skillet from Tina of Mommy’s Kitchen

Mexican  Cornbread Casserole in a cast iron skillet.

More Mexican-Style Chicken Recipes

Watch the video below to see how to make this recipe.

Mexican Chicken Cornbread Casserole

4.86 from 21 votes

By Christin Mahrlig

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Spice up your dinner routine with this flavorful Mexican-inspired Chicken Cornbread Casserole recipe. It has a creamy chicken filling and a cheesy cornbread top. Makes a wonderful weeknight meal and can be made start to finish in 30 minutes.
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken,, I use a rotisserie chicken
  • 1 (11-ounce) can corn,, drained
  • 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies,, NOT drained
  • 1 packet taco seasoning,, I use low sodium
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack or Cheddar Cheese,, divided
  • 1 (6 or 7 ounce) packet Martha White cornbread mix
  • 1 egg,, lightly beaten

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a bowl, mix together chicken, corn, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, sour cream, and 1 cup of cheese.
  • Transfer into a 10-inch cast iron pan or a casserole dish that is approximately the same size.
  • Mix together cornbread mix, whatever liquid your cornbread packet calls for, egg, and remaining cheese. Pour on top of chicken mixture.
  • Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting into wedges.

Notes

When you remove the casserole from the oven, make sure the cornbread is cooked underneath. It may need another 10 minutes in the oven. Tent the casserole with aluminum foil so the outside doesn’t get too brown.
You can vary the spice level of this casserole from mild to very spicy through the taco seasoning and the Rotel tomatoes which come in varying spice levels. I use regular Rotel, but you can also find mild and hot.
Nutritional info is provided as an estimate only and will vary based on brands of products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 978mg | Potassium: 487mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1358IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 353mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag us @spicysouthernkitchen on social media!

Originally published April 9, 2015.

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83 Comments

  1. Michelle Walsh says:

    Have you ever tried this with ground beef instead?

    1. Christin Mahrlig says:

      I have not but that is a wonderful idea and I need to try it soon!

  2. Jolene Capshaw says:

    I like spicy food and like cooking food the way I like it. I used a can of Green Giant Steamed Crisp Mexicorn, a package of Gladiola Mexican Style cornbread mix and added chopped onion to this recipe. It was great. I highly recommend it.

  3. Lauren says:

    I have some leftover, how should I store and how should I reheat?

    1. Christin Mahrlig says:

      Just store it in a tubberware container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap and reheat in the microwave.

    2. Karen says:

      This was super easy to make and since I rarely follow any recipe exactly as directed. I didn’t have a taco seasoning packet or a precooked chicken. So I diced up 3 raw chicken breast, added some oil to my pan, added about 2-3 tbsp of garlic power, 1-2 teaspoons of cumin, 2 tbsp chilli powder, 2 tbsp chipotle chili powder, 1-2 tbsp oregano, about a teaspoon of cracked black pepper, a pinch or so of salt, and a few shakes of our favorite super hot seasoning called “Slap Ya Momma”, after the chicken had seared an reduced a bit, I added a cup of diced onion, 1 minced serrano pepper, 1 can Rotel, 1- 18oz fire roasted tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups of fresh frozen corn, and because I’m feeling a little daring a can of chick peas. I allowed it all to cook together for about 10 mins and added the cup of cheddar, and 1/2 cup of sour cream, and about a 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. I then transferred it into a large greased baking dish, and prepared 2 boxes of cornbread mix as directed, but then I added another dash of chili powder, and a dash of cumin, and a cup of cheddar. Poured it evenly over filling and popped it at a preheated 375ยฐ and baked that sucker for about 25-30 mins until a lovely dark golden brown. Mouths are a watering tonight!!! Thank you for all you fantastic meal ideas. I can’t wait to try some more of them. The only problem is choosing which one, because they all look so fantastic in your pictures. Hope everyone has a blessed Holiday Season, and I’m sure we’re all excited to see 2021 coming around the corner lol. Lord know 2020 has been something for the record books.

  4. ashley says:

    Have made this twice since I found your recipe a few weeks ago. So good as written!! Thank you. ?

    1. Christin Mahrlig says:

      Yay! Glad you enjoyed it Ashley!

  5. markhaddin says:

    Creamy Chicken Casserole healthy food in life.

  6. Lorna says:

    I made this dinner as written adding only 1 can of black beans. Everyone loved it!

    1. Christin Mahrlig says:

      So glad everyone enjoyed it Lorna! ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Katie Champlin says:

    Okay, answered my own question. I used 1/2 a regular recipe of cornbread and I used 1/4 c taco seasoning. I used regular diced tomatoes (I pureed some). Also, it took about 55 minutes total to cook. Next time I will cook it on 450 for about 30-35 minutes. It was PERFECT and everyone loved.\it (even the picky ones). Taco seasoning: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Taco-Seasoning-I/Detail.aspx?mxt=t06dda Cornbread: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Real-Southern-Cornbread/Detail.aspx

    1. Christin Mahrlig says:

      Sorry I didn’t get to your question in time but sounds like you didn’t need any guidance. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you so much for letting us know how you made this without using any packaged ingredients. I’m sure it will be helpful to a lot of people!

  8. Katie Champlin says:

    We don’t do processed foods in our house, so I’m trying to make the adjustments. Is the taco packet 1.25 oz? Is it about a cup of cornbread mix (once mixed) or would it be two with the liquid? Thanks in advance.

  9. Brandy says:

    Thanks for the recipe. I followed this recipe with a few changes. I replaced the Rotel and taco seasoning with a can of enchilada sauce and added a can of ranch style beans. Delicious & my family loved it!! Thanks again!

  10. Ella Greene says:

    Does the cornbread cook through, or stay ‘doughy’? Wonder if there is a cornbread pie crust!

    1. Christin Mahrlig says:

      A cornbread piecrust sounds really good! The cornbread does a pretty good job of cooking through Ella except for the part that’s right in contact with the filling.