I love to serve this homey, crowd-pleasing dish! And the true reason is because I love an excuse to eat it myself! It fills the kitchen with an intriguing and inviting, warm, barbeque flavor and each bite continues to be sheer delight. Do I exaggerate? Not a bit! But don’t take my word for it; you need to try Barbequed Chicken Potpie for yourself.
The story
The original version of this recipe was submitted to Cooking Light by one Longhorn Mama many years ago. I loved it from the moment it began simmering on the stovetop. I’ve never tasted anything else quite like it. But the recipe was eventually forgotten because it called for an ingredient that was no longer available, at least not in any stores near me – refrigerated cornbread twists. Just like the biscuits in tubes, you could pop these open, and use them as a lattice topping for the delicious barbequed chicken.
I rediscovered the recipe as I was thumbing through my collection a couple years ago. My tastebuds remembered this savory main dish casserole, and I knew I had to find a way to resurrect the recipe. The taste is something like you’d imagine in a Texas chili.
It had to have a cornbread topping, there was never any doubt about that. And with all the attention that the filling requires, the cornbread needed to be easy. The Jiffy cornbread mix with a few adjustments was a quick and easy fix!
The Ingredients
This filling is so layered with complex flavors! It’s not as easy as pouring barbeque sauce over shredded chicken, but you will be well rewarded for your effort spent combining the unique ingredients.
You’ll want to go and purchase some cumin seeds, not ground cumin for this recipe. Don’t worry that you’ll have some weird unusable spice left over. You’ll be making this potpie again.
Green chilies are not that spicy, but add a dimension of flavor you don’t usually find in barbeque or chili.
Instead of barbeque sauce, this recipe calls for chili sauce. Bottled barbeque sauce could take you many directions, but the straight-forward taste of chili sauce means this dish is consistent and delicous every time.
Chocolate is what first drew me to this recipe. Think mole.
And apple cider vinegar. Deglaze your lovely toasted spices with some zingy vinegar.
The other ingredients you’d expect: chicken, onions, garlic, chicken broth. Simmer together and then transfer to a casserole dish and top with the cornbread. Only invite a few friends to the table so that you have plenty left for yourself.
BBQ Chicken Potpie
Tender, shredded chicken in flavorful BBQ sauce topped with three-ingredient cornbread. Green chilies, chili sauce and chocolate are some of the surprise ingredients that make up this delicious barbeque casserole!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup chopped green pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chilies, drained but not rinsed
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast (1 ½lb boneless breast, 2 ½lb bone-in chicken breast)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped or grated
- 1 (12oz) bottle chili sauce
- 1 (14.5oz) can chicken broth
- 1 pkg (8.5oz) Jiffy corn muffin mix
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and then melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion, green pepper and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in green chilies, cumin and coriander and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in vinegar and scrape skillet to loosen
browned bits. Add the chicken, brown sugar, chocolate, chili sauce and chicken broth. Cook for 20 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a greased 11x7 baking dish or a 2 ½ quart casserole dish. - Stir together muffin mix, melted butter and milk. Spoon evenly over chicken mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 263Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 291mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 20g
The sides
Mashed potatoes make a great side dish for this homey meal. For something lighter, try mashed or riced cauliflower along with Sauteed Zucchini and Corn.
Do I exaggerate or does this recipe deliver? I’d love to hear your comments!
