Easy Chicken Tamale Casserole

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Every Christmas we have tamales as a tradition but I could eat them every week. I never pass up someone selling tamales outside a grocery store. I love beef, pork, chicken and jalapeno cheese tamales. Tamales are a dish of seasoned meat wrapped in masa and steamed in corn husks. I've made tamales before, but they're very time consuming especially, on a weeknight. However, tamale casserole has become a family favorite in my household. You can call this comfort food a casserole or a tamale pie, doesn't matter. The options are endless. It can be made from beef, turkey, chicken, and you can use chile verde sauce instead of red enchilada sauce. This chicken tamale casserole is oozing with cheese and sauce, it's sure to become a frequent winter meal in your household. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend divided.
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8 ounce) box corn muffin mix
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

Toppings (Optional):

• Cilantro - chopped and liberally sprinkled on top.
• Avocado 
• Jalapeno
• Black olives
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 1/4 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, cream corn, muffin mix, and green chiles in a large bowl. Pour mixture in a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Bake for 15 minutes until set. Pour enchilada sauce on top. Top with chicken and sprinkle with cheese covering it. You can add as much cheese as you like. I personally also like to sprinkle on Monterey jack. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into individual pieces. Top each pieces with the toppings of your choice.