Chicken Pot Pie in a Bacon Cornbread Bowl

Ingredients

FOR CORNBREAD:

½ lb. bacon

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 can (14.75 ounces) creamed corn

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon pickled jalapeño peppers, minced

1 teaspoon Kosher salt ½ cup sugar

2 packages (7 oz. each) Martha White Sweet Yellow Cornbread & Muffin Mix

1/4 cup fresh chives, diced

 

FOR FILLING:

½ lb. bacon

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup baby carrots

4 ounces cremini mushrooms

1 medium red onion

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups half and half

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon fresh tarragon

1 cup green peas

1 tablespoon salted butter

 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

2 mixing bowls

1 whisk

1 flexible rubber spatula

2 10.25 inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillets

1 8 inch round cake pan

1 bag (16 oz) dry beans (any kind, for blind baking)

1 sheet pan

1 silicone pastry brush

Directions

FOR CORNBREAD:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Roughly chop bacon and fry in 10.25 inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet until crisp (about 5 minutes). Set aside on paper towel lined plate.

3. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease into a large bowl.

4. Whisk the eggs, then add them, the sour cream and creamed corn to the bowl with the bacon grease and mix together until thoroughly incorporated.

5. Add the cheddar cheese & pickled jalapeño peppers and mix thoroughly to combine.

6. Chop bacon finer and add to the mix.

7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

8. Using a pastry brush, distribute the bacon grease that’s left in the cast iron skillet up the sides, as well as the bottom and sides of the cake pan.

9. Fill the cast iron skillet with the corn muffin batter and press the cake pan 3/4 of the way down into the corn muffin mix. Then fill the cake pan with the beans (to keep it weighed down).

10. Place in the center of the oven and bake 15 minutes.

11. Remove the pie pan and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until edges are beautifully browned.

12. Remove from the oven and if the pie pan had lifted a bit, not leaving enough room for all the filling, don’t worry. Simply spoon out some of the center until the depression is about 2/3 of the way through the cornbread.

 

FOR FILLING:

1. While the bacon for the cornbread is cooking, rub chicken with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper & 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and bake in the pre-heated 425 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until juices run clear and chicken is 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Allow to rest 5 minutes, then chop roughly and set aside.

2. While chicken and cornbread cook, use the second 10.25 inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet to cook the remaining bacon until almost crisp.

3. Remove all but about 1 teaspoon of bacon and set aside.

4. Cook that teaspoon of bacon another minute of so until crisp. Set aside

5. Thinly slice the carrots, mushrooms and onions and add to the rendered bacon fat in the skillet. Cook over medium heat until softened (about 5 minutes). Add 2 tablespoons minced garlic and continue to cook 2 more minutes.

6. Deglaze the skillet with chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.

7. Add the 1/2 and 1/2 and bring to a boil.

8. Stir in remaining salt, remaining pepper, nutmeg and hot sauce.

9. Make a slurry out of the cornstarch and water and add to the pan. Bring to a boil to allow the sauce to thicken.

10. Fold in the chicken, chewy bacon, tarragon and peas.

11. Bring up to a simmer to heat the chicken and bacon through.

 

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Pour filling into cornbread and sprinkle with the reserved crisp bacon and chives.

2. Cut into 6 evenly sized slices and enjoy!