Chicken and Spinach Tamale Pie

I have given you many explanations of how much I love Latin food! I typically talk about Mexican food, but I promise you, I love El Salvadorian just the same. Pupusas and Tamales are life changers for me...don’t get me started on the black beans and yellow rice! Sitting here thinking about it takes me back to the block. Saturday mornings consisted of me getting up to make sure I did not miss the Tamale Lady so I could grab one on my way to school (YUP! I was that nerd.). If I was lucky enough to get a ride, my mom’s whole car would smell of chicken smothered in green sauce or spicy pork in a red sauce, or cheese and chilies! Trying not to burn myself from the steam coming off the corn husk, while my mother sped down the street was an art I proudly mastered. Well, that and trying not to be put out the car because I was not trying to share with her and because I was being a smartass about it. Oh, the memories!
When we couldn’t wait to the end of the week, Momma would make a tamale pie. “It’s the same thing,” she would claim—but it wasn’t. She would use corn meal, so it was more like stuffed cornbread. The consistency was not the same, thus, it did not hit the taste spot. I was not a fan, until this past week when I found Rachel Ray’s recipe—the polenta made all the difference!

Money Matters
I spent about $20 to make 8 servings, which comes out to $2.50/serving. Adding the rice and beans would make it $27 for 4 full meals (with 4 servings of pie left over), thus $6.75/serving.

#ROGUElyfe

I used a whole can of tomato paste because I did not want to waste it or store it-- just being honest.
I added spinach because I add veggies to everything, and y’all know this. I used frozen because I had a bit left on hand.
Since I used chicken for the filling, I used chicken stock instead of beef. I then used the beef stock in the polenta with water since I did not have enough for the full recipe...it all worked out!
I did not use the broiler, because I knew I wouldn’t watch the pie closely. So I popped it into the oven. This will change the consistency because the heat will bake the pie as a whole instead of just the top. So I got a more firm pie, instead of a cobbler.

My Take
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp seeded chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus a couple spoonfuls of sauce
1 tbsp ground cumin (a scant palmful)
1 tbsp coriander (a scant palmful)
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup tomato paste
1 ½ cup frozen spinach
1 bottle Mexican beer (12 ounces), such as Negra Modelo
1 cup chicken stock
¾ cup beef stock
¾ cup water
1 ½ cup soy milk
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
2 tbsp butter
1 generous tbsp honey
1 ½ cup shredded colby jack cheese

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and brown. Add the onion, garlic, chipotle, adobo sauce, cumin, coriander, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes to soften the bits of onion. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more, then add the spinach to cook for another minute. Add the beer and scrape up the drippings. Add the chicken stock and heat through to combine the flavors. If you are using an oven safe skillet, leave the tamale filling in it. If you are not, transfer the filling to a pie pan.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Heat the beef stock, water and milk to a boil, then whisk in the polenta and cook until thick, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the butter and honey and season with salt and coarse black pepper. Spread the thick polenta in an even layer over the tamale filling. Top the polenta with cheese and bake until the cheese is browned and the edges are not bubbling, about 10minutes.

I made some spanish rice and black beans, you know...to fill the plate a bit more :)

Take it out the oven when done and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Slice up the pie, serve, and enjoy!

Happy Cooking Y’all :)