Recipe

Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Serves: 6

Recipe from Canadian Living’s “Cook of the Year” contest. Caroline Gray of Pointe-Claire, Quebec, won accolades and first place with her Mexican-inspired recipe. Corn flour, which is finer than the usual cornmeal and closer to the texture of all-purpose flour, gives the bread its soft, appealing texture, and is available in most grocery stores.

Ingredients

Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast(s), small
1/2 onion(s), chopped
1 clove garlic
1 sprig cilantro, fresh
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
water, to cover
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup (75 mL) sour cream
6 leaves cilantro

Sauce:

1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) onion(s), diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can canned whole tomatoes
2 chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
1 tsp (5 mL) oregano
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1/4 cup (60 mL) cilantro, fresh, chopped

Corn Spoon Bread:

1/2 cup (125 mL) corn flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) salt
1 egg(s), lightly beaten
1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream
3 tbsp (45 mL) vegetable oil
1 cup (250 mL) creamed corn
3/4 cups (175 mL) extra-old cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread

1 Place chicken, onion, garlic, coriander (cilantro) and salt in a saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 20 minutes.
2 Drain, discarding onion, garlic and coriander. Let cool on cutting board for 10 minutes. Using fingers or 2 forks, shred chicken. Set aside.
3 In separate saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat; fry onion and garlic until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. In blender, purée tomatoes, chipotle peppers and tomato paste; add to onion mixture. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 1 ¾ cups (425 mL), about 35 minutes.
4 Add reserved chicken, oregano and salt; cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in coriander. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
5 Line 8-inch (2 L) square metal cake pan with parchment paper; set aside.
6 Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together corn flour, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream and oil; stir in corn and cheese. Stir into flour mixture until combined. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake in centre of 400°F (200°C) oven until golden and cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan on rack. Cut into 12 triangles.
7 Serve chicken mixture over corn bread. Garnish with avocado, sour cream and coriander leaves.