Chicken cornbread casserole made with a quick and easy homemade filling is topped with a cornbread crust box mix and baked to perfection.

This post was sponsored by Marie Callenders.

This recipe happened quite by accident. Chicken pot pie is one of our favorite recipes. But dealing with the pie crust is somewhat of hassle. One evening I really wanted to make chicken pot pie but not mess with a crust. My neighbor had recently moved and gave me the contents of her pantry which included a box mix of honey cornbread.

So I whipped up my pot pie filling, mixed up the cornbread and baked it all together. It was magic! There is no worrying whether the crust is soggy, either. Because it's not technically a pot pie, we named Chicken Cornbread Casserole.

Easy Weeknight Cornbread Chicken Casserole Recipe

Make the Filling

The filling for the casserole is made from scratch, but it's super easy. Even if you've never made anything from scratch before, you can handle this. A bag of frozen veggies means you can skip any chopping.

Melt butter in a large pot on the stove over medium high heat. Add onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in bag of frozen vegetables and cook until warmed through and no longer frozen. You can also use frozen diced onions instead of fresh to make this recipe even easier.

You can cook chicken the night you make the casserole, but it's also a great way to use up leftover chicken. Even better, plan ahead and make sure to have leftover chicken. Cook a Slow Cooker Whole Chicken  or Slow Cooker Beer Can Chicken one day and make a casserole within the next week.

Cornbread Topping

Once the filling is done pour it into in a casserole dish. As written, the recipe will easily fit in to a 2 quart dish and will feed 2-3 people. Double it to feed more. You can also bake it in individual ramekins so everyone gets their own casserole. Kids love the individual servings!

Mix up the cornbread mix. We used a 15 oz box of Krusteaz Honey Cornbread mix. The smaller Jiffy mixes can be used, but use at least two boxes. Top the casserole with the prepared cornbread mix by dropping in spoonfuls and gently smooth out.  Bake for about 20 minutes until the cornbread is browned and cooked.

This recipe takes about 15-20 minutes hands on time and another 20 or so minutes to cook so it's pretty quick to make even on a busy weeknight.

Freezing for Later

If you'd like to freeze this, we suggest making the filling and freezing that. Warm up on the stove and add cornbread to bake.

Gluten Free Option

Yes you can make this gluten free! Substitute a gluten free flour in the filling and use a gluten free cornbread mix for the top.

Recipe Variations

Chicken Cornbread Casserole has been our top recipe for years! It's been pinned almost half a million times on Pinterest.  Many of our readers have made and love this casserole. Find some of their ideas and suggestions below.

• Add a can of chopped green chilis to the cornbread for a little kick.
• Add a can of creamed corn to the cornbread mix before baking.
• Add 1 tablespoon of honey in the Jiffy cornbread mix.
• Use your favorite homemade corn bread recipe instead of a box.
• Use whipping cream instead of milk.
• Make gluten free by using gluten free cornbread and flour for the filling.
• Add a can of cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup to the filling.
• Add mushrooms to the filling.
• Chop up 6 baked chicken thighs for the chicken.
• Use turkey instead of chicken.
• Triple the recipe to make a 9 x 13 pan to feed a crowd.

Cornbread Casserole Recipe

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Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in to cubes OR 2 cups cooked chicken in bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 box cornbread mix (1 large or 2 small) prepared according to directions on box

Instructions

1. If cooking chicken: heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Add cubed chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Drain chicken from the pot and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large pot on the stove over medium high heat. Add onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in bag of frozen vegetables and cook until warmed through and no longer frozen.
3. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
4. Whisk in chicken broth about 1/2 cup at a time to avoid lumps. Once all the chicken broth is added, add in the milk and whisk to combine. Allow mixture cook for a few minutes to thicken. Stir in cooked chicken and cook for another minute or so until the entire mixture is hot. Remove from heat.
5. Pour the mixture in to a 9 x 9 square baking pan orany baking dish similar in size.
6. Top the mixture with the prepared cornbread mix, smoothing the mix out to cover the top of the pie.
7. Bake according to the directions on the cornbread mix. My mix said to bake at 400 degrees for 22-26 minutes. Make sure to bake long enough so that the bottom of the cornbread bakes through.
8. Once the bread is done, remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 75 Total Fat: 2g Carbohydrates: 11g Protein: 3g

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Marie Callender's. The opinions and text are all mine.