Tamale pie that tastes like the classic tamale casserole, but with ZERO corn and just 8 net carbs per serving! This low carb Mexican recipe is a total hit with my family and it’s perfect for serving up on Mexican night!
I believe I’ve mentioned before that I have a thing for Mexican food. It’s my favorite cuisine!
I often eat taco salads made with my crockpot chicken fajitas for lunch.
When we go out to eat, I nearly always order steak fajitas and ask them to hold the tortillas. I just add the toppings to the tortillas, drizzle on a little queso, and eat it with a fork. So filing and it totally feels like a cheat meal.
Lately, though, I’ve been craving tamales.
I knew that my low carb cornbread (made with ZERO corn) would be the perfect starting point. My family can’t even tell the difference between real cornbread and my low carb version – it’s THAT good.
Ready for the how to?
How to make chicken tamale pie:
To start, we’re going to whip up my ‘corn’ bread recipe.
You’ll need some butter, cream, eggs, coconut flour, sweetener, baking soda, and a little salt. Easy enough, right?
Whisk all that together to form a nice batter.
The batter is fairly thick, but should spread well enough into a greased 9 inch pie plate.
Bake the cornbread for about 15 minutes – it shouldn’t be completely cooked through as it will be going back in the oven, but it should be just about set.
Grab a fork and poke holes all over through the cornbread and drizzle on some enchilada sauce.
You can use a homemade sauce (I’m still perfecting mine, but I’ll share when it’s done!) or you can use a can from the store. I would recommend looking for a brand that has 4 carbs per 1/4 cup…that’s the lowest I’ve found.
Drizzle the enchilada sauce over the cornbread and then top it off with some seasoned chicken.
Add lots of grated cheddar and pop it all back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
What comes out is hot, steamy, cheesy, Mexican goodness. You’re going to love it!
This dish is serious comfort food. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it will make even the carb-lovers happy.
If you guys give this a try, be sure to share on Instagram and tag me @that.low.carb.life! I love seeing your creations!
More Mexican favorites to try:
Low Carb Taco Casserole: I make this one when I’m craving nachos!
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice: Perfect side or for making burrito bowls!
Hasselback Chicken Fajitas: So much fun!
Low Carb Taco Soup: The perfect bowl of soup!
Low Carb Tamale Pie
Tamale pie made with ZERO corn! You won't believe how much this tastes like the real deal! 8 net carbs per serving.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons 1:1 sugar substitute
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, see note
- 2 cups shredded chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Cilantro, hot sauce, sour cream, lime, avocado - for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with non-stick spray.
- Add the melted butter, cream, and eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the green chiles, coconut flour, sugar substitute, salt, and baking soda to the bowl and stir well to combine.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 15 minutes. The cornbread should be just set on top, but still somewhat jiggly in the center.
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the cornbread.
- Drizzle the top of the cornbread with the enchilada sauce.
- Add the cooked chicken and taco seasoning to a bowl and stir to coat.
- Arrange chicken over the top of the cornbread and sprinkle with grated cheddar.
- Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- I used Old El Paso enchilada sauce which has 4 grams carbs per 1/4 cup.
- I drizzle everything Mexican with Cholula - it's my favorite hot sauce.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 580Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 290mgSodium: 1178mgCarbohydrates: 13gNet Carbohydrates: 8gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 31g
Janet says
Can I use regular sugar and regular flour ? And if I do is it the same measurements?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Janet! You can use granulated sugar, but you’ll need to use the flour called for. Wheat flour works differently.
Julia says
This is soooo good!!! Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m in love!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoy the recipe, Julia!
Samara says
The texture was great but I found that I could taste the coconut flavor and it was too sweet despite the spices in the chicken and sauce. I will try it with almond flour per a previous comment but why add the sugar?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Samara! If you swap the coconut flour for almond flour, you’ll need to make other adjustments. The two don’t swap 1:1. We add the sweetener, because we’re used to sweet cornbread. This is a riff on the Jiffy corn casserole and it is also sweet.
Samara Denney says
Thanks Karly! I like sweet cornbread too. My husband absolutely loved this recipe. He said it reminded him of the authentic tamales he had in small town Mexico when he did a job there years ago.
Karly Campbell says
Oh, that’s a big compliment! Thanks, Samara!
Jamie says
I have coconut allergy so I need to use almond flour. You mentioned not a 1:1 swap. What do I change?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Jamie! A general rule of thumb is to use 3x the amount of almond flour than coconut flour, but that doesn’t always work. You may have to play around with the recipe a bit to get things working properly. I haven’t tested it myself.
Pam says
Hi Jamie
Did you ever try the almond flour? If so can you tell me the ratio please.
Dawn Smith says
Can I just cut the sugar? or use honey? My family is not a fan of sugar substitutes
Karly Campbell says
You could just use real sugar, if you’re not watching carbs. Honey has about the same amount of carbs as sugar does. 🙂