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!
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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
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.
Tina says
Okay it say sweetener. Does that mean I can use stevia?
Karly Campbell says
I use Lakanto Monkfruit. You can use whatever you like, but you’ll want a 1:1 sugar replacement.
Kiristie F says
https://www.food.com/recipe/red-chili-sauce-to-be-used-with-traditional-tamales-15301
This is the Enchilada sauce I am using in my tamale pie. I hope you enjoy it too.
Missy says
Does the nutrition info include avocado, etc for topping?
Karly Campbell says
No, it doesn’t.
Tina says
Hello, can you make the corn bread with almond flour instead of coconut? Do you think there would be a flavor difference?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Tina! I’m sure that you could, but not without some adjustments. Coconut flour soaks up much more liquid than almond flour, so you’d probably need somewhere around 3-4x the amount of almond flour or less liquid. The flavor would likely be a bit different as well as the texture.
Chad says
Hey. If I meal prep and leave in fridge, how should I re heat?
Karly Campbell says
We always reheat in the microwave.
Amber says
Made this tonight and we all enjoyed it. I didn’t know if I’d like it when I was making it. But I was surprised. I only used 1 tablespoon of sugar substitute. I didn’t want it to be too sweet. I will make this again.
Kim says
Loved it! I didn’t have the green chili’s but made it anyway. I do want to try it with almond flour too. It had more coconut flavor than I expected but still was awesome!!
Annette says
This was incredibly delicious! And so easy to make. I was concerned about the crust, because as I would poke it felt mushy. It tasted great once everything was done. It wasn’t too soft like I feared.
I made a few substitutions, because of what I had in the pantry or fridge. I used Pepper Jack instead of cheddar and canned jalapeños instead of green chilies. I did not notice a difference in heat, but I did remove the seeds.
I made an enchilada sauce from another blog. It reheated beautifully. I topped it with a little guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro. Mixing it up made it taste like cornbread dressing. I tagged you on Instagram, BTW.
Karly Campbell says
So glad it turned out for you, Annette! Sounds like amazing swaps. Thanks for sharing on Insta! 🙂
Brooke says
This looks great!!! If I double the recipe could I use a 9×13 pan? I really need to make more.
Karly Campbell says
I’ve not tried doubling this one, so I’m not sure how well it will work.
Geeklektic says
I just doubled it and it rises pretty well- almost too well. We thought there was too much breading in it.
Sherry says
This is one of the best low carb dishes I’ve served in quite some time I made no substitutions, but I did babe my cornbread until it was completely done. I just didn’t feel like mushy cornbread would mimic a tamale…but who knows lol.
Sherry says
Boy, I should’ve proof read that
Karly Campbell says
Glad you enjoyed!
Lynn says
I’m never sure in these recipes when it calls for the sugar substitute is it actually 2 tbsp or the equivalent of 2 tbsp?
Karly Campbell says
It’s the measurement of the sweetener, not the equivalent.
Beth says
I tried this tonight and used just 1 tablespoon of sweetener. I
I found even that to be too sweet. However, overall I really liked the recipe and will make it again without the sweetener.
Rhonda says
Tried last night. Little sweeter than I expected but was good otherwise. I found an enchilada sauce with the name of La Victoria that has only 3 carbs.
Lynda says
I was so excited to try this last night. Unfortunately, hubby and I were not a fan. It was a little to mushy for us. We ended up scraping the chicken and cheese off the top.
Karly Campbell says
Sorry to hear that, Lynda. It may have needed to bake a bit longer or it may just not be the right recipe for you. It definitely is a bit wet. 🙂
Maggie Martin says
Made this for dinner last night, it was great!
Picky husband ate it and took a 2nd helping! From him that is great praise.
Thanks for this one, will make it again, oh…HE says he wants the leftovers (not much) for
lunch today. WOW
Maggie
Karly Campbell says
Yay! Love it when the picky eaters enjoy dinner too! 🙂
Karen says
Can you substitute almond flour for the coconut flour?
Karly Campbell says
You’d have to adjust the amount. I haven’t tried it myself.
Iris Contreras says
Yes girl, just did it myself. 1 c almond flour per each 1/4 c coconut flour….in this recipe case, i used 2 cups almond flour
Lucy Rubi says
I must try this! But I’ll use my homemade chile (chee-leh) sauce. I only use Barker’s chile pods from Hatch, New Mexico. They come in mild, medium, hot, & extra hot. Each pod has 6 carbs g 3 grams of fiber.
10 pods, stems removed
5 garlic cloves
3-4 c. broth or water
Salt to taste
Soak the pods to soften. Place in blender, add 3 cups of liquid, garlic, & salt. Blend on high & only add more liquid if needed. It should be like a thin gravy but not watery. If too coarse, strain the chile. There’s your sauce. ¡Eso sí!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Kathy H says
Mexican food is my favorite also! And Tamale Pie is close to the top of the list when it comes to Mexican food so this makes me happy! I almost wish I didn’t have dinner all ready to go tonight so i could try it out. Tomorrow tho. Really looks & sounds good, thanks!
Karly Campbell says
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Robin says
OMGsh! I can’t wait to try this! We should take stock in Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña because we literally put Cholula on EVERYTHING. LOL!
Karly Campbell says
Yesss! 🙂
Maggie Martin says
Hi Karly!
Haven’t made this but it’s what for dinner tonite!
Looks yummy, adding a few chopped/sliced black olives.
Have a great day
Maggie
Karly Campbell says
Hope you love it!