There are some people whose taste in products I trust unconditionally. Some are bloggers, but most are real life friends who know what I like and suggest things that they think I’d enjoy. Since there are a few grocery stores near us that tend to have even the most obscure products, I tend to go out and find them to try on my own.
Sometimes though, that are either not here yet or local to other areas. When my friend Jessica emailed me to tell me specifically about this wonderful salsa, White Girl Salsa, she’d tried in California, I immediately went to their website to find where to buy it. AND IT WAS NOWHERE around here. NOWHERE! I then emailed the company to find out where I could find it, as I’m a food blogger and was dying to try it, and the owner of the company emailed me back offering me two kinds to try and use in recipes. (That’s right FTC, it was free and I’m under no obligation to write this review.)
I did a bit of research on the company website, and why it was called “White Girl Salsa”, and laughed at the reason. Julie, the owner, writes: Why the name, White Girl Salsa? Before living in Colorado I was very close with a Hispanic family and attended all their family gatherings. I was the token white girl. One holiday, I was invited to add my bowl of homemade salsa to those crafted by the women of the family who made wonderful, authentic red salsa. My green, tomatillo salsa was immediately devoured and the family lovingly dubbed it “White Girl Salsa” in the fun spirit of our close relationship.
Tonight’s recipe was inspired by one of my old favorites, Tamale Pie, but it had a few, ok a ton of changes. The main change was this:
That’s the White Girl Salsa hot salsa which was indeed quite hot, but had such an amazing roasty flavor that I couldn’t NOT use it in my recipe. The heat was lovely too, it burned and lingered, but wasn’t so hot that I couldn’t taste the complex flavor of the salsa.
White Girl Chicken Tamale Casserole
Ingredients
1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into large pieces
1 can no-salt-added corn, NOT drained
2 c. yellow cornmeal
2 1/4 c. water
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (or other tomatoes with chilis)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Place the chicken in a small pot (I used a 2.5 qt. saucepan) and add salsa and corn. Cover and simmer on low heat about 40 minutes until the chicken easily shreds. Shred the meat using 2 forks and stir well to incorporate all the flavors together. Mix water and cornmeal in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high power for 3-5 minutes, stirring every minute until thickened but still spreadable. Spread cornmeal mixture in the bottom of a 9″x13″ pan. Top with the chicken, then chili powder, then Ro-Tel tomatoes. Top with cheese and bake at 400* until bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream.
Adam says that this recipe surpasses any other tamale pie I’ve ever made! The heat and complexity of the salsa, the sweetness of the corn and cornmeal crust, and the sharp cheddar made this a completely decadent-tasting Mexican feast for very little caloric damage. Now, you may be wondering where the individual serving pictures are. I had every intent of showing you the lovely layered slice of casserole, and then this happened:
That was Adam’s slice. Sort of nice looking. Mine? Notsomuch…
My little salad plate destroyed the slice! Oh well, it was delicious! I highly recommend you seek out White Girl Salsa in your area, or order some online. You won’t be disappointed! And, you all know me… I don’t recommend a product if I really think it stinks. This is truly good stuff from a truly great company, and I love supporting and promoting good people!
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Have a great night!
Tagged as:
cheese,
chicken,
fun,
recipe,
simple recipe,
White Girl Salsa
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I am ashamed to say I have never had a tamale, but I hear that I’m really missing out. I NEED one!! That salsa looks awesome!
Mmmm….I love salsa….especially hot ones. I’ll have to check that one out!
.-= Melissa (MelissaLikesToEat)´s last blog ..137.2 =-.
Two words:
HOLY YUM.
Hahahaha!
Amazing recipe, Maya!
Have a great week!
Brazilian XOXO´s,
Gabriela
.-= Gabriela (froyolover)´s last blog ..Don´t Get Me Wrong =-.
OMG I AM STARRING THIS RECIPE! yum yum!
.-= janetha´s last blog ..odds & ends. =-.
YUM! That looks fabulous. I have had tamales every single Christmas of my life. My mom’s from New Mexico and anything slightly reminiscent of a tamale makes me think of that amazing annual meal. Thanks for sharing, Mara.
I would absolutely love that casserole. Especially with more hot sauce and some sour cream. YUM YUM! Bookmarking!
.-= Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat)´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Huevos =-.
Girl, you have some of the BEST mexican recipes!!!
The salsa sounds pretty awesome too!
.-= Lauren´s last blog ..Back to a Week of Normalcy =-.
Droooooooool. That casserole looks SO good! I’ve been craving Mexican lately and this just piqued my palate.
Jenn
.-= Jenn (www.j3nn.net)´s last blog ..Forks and Swoons =-.
SAVE SAVE SAVE!! This looks fabulous!
.-= Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly´s last blog ..Morning Monday! =-.
Sounds delicious! I love caserols… because of their leftovers
looks great, thanks for sharing!
Wow this looks amazing and I love spicy!
Oh wow that looks good!