Buffalo Chicken Cornbread Casserole

I threw myself a graduation party yesterday. I just finished up my C.A.G.S. and wanted to celebrate. Really I just wanted an excuse to have a party! Anyway, I don't cook. I mean I NEVER cook. It isn't that I can't cook, I just don't. I don't really see the point of cooking for one, nor do I really have time during the week. So, since I was having people over I thought I'd attempt to be a good little hostess and make some home cooked grub for the party.

On the menu were a couple super easy dishes. These really aren't recipes, just store bought mixes with enhancements. I made sweet and sour meatballs. Though "made" is a very loose definition of what I did. I bought a package of frozen swedish meatballs and dumped them in the crockpot. I added a bottle of chili sauce and a jar of grape jelly, then turned the crockpot on low for 4 hours. Done. That simple, and they are quite tasty.

I also "made" jambalaya. Cut up three bell peppers, two onions, three beef kielbasas. Sautéed in olive oil and put in large pot. Add two boxes jambalaya mix and one box of red beans and rice. Added 8 cups of water and however much olive olive the box called for. Normally a make a smaller batch and kick the spice up with some added seasoning and hot sauce, but I wasn't sure if everyone would like the level of spice I like. Top with shredded cheese and/or diced tomato and enjoy.

The only things I actually really made were the mini Oreo cheesecakes I had made for a party back in December (see an older post for more details on the first time I made them) and a buffalo chicken cornbread casserole. Someone at work had mention this recipe in passing and it sounded good so I went searching the inter-webs to find it. I found a couple different versions and sort of picked the parts that sounded the best and combined them. Here's my pilfered recipe (it's essentially Rachael Ray's with some Betty Crocker modifications--chicken breast instead of thighs, corn in the topping, chopped green onions).

Ingredients:

• Olive oil (for browning chicken and sautéing veggies)

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

• Salt and pepper

• 1 onion

• 2 carrots

• 2 stalks of celery

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 3 tablespoons of butter

• 3 tablespoons of flower

• 2 cups of chicken stock

• 1/4 cup of hot sauce

• 1 box of cornbread mix

• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

• 1 can cream style corn

• 1 egg

Directions:

• Cut up into bite size pieces and brown 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (use olive oil in pan and season with salt and pepper). Put chicken aside.

• Cut up and sauté 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and 2 cloves of garlic.

• Once veggies are tender push to side of pan.

• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and mix in 3 tablespoons of flour. Cook for about 1 minute.

• Add 2 cups of chicken stock and 1/4 of a cup of hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot Wing sauce and WAY MORE than 1/4 of a cup.

• Add chicken back in and simmer until sauce thickens (about 2-3 minutes) and then pout into casserole pan.

• Mix up a package of cornbread mix according to the directions on the box, except instead of adding milk substitute a can of cream style corn. Also mix in 1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles.

• Cover top of casserole evenly with mixture.

• Bake at around 375-400 for about 20 minutes (filling should be bubbling and cornbread golden brown).

I didn't think a double batch would fit in the pan, but I did make about a 1.5 batch. This recipe was a HUGE hit. Everyone seemed to like it and there was very little left over. Lots of people asked for the recipe so I am considering it a success.

Some things I might think about for next time:

-topping with green onion as a garnish (they did this in one of the recipes online and looked nice. I actually bought green onions but forgot about them!)

-adding in some green chilies for a little more kick (I like the hot)