OK, I’ll admit it – I made a casserole in July. One containing barbecued chicken and vegetables with a light cornbread topping.

We’re baking here in the US – and I don’t mean cookies! It’s been hot since March and everyone is complaining about it. But I finally got my oven clean and I felt sorry for it sitting unused day after day.
I’m not much of a grill-er when it’s 100 degrees; it’s difficult to get excited about stepping out onto the shadeless deck and facing flames.

But there are only so many cold dishes or quick stir fry meals in my arsenal. I knew I would have to make a break for it and finally I did. I turned on the oven. But it was so worth it. And it made a large batch, so the next night (and the next) we heated some in the microwave and it was still delicious.

This is a twist on a few southern favorites. Although I’m not from the South, I do love me some cornbread and BBQ chicken.
Put them together and it’s a perfect pairing. What I really liked was that the cornbread didn’t get soggy, even tho it was baked on top of the chicken. And it had a wonderful bread-like texture.

Ingredients for bottom
2 pounds raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 TBS Olive oil
1 diced onion
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
OR – just use a bag of frozen onions, peppers and celery
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce of your choice.

Directions
Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with nonstick spray – or coat with butter.
Boil the chicken for about 15 minutes until done.
Run the chicken under cold water to cool. Shred it into small pieces.
Pour olive oil into a frying pan and when hot add the vegetables.
Cook until veggies are softened – about 10 minutes on medium heat.
Add the veggies to the bowl of chicken and add the BBQ sauce and mix well.
Pour the BBQ chicken and veggies into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

Ingredients for the cornbread topping
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup milk

Directions for top
Mix eggs, yogurt and milk together and blend well.
Add the flour and other dry ingredients and mix until lumps are gone.
Pour the cornmeal mixture over the BBQ chicken in the baking dish.
Bake until cornbread is done – about 35 – 40 minutes.

Notes:
For extra color, sprinkle paprika or chilli powder on the cornbread before it bakes.
Black olives would be a great addition to the bottom layer and cheese would be fabulous in the bread layer.

I can’t wait to make this chicken and cornbread casserole again in the winter when I’ll appreciate having the oven on and the fragrant smells sifting through the house. But even though it was in the ’90′s, I was very happy I made this – and so was da hubby.