There is nothing bad about a homemade tamale… except maybe the work they take, what with the soaking of the husks and the wrapping and the steaming. That deliciousness is always well worth the effort, but good news – this Chile Verde Chicken Tamale Casserole gives you the same amazing flavor with much less work. And don’t go thinking this is like any old tamale pie that uses a box of cornbread mix. It’s not – it uses actual masa harina and a saucy green chile chicken filling for authentic flavor with very little effort.

This is a layered affair with complex flavor and one of the keys to that is simmering the chicken in the green enchilada sauce and cilantro while you work on the masa to really lock in all that flavor. If you haven’t worked with masa harina before, it’s cornmeal that’s been soaked in calcium hydroxide and then ground very fine. It has a unique flavor, so if you just use regular cornmeal, you’ll be missing something. Try to get the real thing! The masa is mixed with butter, chicken broth, and green chiles until it forms a thick paste that you spread into a baking dish, top with the chicken filling, and another layer of masa.

And of course, there’s cheese too! Just enough Monterey Jack to make this into true comfort food, but not enough to overwhelm the dish. And it’s quite a dish – zesty and packed with true tamale flavor but not a bunch of trouble to make.