Tasteful Tuesday

Sorry about no post last week. I wanted to find a fun valentine dinner to post but didn't have anything that really fit what I was looking for. I also hadn't made anything super spectacular. This week though I made at least 2 meals that were a hit. This was the first one. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it. I mentioned in my notes below that it is a bit spicy (and gave some suggestions to help with that) but the dressing was great for just dipping veggies in later in the week. Also, check the recipe blog later this week for several new desserts (an apple cake and strawberry brunch bread) that were very tastey!
Chicken Taco Cornbread Wedges
Dressing:
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup diced tomatoes with green chiles (or salsa verde)
1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems

Filling:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 Tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper (I used the bottled kind)
2 cups shredded chicken (could use rotissere or canned if you're in a hurry)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes with green chiles

Crust:
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Martha White cornbread mix
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup crushed corn chips

Topping:
1/2 cup each mozarella and cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Mix dressing ingredients together in blender and process until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat oil in cast iron skillet. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno (if using the bottled ones, add when you add the chicken) and cook until tender. Add in chicken, spices, and canned tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and wipe clean. Regrease the skillet.
Mix egg, cornbread mix, and milk until well blended. Place corn chips on bottom of skillet and top with cornbread mix. Spoon the chicken mixture over the cornbread and sprinkle with cheeses.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cut into wedges. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing.
Recipe Source: Picky Palate
My Notes:
This was a bit spicy for my kids so my suggestions to tone it down would be to buy the smaller cans of diced tomatoes and get one can with the green chiles and one without. You could also leave out the jalapeno. The original recipe called for 1 (7oz) package of Martha White sweet yellow cornbread mix but I couldn't find it. I found a larger bag of the white cornbread mix and just adjusted my recipe for that...I would assume that any cornbread mix would work as long as you have about 7 oz. Also, since I have a glass stove top, I didn't use my cast iron skillet to cook the vegetables and chicken mixture. I just used a regular skillet and then put it in my cast iron skillet to bake. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, just use a round cake pan.