One of Rachael Ray's family faves

BBQ Sloppy Chicken Pan Pizza
Rachael Ray's Book of 10 Copyright 2009

2 boxes corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy brand, 8 1/2 ounces each
2 eggs
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) for the pan

2 Tablespoons EVOO (twice around the pan)
1 lb ground chicken breast
3 garlic cloves- pressed through a garlic press
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
salt
black pepper
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce I used some tomato paste
3 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 sack (10 ounces) shredded Cheddar Cheese I used about 5-6 ounces of cheddar/jack
3 scallions, chopped
2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or cilantro, your preference I omitted this

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 packages of corn muffin mix with the eggs, melted butter and milk. Stir in the corn. Drizzle some EVOO into a large nonstick skillet with an oven safe handle and wipe it around the pan with a folded paper towel. (Wrap the hande in a double layer of foil if it has a plastic or rubber handle). Pour in the batter, place the pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until the cornbread becomes light golden in color, 12 to 15 minutes.

Place a second skillet over medium-high heat and add the 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Add the chicken and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once the chicken has crumbled and begins to brown, add the garlic, onions, and bell peppers and season with salt and pepper, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the Worchestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and brown sugar. Stire to combine and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the cornbread sets up and begins to brown. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Remove the cornbread from the oven and cover it with sloppy chicken mixture, then sprinkle with the cheese. Put the pan back in the hot oven and cook for 5 minutes longer to set the toppings and melt the cheese. Top with scallions and chopped parsley or cilantro and serve from the skillet, cutting the pizza into 8 wedges. (or some other shape)
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This recipe was in the 'family favorites' section of this Rachael Ray cookbook so I knew it had good potential. I had one hiccup - I had no tomato sauce. I used tomato paste and I believe that was a good choice since it might have been too soupy with tomato sauce.

While it was very good, I think this could be made with one box of corn muffin mix. It was a bit carb-heavy. Also, I would make it in a baking dish and forgo the hassle of covering the skillet handles if I make this again. It's not like I managed to get it out of the pan in a wedge anyway (although after it cooled a bit, it was easier to extract a true wedge from this).

The recipe was a bit confusing. It doesn't give a total time for the crust except to cook until light golden (12-15 minutes) and then start the chicken mixture and when you're done with that, the crust will be brown. Well, I wasn't taking any chances that I would finish the chicken before the crust got too brown. I made the chicken mixture earlier in the day and I just heated it up while the corn 'crust' baked, which did take quite a while (another good reason to downsize to one box of corn muffin mix).

So I said I was going to plan better so I didn't have as much cooking to do on the weekend yet I spent most of yesterday (a holiday) in the kitchen. The freezer has gotten quite bare which makes meal planning a bit harder. I cobbled the week's menu together and then realized it was more work than I would have liked but it was too late. I really didn't mind it this time but I need to plan better in the future.

I will add this to my ground chicken recipe round-up.

Question of the Day: Can you name one of your own personal family favorites? It's hard to think of something that all four of us really love but Sweet-Sour Stew is one that comes to mind.