Some nights you just need something warm, comforting, and easy to help melt off the stresses of the day, like a big bowl of chili. And maybe some cornbread, too, for good measure. This easy Chili Cornbread Skillet has all the comfort of a pot of chili, with homemade cornbread baked right on top to avoid excess dishes. Oh, and I hid a layer of gooey cheddar cheese between the chili and cornbread, too. Because cheese makes everything better!🧀
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What Kind of Skillet Should I Use?
You’ll want a deep, 4-quart skillet for this recipe. I used my 10″ 4-quart Oxo stainless steel skillet for this recipe. If needed, you could also use a smaller wide soup pot or Dutch oven. Using an oven safe skillet or pot is the best option, but read on if you do not own an oven safe skillet or pot.
What if I Don’t Have an Oven Safe Skillet?
If you only own teflon skillets, skillets with plastic handles, or skillets that have other non-safe parts, you can still make this recipe. Simply let the chili simmer in your skillet or pot while you make the cornbread, and then transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish before topping with the cornbread batter and baking.
Can I Add Meat to the Chili Cornbread Skillet?
Absolutely! I made a vegetarian version this time around because it’s quite cost effective and it makes the meal more pantry-staple friendly, but you can always add meat if you have it on hand or prefer your chili con carne. Simply replace one can of beans with one pound ground beef or turkey. Brown the meat in the skillet before adding the onion, garlic, and jalapeño in the beginning.
Meal Prep and Freezer Friendly
This Chili Cornbread Skillet holds up extremely well in the refrigerator, and is also freezer friendly. As with any meal prep recipe, make sure to divide the dish into single serving portions right after cooking and get it into the refrigerator as soon as possible, so it cools quickly. Once cooled, the chili cornbread will keep in the refrigerator for about four days, or can be transferred to the refrigerator and kept frozen for about 3 months. You can see some of my favorite meal prep containers here.
Chili Cornbread Skillet
Servings 6Ingredients
Chili
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 jalapeño (optional) ($0.15)
- 1 15oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($0.89)
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.39)
- 3 15oz. cans beans (kidney, pinto, black) ($2.67)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.30)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar ($0.85)
Cornbread
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal ($0.24)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.15)
- 1/4 cup sugar ($0.20)
- 4 tsp baking powder ($0.24)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 cup milk ($0.31)
- 1 large egg ($0.23)
- 1/4 cup cooking oil ($0.16)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Slice the jalapeño lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and then dice the pepper. Add the cooking oil, onion, garlic, and jalapeño to a large 4-quart oven safe skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Drain the canned beans then add them to the skillet with the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and water. Stir to combine.
- Allow the chili to come up to a simmer. Let the chili continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, as you prepare the cornbread topping.
- Begin to preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until very well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and oil. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the cornmeal mixture and stir just until everything is moistened.
- Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over top of the simmering chili. Carefully pour the cornbread batter over the chili and cheese, and spread it around until the surface is evenly covered.
- Transfer the skillet to the fully preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown on the surface. To serve, simply scoop the cornbread and chili beneath onto a plate or bowl, and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love chili? Check out my Simple Homemade Chili recipe with tons of ways to customize the flavors to make it your own!
How to Make Chili Cornbread Skillet – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Slice the jalapeño lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a spoon, then dice the remaining pepper. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to a skillet with 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
Drain three 15 oz. cans of beans (any combo of kidney, black bean, or pinto—I used two black beans, one kidney). Add the beans to the skillet along with one 15 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, one 6 oz. can of tomato paste, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine. Allow the chili to come up to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer the chili, stirring occasionally, as you prepare the cornbread batter.
Begin preheating the oven to 425ºF. Combine 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Stir until they are very well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup milk, 1 large egg, and 1/4 cup cooking oil. Pour the bowl of whisked wet ingredients into the bowl with the cornmeal mixture and stir just until the batter is combined (don’t over stir).
Before adding the cornbread batter to the chili, sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheddar over the surface of the chili.
Carefully spread the cornbread batter over the surface of the hot chili, making sure to spread from edge to edge.
Bake the Chili Cornbread Skillet in the fully preheated 425ºF oven for about 25 minutes, or until the top of the cornbread is golden brown.
To serve, simply scoop the cornbread and chili beneath out of the skillet and onto a plate or bowl.
COMFORT FOOD.
This was delicious! I didn’t think there was enough room for the cornbread in my 10in Lodge, so I put everything in a 2.5 qt round casserole dish. I was still a little leery, but it all fit perfectly. I will definitely make this again.
Yes! Thanks for this, I was looking for an alternative since I don’t have a skillet. Might use two glass pie plates and save the other one for another day.
Mine took a lot longer to cook. It was still gooey in the middle after 25 min. I put foil over the top and cooked 10 more min hoping it wouldn’t burn on the top. It was a little dry but mixed with everything it was still pretty good.
This was fantastic! I tweaked it a bit because I had leftover bacon. I chopped the bacon, sauteed it until crispy, removed it to a paper towel-lined plate, and then sauteed the veggies in the bacon fat. I added the bacon back in with the seasonings.
Hi!
This recipe looks great. Do you know if it’s possible to make it gluten-free? My husband is Coeliac.
Thank you!
I wish I knew, but unfortunately I’m very inexperienced when it comes to gluten free cooking.
I used gluten free corn bread mix :-)
I just use Pamela’s Baking Mix for the flour in any recipe that is not gluten free and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. My family is Celiac and eats Gluten Free. Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix and Bread Mix is THE BEST OF GLUTEN FREE FLOURS!
Do you have to use fire roasted tomatoes? They are tricky to find. :)
You don’t have to, although they add a little bit of smoky flavor. They’re fairly common in major grocery stores these days (right next to all the other diced tomatoes).
Ridiculously delicious – I could eat this every day for the rest of my life.
How would you suggest reheating this? My SO and I loved this for dinner last night so we are just going to eat the leftovers for dinner tonight.. and I figured it would probably reheat well in the oven rather than the microwave?
Any suggestions on temp/time?
Try 350, and maybe cover it with foil so that the cornbread doesn’t get too dry or brown on top. :) I have no idea how long, though, because that will depend on your dish, how much is left in there, etc.
I didn’t get your reply in time so I just tried what I thought would work.. 375, 25 minutes with foil on and 5 with foil off for anyone wanting to know :)
Thanks, I was just wondering the same thing. Having my leftovers tonight! Love this recipe!!
Thanks for this — I came here to scroll through comments and find out how to reheat!
So good! I didn’t have cornmeal on hand, so I just used a box of jiffy. I also added a dash of vinegar to the chili (… because everything tastes better with a bit of vinegar no? ;). But so good! I’m never making plain chili again. Thanks for sharing :D
This is my favorite recipe ever! I double the cheese, 2 cups is just right.
I make this in a Dutch oven over a campfire! Super delicious, it’s always a hit!
Oh. My. WOW. I’m working on slashing our grocery budget to pay down debt, and came across your website through Pinterest last week. I assembled a list of recipes for the first half of June, and this was the first I made last night. LOVE. I used ground turkey (already had some in the freezer) and it was fantastic. We brought leftovers as our lunch today, and my husband text me and said, “You were right, this does get better overnight. Holy crap this stuff is good!” He also asked for it to be put on regular rotation for my meal plan (thank you, ZipList!). Tonight is One Pot Stroganoff, and I can’t wait!
Awesome! I’m glad you found your way here :)
Am I crazy or did this recipe used to have sweet potato in it? It’s one of the first recipes I made from your site, and I remember sweet potatoes! I have to thank you for helping me learn to cook. When I got pregnant with my 1st, I became a stay at home mom on a budget and needed the pictures to guide me!
Haha, you had me wondering for a second, too… then I remembered this Vegetable Tamale Casserole, which is pretty much the same concept, and has sweet potatoes in it. :)
Fun fact: I made this for a potluck-style gathering at the home of an acquaintance, and received rave reviews. Unfortunately the host came down with a nasty case of encephalitis shortly afterward, and spent several days in a coma, though he is now recovering nicely.
Anyway, I ran into him this week. He couldn’t remember my name, but he did remember this dish. Thanks for such a memorable recipe!
Ha! That’s amazing. And I’m glad he’s okay :)
I made this last night and my husband and I loved it!
We loved it! I used ground turkey plus one can of kidney beans. Also skipped the jalapeño since I used fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles and was feeling lazy.
I’ve made and enjoyed many recipes from your blog, and the honey wheat biscuits from your cookbook are a family favorite. Thanks so much!!