As I sit here waiting for the season in WV to start on the 8th I was watching a cooking show off the DVR and they had a recipe on wild duck tamale pie. Thought hmmm, that would work great for an older squirrel not suitable for frying.
I looked and this seems like the recipe closest to what I saw.
http://pinchofyum.com/chicken-tamale-pie . What is not noted here is to do it in cast iron skillet and to preheat the cast iron to 400 for a while and you'll need to pressure cook the squirrels and part them out. I'm sure there's some other tweaks needed and I'll certainly add some onion and green peppers.
Chicken Tamale Pie
Author: Pinch of Yum, adapted from Cooking LightPrep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Serves: 8
Ingredients
1/3 cup fat free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce � I recommend going with an authentic Mexican brand
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup shredded white cheese (I used Raclette � random, I know, but it�s what I had on hand, and it ended up being delicious!)
cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400�.
Combine the first 7 ingredients (milk through green chiles), using just 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a round pie plate (mine was glass) coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 400� for 20-30 minutes.
While cornbread is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning.
When corn is done � it will be just barely set and golden brown � pierce entire surface liberally with a fork (it might stick a little bit to the fork).
Pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 400� for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with cilantro and Cotija cheese.
