BBQ Chicken Cornbread Skillet

When trying to eat healthy, there are certain things that I’ve cut out of my diet that I’m okay with and some foods that I miss… like cornbread (or honestly, any kind of bread!).

I don’t feel like you should have to give up everything you love, it’s more about finding healthier ways to enjoy those things.

This BBQ Chicken Cornbread Skillet is so good you would think it couldn’t be healthy… but with changing up some ingredients here and there, you get the tastes you love only in a lower calorie dish (only 265 calories a slice!).

It actually took making this a couple times to get it just right… On the first try I used way too much BBQ sauce and it made the dish low in calories, but super high in carbs (namely sugar). Now, don’t get me wrong – it was delicious, but I felt like I could get those stats much better.

After all the time and effort, I finally got it just right and cut the sugars in half! This thing is also loaded with protein which will helps you stay full and satisfied 🙂

In short, this is a no-fail dish that everyone in the family will love… They’ll even be fighting over the leftovers!

Ingredients:

For the Chicken in the crockpot:

2lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into tenders
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
2/3 cup water
salt and pepper

For the Cornbread:

1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 egg
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup creamed corn
1-4.5oz. green chiles

1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup reduced-fat shredded colby-jack cheese
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
cooking spray

Directions:

For the Chicken:

1. To prep the chicken, trim the fat and cut into tenders; salt and pepper both sides.
2. Spray crockpot with cooking spray.
3. Add 1/3 cup BBQ sauce and 2/3 cup water to crockpot and whisk together.
4. Place chicken in the crockpot and cover. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

For the Cornbread:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a medium bowl add cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder, then whisk together until combined.
3. To the same bowl add egg, melted butter and buttermilk and continue to whisk.
4. Pour in the creamed corn and green chiles and stir until incorporated.
5. Spray a large ovenproof skillet or 9×9 pan with cooking spray, pour cornbread batter into the skillet and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

To build the skillet:

1. Once the chicken is done (it should fall apart easily), remove from crockpot and shred and place into a bowl.
2. Add remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce to the chicken and stir to fully coat chicken.
3. When the cornbread is cooked, remove from the oven and poke holes all over with a fork.
4. Take the shredded chicken and scoop on top of the cornbread, spreading evenly.
5. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese evenly over the chicken and place back into the oven for 10-15 minutes.
6. Add cilantro or any additional toppings at this time.

Nutritional Information:

Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1/8 slice of the skillet

Calories: 265
Fat: 8 g
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Sugar: 12 g
Protein: 25 g