Chicken and Pineapple Salsa Cornbread

When I was going to college, my older sister and her family lived in the same town as I.  I would go to her house at least once a week to hang out, eat, and do my laundry.  I was a bit of a sponge really.

Sometimes we would watch movies or bake cookies.  She introduced me to many wonderful BBC miniseries like "North and South," a favorite of mine.  

There are particular dishes that my sister made during this time.  She would make quesadillas and grill steak and onions.  We would eat the steak and onions with lots of lime wedges.  She also made cornbread with chicken and salsa.  

Both of us have since moved away.  I am no longer a student, and my sister now has another kid.  Times have changed, but I have many fond memories of spending time with my sister as a college student.

The cornbread recipe came from allrecipes.com.  I added salsa and chicken.  I used pineapple salsa because I thought a sweet salsa would go well with the cornbread.  I was right.

The ingredients are 2 chicken breasts, 1 1/2 cups mango salsa, 1/2 cup butter, 2/3 cup white sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup all purpose flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

I poached the chicken breasts for 15 minutes in simmering water.  I let the chicken breasts cool down in the hot water for five minutes before draining the water.  To prepare the cornbread, I melted the better.  I added the sugar and stirred.  I then added the eggs one at a time and beat until everything was well combined.

I combined the buttermilk and baking soda together.  I added the buttermilk mixture to the sugar and butter concoction and stirred. 

I stirred in the cornmeal, flour, and salt until combined with just a few small lumps.

I shredded the partially cooled chicken breast and added them to the bottom of a nine inch squash baking dish.  I evenly poured the pineapple salsa over the chicken.

I poured the cornmeal batter over the salsa and chicken.

I baked the cornbread at 375 degrees.  The recipe says to bake for 20 to 30 minutes.  I baked this cornbread for about 40 minutes.  I think the salsa added moisture to the batter.

I let it cool a little before slicing myself a hearty portion.

It was delicious.  The cornbread had yummy, coarse texture.  The cornbread was slightly sweet.

The salsa was sweet, fruity, and spicy.  It complemented the cornbread well.  The chicken was moist.

It was a savory, sweet, and filling.  I remember that the chicken and salsa wasn't all at the bottom when my sister made this.  She may have poured the chicken on top of the cornbread batter.  It would have been more attractive if the chicken wasn't all on the bottom.

I was pleased with this dish.  It was toothsome and nourishing in addition to being nostalgic.  Yum!