As soon as chili season hits, out comes the skillet cornbread. Great for dunking, this whole wheat cornbread is perfectly tender and spiked with green chiles.
When I was growing up, we weren't a chili family. It was a once a year affair, when we went to our friends' annual Christmas Eve party. The chili and chicken wings were the stars of the show, closely followed by the group performance of Twelve Days of Christmas. Picture adults tipsy with eggnog and kids giddy with the excitement of Christmas, acting out "8 maids a'milking" and "9 ladies dancing" with a good dose of obnoxious holiday enthusiasm. It's a good thing smart phones and social media sharing weren't a "thing" then. Blackmail material for years!
Since chili wasn't a regular meal for our family, cornbread was nowhere to be seen. All that has changed now. Chili makes an appearance at least once every couple of weeks during the fall and winter at our house, almost always accompanied by cornbread. Sometimes it's our favorite smoky turkey chili, other times it's a vegetarian slow cooker version or a healthy white chicken chili. Whatever kind of chili we serve, cornbread will be involved. It's kind of like, "If you build it, they will come." If you make chili, the cornbread will practically make itself.
Of course, cornbread doesn't need to be relegated to chili only. It accompanies almost any kind of soup just as well, standing in for the more traditional rolls or biscuits. These are couple of favorite soups to serve alongside cornbread:
Whole Wheat Orzo, Cauliflower & Kale Soup {Vegan}
Slow Cooker 3-Bean Vegetarian Chili
Once I learned how to make cornbread and corn muffins, I started doing a little research and quickly found out that the history of this classic bread is fraught with different views on what is the right way to make it. If you're from the south, you likely use exclusively cornmeal and not a grain of sugar in your batter. The northern types like things a little sweeter, usually with some flour mixed into the batter.
I took the northern route, with a switch to whole wheat pastry flour and less sugar than your typical restaurant cornbread. The skillet produces a wonderful crust that balances well with the tender crumb of the bread. Perfect for snacking and, of course, perfect for dunking into chili.
Printable Recipe
Whole Wheat Skillet Cornbread Recipe with Green Chiles
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup 1% milk
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 ¼ cups cornmeal
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and canola oil.
- Add the cornmeal, whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk until just combined. Stir in the green chiles
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet.
- Baked until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut into 16 wedges. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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theatrenut
This is a great recipe. I actually think the cornbread is better the next day (I just had a piece for breakfast and liked it better than right-out-of-the-oven). I like to slice leftover cornbread horizontally and toast it in a dry pan, so it's crisply on both sides.
The chiles overtake the taste a little - I think I'd try it next time without them.
But the cormeal and whole wheat flour make a great a combination, and this is a solid recipe, just sweet enough. Goes well with the 3-bean chili I just made.
Meg @ With Salt and Wit
We use to be a chili family but my Mom always made it with beans which I wasn't a fan of when I was little. Now I love chili and especially with cornbread! Love the skillet version and green chiles!
Des @ Life's Ambrosia
This looks so good! I tend to like my cornbread a little sweeter too so I am sure I would love this!
Melissa @ Bless this Mess
Green chilis!!! Seriously, I think this might be my favorite combo, chilis and corn are just meant to be. Looks fabulous!
Amanda | The Chunky Chef
Ooooh cornbread is so amazing... love that you made it in the skillet 😀
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
Great, now I want chili with this on the side!! 🙂
Maris (In Good Taste)
This would be perfect with some yummy pumpkin chili I'm going to make this weekend!
Heather Cheney | heatherlikesfood.com
The differences in corn bread between the north and south make total sense! I had never really put my finger on the difference but just knew I didn't really care for the corn bread I get at southern restaurants because it's not sweet enough. The world makes sense again, lol. 🙂
Katerina @ Diethood
I just want to dip that cornbread into that beautiful bowl of chili!! Chili + Cornbread is at the top of the comfort food list for me. And just as you, while I didn't grow up on it, I now try to make it at least twice a month during the colder seasons.