There’s nothing better than a warm, hearty bowl of chili paired with a slice of cornbread. In this recipe, we combine both into an easy skillet meal that’s ready in under an hour. It starts with a classic chili made from ground beef and kidney beans, flavored with canned fire-roasted tomatoes and spices like chili powder and cumin. Next, a simple homemade cornbread batter is poured over the chili and baked until it forms a tender topping with lightly crisp edges. You can also make this chili using ground chicken or turkey, or you can make it vegetarian by skipping the meat all together and leaning on the beans.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
If you need to save more time, you can use your favorite store-bought brand of prepared cornbread mix instead of making it from scratch.
Make ahead
Reheat any leftovers covered in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds on HIGH until cornbread and chili are warmed through.