Tamale Chicken Pot Pies

photo by Ashley McLaughlin Photography

These delicious mini tamale chicken pot pies have a Mexican-seasoned turkey filling and a cheddar cornmeal crust. The recipe is sponsored by my friends at Tuttorosso Tomatoes.

After all the crazy goodness of last year, I wasn’t sure this one could top it. But when Daniel proposed just after midnight on New Year’s Day, all that changed. I was reminded, once more, how sweet it is to be surprised–by both life and my own dumb sense of sureness.

Since 2004, whether we’ve been together or not, I’ve always thought of Daniel on Valentine’s Day. That year, he handed me a folded poem by Kenneth Carroll–the most beautiful, heart-opening, and unpretentious of poems–and in an instant, our friendship felt different to me. When I read The Fault in Our Stars two years ago, staying up late into the night to finish it, I stopped and re-read this line half a dozen times: “I fell in love the way you fall asleep, slowly and then all at once.” So precise and perfect.

photo by Ashley McLaughlin Photography

This Valentine’s Day feels so special, knowing our history and the decades more we can have now. It’s all just exciting. Instead of going out, I’m making us a sweet dinner for two.

When I thought about what to make, I wanted something that struck the right balance between tasting rich and feeling out of the ordinary. It couldn’t be something I make every day.

photo by Ashley McLaughlin Photography

Enter Tamale Chicken Pot Pies! These adorable, individual pot pies are filled with chicken and veggies in a mildly spicy cumin- and chili-seasoned tomato sauce, then topped with a soft, cheesy cornmeal crust. Not only are they perfectly portioned (only 284 calories per pot pie!), but any leftover pies make easy meals to reheat later!

If you want 8-ounce porcelain ramekins, these are the ones I use ($13)!

photo by Ashley McLaughlin Photography

The key to making the best filling is using the best canned tomatoes, because they give the sauce sweetness, richness, and a little depth, too. The brand I swear by is Tuttorosso Tomatoes. Now, if you’re thinking that all canned tomatoes miiight be the same, I understand where you’re coming from. Years ago, I bought whatever brand was on sale. But switching around left me noticing that my sauces were always inconsistent. Sometimes they tasted a little tinny/metallic while other times they could be bitter–even when my recipes remained completely the same.

Two years ago, I took part in a tasting/testing of Tuttorosso whole peeled plum tomatoes and the same product made by 6 other leading brands. The difference was night and day.

Tuttorosso’s plum tomato was firm, intact, and tasted sweet, like a slightly more concentrated version of the tomatoes I’d eat in summer. Every other brand? Mushy.

The flavors of these other brands ranged from not too bad (but not something I’d want to eat plain) to acidic, metallic, and sour. I was shocked that I’d spent years buying so many of those brands.

I’ve been a Tuttorosso convert ever since. Daniel can’t find a thing in our cabinets now because I’ve stocked us with every kind of canned tomato. But my sauces have never been better, richer, or naturally sweeter. And these Tamale Chicken Pot Pies are the perfect example of a good sauce making all the difference!

photo by Ashley McLaughlin Photography

I hope you love these mini tamale chicken pot pies as much as I do!

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