Cornbread Pancakes with Creamed Chicken
These savory cakes will make you rethink pancakes for dinner. Fluffy and tender cornbread pancakes made with a touch of sage and parsley then topped with a rich and creamy sauce that’s loaded with chicken and a rainbow of vegetables - you won’t need to ring the dinner bell twice to get folks to the table!
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- Large skillet
- Electric or stovetop griddle
Ingredients
- For the chicken:
- 1-½ pounds bone-in, skin on chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon concentrated chicken base, such as Better than Bouillon
- 1 tablespoon white wine or rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Water to cover
- For the creamed chicken:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup chopped sweet onion, about 1 small onion
- ½ cup sliced celery, about 1 stalk
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots, about 2 carrots
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk, more if you like a slightly thinner sauce
- 1 teaspoon concentrated chicken base, such as Better than Bouillon
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 to 2-½ cups shredded cooked chicken
- For the cornbread pancakes:
- 1 package cornbread mix*, 8.5 ounces, about 1-¾ cup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1-½ cups buttermilk
- 1 extra-large egg
- 3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
Instructions
- To cook the chicken:
- Place the chicken in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add the chicken base, the vinegar, sugar, kosher salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes then remove from the heat and let the chicken continue “cooking” in the poaching liquid for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a bowl or platter until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bone and discard the skin of the chicken. Shred into bite size chunks.
- For the sauce:
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, the celery and the carrots, cooking until the vegetables are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the kosher salt, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the flour, mixing into the vegetables. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 3 minutes stirring frequently.
- Pour the milk into the vegetables, stirring until you have a smooth sauce. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened.
- Toss in the peas and the chicken, mixing to coat evenly with the sauce.
- For the cornbread pancakes:
- Combine the cornbread mix with the kosher salt, black pepper, sage, and parsley.
- Whisk together the buttermilk with the egg and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornbread mix and whisk to blend.
- Heat a griddle to medium heat and lightly brush with some of the remaining melted butter. Ladle or scoop the batter onto the griddle and cook until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- To serve:
- Spoon the hot creamed chicken sauce over the warm cornbread pancakes.
Notes
*Use a cornbread mix that is self-rising and only needs the addition of milk and an egg.
In a time crunch? Pick up a roasted chicken from the market to save a step.
And the sauce can be made a day ahead – just add a touch of milk to reach the consistency you like when reheating. You can also cook all the pancake batter in advance and freeze the pancakes – just layer a sheet of parchment paper between each one and drop them into a freezer bag. They’ll keep about 1 to 2 months in your freezer and to reheat, just pop them in the oven or in a toaster.