$10,000 Cornbread Chili Pie Recipe — Family Recipe Showdown
Octavia Spencer, Reese Witherspoon, and Dook Chase loved it, and so will you!
When the casting representative reached out to me for Family Recipe Showdown, I was quite surprised. The rep said they got my information from an application I submitted months ago for The Great American Baking Show. As I trembled slightly at the chance of being on TV, they continued to explain that they were casting teams of two to compete in a southern cooking-themed competition show. My trembling turned to excitement immediately — Um, YES, sign me up immediately!
I hung up the phone and got to work finding my competition partner — and it had to be a “family member.” I asked my sister, who politely let me know she’d be of little help in a cooking competition. My partner, while we make a great team in other ways, had about the same response, so I looked to his mom for help. An honorary mother-in-law to me and my partner in crime for holiday cooking, she was the obvious choice, really. Thankfully and surprisingly, Wanda answered with a quick and excited yes.
After rounds of casting and submitting what felt like endless information, photos, and recipes, we were standing in a New Orleans museum cooking up southern food for Octavia Spencer, Dook Chase, and Reese Witherspoon!
It was a fever dream-like day of filming and nerves, followed by the surprise of finding out who we were cooking for. In the first round, Octavia and Dook loved our fried chicken and waffles, although the sauce just about knocked Octavia over, ha! But the second round is where spices mellowed, balanced out, and worked in tandem for a delicious Cornbread Chili Pie. Wanda and I were just doing what we’d do for any holiday dinner, taking our individual cooking experiences and putting them together into something delicious. Wanda handled the cheddar-jalapeño cornbread topping, while I took charge of the spicy chili filling.
Ultimately, the harmonious chili pie was a success, because it won us the grand prize of $10,000 and some great comments from Octavia, Dook, and Reese! For anyone wanting to get a taste of the showstopper cornbread chili pie that won us our episode of Family Recipe Showdown, you’re in luck: I’ve revised, tested, and typed up the best version of the recipe for your enjoyment. Including a grocery list, tips and tricks, equipment guide, and full recipe, here’s how to make Wanda’s and my $10,000 Cornbread Chili Pie!
If you haven’t watched the show, yet, you can find it on the Food Network channel or stream episode 8 (the premiere episode) through HBO Max!
Testing the Cornbread Chili Pie Recipe
Testing Status: COMPLETE
Recipe Development Notes
Wanda and I both learned how to make cornbread without a recipe: flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder, eggs, fat, and dairy. For me, making cornbread by muscle memory was unpredictable at best and a gummy mess at worst, so I figured Wanda should take lead on it — and I merely added the twist of jalapeño and cheddar to the mix.
On the other hand, the chili is something I make at home very often. I’ve taken things I like about the chili recipes I’ve made in the past and put them together. Some of those things include:
- Using various beans. I love a good 16-bean soup or anything with a mix of different earthy bean flavors and textures, so using pinto, red kidney, and black beans works perfect for me in this recipe.
- By adding sweet potato (inspired by EatingWell), the dish gets some much-needed sweetness to balance out all the heat of the many spices.
- “Background spices” like white pepper, ancho chili powder, and black pepper are deceiving, because they don’t taste spicy outright, but they’ll hit you in the throat like a truck if not careful! So, a little bit of each is added to the chili spice blend.
- Adding both pork and bison is essential. The pork fat coats everything very nicely and gives the chili some unctuousness, while the bison brings moisture and a gamey fattiness that works well with all the earthy veggies in the recipe. Beef just doesn’t do this recipe justice, so don’t try to sub for it!
Recipe Updates
7/27/2025: I added an extra 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to the cornbread batter for tenderness and an easier time spreading it over the chili filling.
Equipment Needed
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven or Heavy-Duty Pot
- 14-Inch Cast Iron Skillet, 9x13x2 Casserole Dish, or Ramekins
- Wooden or Silicone Spoon
- Large mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Measuring cups and spoons
Grocery List
Spices
- Ground cumin
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Ancho chili powder
- Cayenne chili powder
- Ground black pepper
- Table salt
Pantry Staples
- Cooking oil (I use avocado oil)
- Yellow cornmeal
- All-purpose flour
- White granulated sugar
- Baking powder
Canned Products
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 15-ounce can black beans
- 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans
- 1 32-ounce carton beef broth
Fresh Produce
- 2 large fresh jalapeño peppers
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic (or a jar of pre-minced garlic)
- 2 large tomatoes (or 4 small/medium)
- 1 lime
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 2-ounce pack fresh chives
Dairy & Eggs
- 1 tub crème fraiche (or Greek yogurt, any fat %)
- 1 8-ounce block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 6-count carton large eggs
Meats
- 1 pack thick-cut bacon (I like applewood)
- 1 pound ground bison
Recipe
Cornbread Chili Pie
Equipment
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven or Heavy-Duty Pot
- 13-Inch Cast Iron Skillet, 9x13x2 Casserole Dish, or Ramekins
- Wooden or Silicone Spoon
- Large mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Chili Spice Blend:
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- table salt to taste
Chili:
- 4 slices thick-cut applewood bacon chopped small
- 30 milliliters neutral cooking oil 2 tablespoons
- 1 large jalapeño finely diced, for chili
- 1 large sweet potato cubed
- 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground bison
- 4 small tomatoes cut into half-wedges
- 6 ounces tomato paste 10 tablespoons
- 20 ounces beef broth 2½ cups
- 15 ounces can black beans one can, drained
- 15 ounces can red kidney beans one can, drained
- 15 ounces pinto beans one can, drained
- 1 lime
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro finely chopped, with stems
- table salt to taste
- 2 ounces finely chopped chives one small bunch, for garnish
- crème fraiche or Greek yogurt for serving
Cornbread Topping:
- 1 large jalapeño finely diced, for cornbread
- 4½ ounces extra-sharp cheddar 1 heaping cup, shredded, for batter
- 1½ ounces extra-sharp cheddar heaping ¼ cup, shredded, for topping
- 216 grams cornmeal 1½ cup
- 180 grams all-purpose flour 1½ cup
- 75 grams white granulated sugar ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons
- 4.5 grams table salt ¾ teaspoon
- 14.4 grams baking powder 1 tablespoon
- 127 grams melted butter 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
- 150 grams whole eggs 3 large
- 210 milliliters low-fat buttermilk ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, combine the spices for the Chili Spice Blend. Set it aside. Measure and prepare the ingredients on the Chili and Cornbread Topping ingredient lists.
- Begin making the chili: Place a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy-duty pot on a burner. Add the chopped bacon to the cold pot, then turn the burner to medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until it’s darkened and crispy. Bacon fat should be rendered at the bottom of the pot.
- Strain the bacon fat over a large mixing bowl. Pour about half the bacon fat back into the pot. Set the mixing bowl with the other half of the bacon fat aside for the cornbread later. Place the bacon bits back into the pot over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt.
- Pour the cooking oil into the pot. Add the jalapeno (labelled “for chili”), cubed sweet potato, and chopped onion to the pot. Add a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, ground bison, and a pinch of salt. Use your spoon or spatula to break the bison apart and stir occasionally until the grounds are smaller and browned — 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and half the chili spice blend to the pot and stir until the paste coats everything.
- Add beef broth, continuing to stir for about one minute. The mixture should thicken and begin to bubble.
- Turn the heat to medium-low. Add the drained black, red kidney, and pinto beans. Stir until well-distributed.
- Turn off the heat. Add the remaining chili spice blend, chopped cilantro, and the juice of one whole lime to the pot. Mix to combine. Taste the chili and adjust the salt and spices, if desired.
- Remove the chili from the heat and set aside while you prepare the cornbread topping.
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients: cornmeal, all-purpose flour, white granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk for 30 seconds. Set aside.
- In the mixing bowl with the bacon fat, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk for 2 minutes. It may look lumpy, which is okay. Add the dry ingredient mixture in thirds, whisking each portion until nearly combined. After the last addition, switch to a silicone spatula. Add the diced jalapeño and the shredded cheese (labelled “for batter”).
- Move the chili from the pot to a deep 13x9 casserole dish or 13-inch cast iron skillet, and smooth the top with a spatula. Alternatively, you can use a different vessel, like a set of small cast iron skillets or ramekins. Just be sure to fill them about ¾ of the way each and monitor the bake.
- Scoop the cornbread batter over the top of the chili and smooth it to the edges. Top with shredded cheddar (labelled “for topping”) and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes on the center rack. The cornbread will be smooth and browned a couple inches from the edge, and the cheese will begin to crust. You can also measure the center of the cornbread with a meat thermometer, which should read about 205°F.
- Remove the baked chili pie from oven and allow to rest on a heat-safe surface for 10 minutes.
- Garnish each serving with chopped fresh chives, and top with a large dollop of crème fraiche or Greek yogurt.
This chili pie was incredible! I absolutely loved the addition of cinnamon and sweet potato—they both added such a warm, slightly sweet depth that took the whole dish to another level. Totally unexpected and brilliant idea. This is my new comfort food with a twist. Weekly dinner meal 😋
This cornbread chili pie recipe was easily one of the tastiest and most unique dishes we’ve ever made. The hearty chili alone was incredible, but the addition of cinnamon and sweet potato gave it an unexpected warmth and sweetness that set it apart from any other chili we’ve ever tried. The cornbread topping was fluffy on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside- it soaked up all those rich, savory flavors perfectly without ever becoming soggy. It’s no surprise this recipe won $10,000— every bite tasted like an award winner. This one is definitely becoming a staple in our family for years to come!