Homemade Cornbread Bowls For Chili

Why This Recipe Works:
“School” Supplies:
“Class” Notes:
Baking Instructions:
Serving Chili In Cornbread Bowls:
Homemade Cornbread Bowls For Chili

Make chili night epic and serve it up in style with this recipe for homemade cornbread chili bowls. A fun and enjoyable way to share your favorite chili recipe with the whole family.

Bread bowls are not a new concept. If you grew up going to Panera and indulging in your favorite soup inside a giant personal loaf of sourdough, then you know the magic that ensues.

Why not create the same concept with chili? While you could enjoy a sourdough bread bowl in this scenario, I think we can all agree that cornbread is the perfect pairing here when it comes to chili.

I combined my two favorite recipes (over-the-top smoked chili with this delicious smoked cornbread) and thus, chili bread bowls were born.

The fun part about cooking however is that you can make any chili recipe you prefer (but if you haven’t smoked chili yet you are absolutely missing out on something incredible) and even used boxed cornbread mix as well.

Below I will break down all the ways I made this at home from scratch and give you all the tips and techniques to make different size cornbread bowls based on the serving method you prefer. Let’s dive in!

Homemade Cornbread Bowls For Chili

Why This Recipe Works:

Cornbread is often served alongside chili, so serving it in a cornbread bowl is a fun way to enjoy the two together.
The bowls can be made “mini” in a muffin pan or made into larger bowls using different size baking dishes that you have at home.
While traditional soup would contain too much liquid, the thicker consistency of chili holds up really well with the more delicate texture of cornbread.

“School” Supplies:

8, 8 oz. Mini Cocottes (alternatively use a large muffin pan)
Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Measuring Cups
Spoon
Pairing Knife
Small Baking Sheet (optional)

“Class” Notes:

Welcome to my virtual classroom! Use the guided notes below where I often answer commonly asked questions I get from readers and cooks just like you.

This information is meant to help you have a more robust understanding of this recipe and the process so you can find success all on your own.

Ready to begin cooking? Jump to the recipe card below and begin.

Ingredients:

Fried Onions/ Fried Jalapenos
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Green Onions
Sour Cream

Chili cornbread bowl Ingredients

If you’re looking for other chili variations, try these recipes:

Baking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the mini cocotte ceramic dishes or muffin tin. You can also use muffin liners if preferred.
Mix up the cornbread batter according to the recipe instructions.
Fill each cocotte with about 1/2 cup of batter. You should be able to fill about 8 cocottes or 6 large muffins with the batter. Do not overfill or it will overflow.
Place the cocottes onto a small baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean and the top is lightly golden brown.
Let them cool slightly before removing them from the cocottes.

Baking the cornbread bowls for chili

Serving Chili In Cornbread Bowls:

Remove the cornbread from the cocotte. Use a pairing knife to carefully carve out a hole in the middle to create the “bowl” for pouring the chili. Be careful to not cut too far down and leave a slight edge as well.
Use a small spoon to gently scoop out the inside cornbread. Place that excess cornbread into the bottom of the cocotte or serving dish you plan on using. Place the cornbread bowl back over it. This helps no cornbread go to waste!
Serve the chili right into the cutout cornbread bowl and top with cheddar cheese, crispy onions or jalapenos, and sour cream!

How to create a chili cornbread bowl

Homemade Cornbread Bowls For Chili

Make chili night epic and serve it up in style with this recipe for homemade cornbread chili bowls. A fun and enjoyable way to share your favorite chili recipe with the whole family. Course Main CourseCuisine AmericanKeyword Chili Bread Bowl Recipe, Homemade Cornbread Bowls For Chili Prep Time 15 minutesCook Time 15 minutes Servings 8 Cornbread Bowls Calories 59kcal Author Bon Appeteach

Equipment

Ingredients

1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese garnish
1/2 cup Sour Cream garnish
2 Green Onions garnish

Instructions

Baking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the mini cocotte dishes with non stick spray or line a large muffin tin with muffin liners.

Prepare the cornbread batter according to the recipe instructions. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into each cocotte or muffin liner. Place the cocottes onto a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the cornbread bowls are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool to room temperature before using. These can also be made ahead of time as well.

Making The Cornbread Chili Bowl:

Remove the cornbread from the cocotte (or muffin tin).

Use a pairing knife to carefully cut out a hole in the center of the muffin for the chili. Leave a small edge and be careful to not cut through to the bottom. Place the excess cornbread into the bottom of the cocotte (or bowl you’re serving out of) to not waste the cornbread.

Place the cornbread bowl back into the cocotte over the extra cornbread in the bottom. Scoop a large ladle of chili and place it into the center of the cornbread bowl.

Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve the chili cornbread bowls and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe uses my smoked cornbread batter, but you do not have to use the smoker with this recipe. Baking will work just as well here (though smoking would be delicious too if preferred).