If you’ve been read my other posts you must know that I am a big fan of the steam oven capability found in the Ninja Cooking System. To this point I’ve only tried it on pork/beef/chicken, and was really impressed with the difference it makes. One of the selling points of the Ninja is that it is also able to perform “Steam Infused Baking”. I’ve never been much of a baker, nor does it interest me as much as savory cooking, but I’ve still been on the look out for an opportunity to test it out.
I was driving around the other day and noticed a vendor selling freshly roasted New Mexico hatch green chili. Basically they have what looks like a huge barrel drum grill full of green chili that rotates over an open flame. The aroma is amazing and the chili softens while developing a nice char. They had 3 heat levels available: Medium, Hot, Extra Hot. I went for 2 bags of the medium so the kids would be able to handle it. I decided I would make chile rellenos and green chili corn bread. It dawned on me that this was my opportunity to test out the baking abilities of the Ninja. I even went a step further by baking two, one in the Ninja and one in a conventional oven so I could see if the steam really makes a difference.
- Yield: 6-8
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Extremely Moist Green Chili Cornbread
I baked both at 400 degrees. The conventional oven was done a lot quicker than the Ninja. I was unsure about the timing of the Ninja version because it never really developed a golden crust like the conventional oven version. I used a toothpick to test and see if it was done and it took about 40 minutes to get cook thru. I actually think 40 minutes may have been too long, but it was hard to tell since the color didn't change as I expected.
Ingredients
- Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix - 3 8.5oz boxes
- Cream Style Corn - 2 cans
- Monterey Jack Cheese - 2 cups
- Roasted Green Chili - 1-2 cups (for more or less heat)
- Eggs - 3 (per Jiffy Instructions)
- Milk - 1 cup (per Jiffy Instructions)
Instructions
- If you purchased fresh green chili like I did you will need to start by cleaning them out. This is an easy process:
- Use a knife to scrape off the charred outer skin (this should come off easily since it has already been roasted)
- Cut off the stem and slice open the chili
- Scrape out all the seeds
- Dice chili
- I use Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix since it is quick and easy. Go ahead and make the muffin mix according to their instructions
- Add 2 cans of cream style corn
- Add diced Green Chili
- Add 2 cups of Monterey Jack Cheese
- Great pan with butter and add mixture
- Bake for 35-40 minutes in the Ninja or 20-25 minutes in a conventional oven
Comparison Results
While the Ninja version did not produce the brown crust that you would expect from conventional oven baking, it did produce a cornbread that was much more moist. I asked everybody to try both versions and let me know which they preferred and the Ninja won every single time. I’m going to try a cake and some cupcakes as well, but it I’m sure the results will be similar. Give this recipe a shot and you’ll be amazed with the moist, cheesy, spicy goodness.
I make a similar recipe often esp with Chili. I was wondering….after the corn bread finishes baking in the Ninja oven can I turn on the stovetop and brown the bottom…keeping a close eye on it? Then when I serve it upside down, the cornbread will have “color”. What do you think? I saw a photo of a browned bottom Mac & Cheese. So?
I really wish it was easier to read your posts, is there anyway to either dim the back ground or change the color of the pint to black?