4 teaspoons bacon drippings (or vegetable oil)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup boiling water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1. Preheat Oven and Pan: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Put bacon drippings into an 8 inch cast iron skillet and transfer to the oven rack. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, add 2/3 cup cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and whisk together to combine. Transfer remaining 1/3 cup cornmeal to separate medium bowl.
3. Make Cornmeal Mush: Whisk boiling water into reserved 1/3 cup cornmeal to create a smooth mush. Slowly whisk in buttermilk until smooth. Whisk in egg until combined.
4. Mix Together: When oven is preheated and skillet is smoking hot, stir the dry ingredients into the mush mixture. Working quickly, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and pour hot bacon drippings into mixture. Whisk together to combine. Pour mixture into hot skillet and carefully return to oven.
5. Bake: Bake cornbread 20 minutes, until lightly browned on top.
6. Let Rest: Flip the cornbread out onto a wire rack and let cool while you prepare the chicken pot pie.
