King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken
- 1 -14 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis or Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup low- sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra for garnishing
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3/4 pound pepper jack or cheddar, grated, about 3 cups
- Hot sauce for serving
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ancho chili, cumin, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the spices toast, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and add the chicken, tomatoes and chicken broth, simmer until the mixture comes to a low boil, about 5 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 10 minutes.2. Remove from the heat and add the sour cream, 1/3 cup cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Fry the tortillas lightly, about 20 seconds on each side. Layer a third of the tortillas along the bottom of the pan. Add half the chicken mixture and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat the layering, finishing with a layer of tortillas topped with the cheese.
4. Cover and cook until slightly brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Garnish with sour cream, remaining cilantro and serve with hot sauce.
Serves: 6
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes