King Ranch Casserole

Ingredients

Chicken Seasoning:

• 4 cups of cooked chopped or shredded chicken
• 2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning or cayenne

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper
• 1 cup of chopped poblano pepper
• 1 can of mild Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, drained
• 1 cup of chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 2 teaspoons of lime zest
• 1/8 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

For Layering:

• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 cups of shredded jack cheese or pepper jack
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• Additional sour cream and cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray; set aside. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and cayenne. Toss well and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet and stir in the flour. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the chopped onion and peppers; cook and stir just until tender, but not browned. Add the drained tomatoes, cook and stir another 2 minutes. Slowly add in the chicken broth, then the cream, stirring until fully incorporated and heated through. Remove and set aside 1/3 cup of the sauce. Add the chicken to the skillet, stir to heat through, add the sour cream, lime zest, cilantro, and salt and pepper; mix well and remove from heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Add the reserved 1/3 cup of sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spread out. Add 6 whole corn tortillas to the bottom of the dish, overlapping them. Spoon the chicken mixture over the top of that. Mix the two shredded cheeses together; sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese on top of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of corn tortillas, chicken mixture and ending with the remaining 2 cups of cheese.


Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned on top. For nice layered slices, let the casserole rest at least 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a dab of sour cream and a sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro, if desired.