King Ranch Chicken

This flavorful dish has many variations. Our recipe includes its own well-seasoned sauce, omitting the canned soup commonly found in King Ranch Chicken recipes. Yes, it's a little more trouble, but the resulting dish is worth the effort. This casserole freezes well, and will be a big favorite at your table. This recipe is from Eleanor Bradshaw's menu of company chicken recipes.

3 tablespoons butter
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (homemade, if possible, but store-bought works fine)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium poblano, seeded and chopped
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
2 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 1/2 cup canned tomatoes, drained)
2 tablespoons chopped pimientos

Canola oil for softening tortillas
8 corn tortillas

4 to 5 cups cooked, diced chicken (mixture of light and dark meat preferred; use skinless, boneless breasts and thighs)
1/3 cup sliced green olives
1/3 cup chopped green onions, including tops
2 to 2-1/2 cups grated Longhorn, Colby or mild cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole.

Make the Sauce:

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chili powder, and sauté for a minute or two. Raise the heat to medium. Quickly sprinkle in the flour and stir to mix. Pour in a small amount of the chicken broth, stirring constantly to remove lumps and allowing the flour to "cook" briefly.

Gradually add the remaining chicken broth and the buttermilk and continue stirring until sauce has thickened, 3 or 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauce may be prepared in advance and refrigerated.

Make the Filling:

Warm a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the butter or olive oil, and sauté the chopped onion, green pepper, poblano, mushrooms, tomatoes and pimientos until onion is transparent, about 4 or 5 minutes. Fold into the mixture the diced chicken, olives and green onions, combining well. Remove from heat.

Assembling the Dish:

In a small skillet, heat about about half an inch of canola oil. Using tongs, dip the tortillas in the hot oil one at a time, for just a few seconds, so that they are softened. Cover the bottom of your baking dish with 4 of the softened tortillas. Layer the remaining ingredients in the following order:

Half of the chicken/vegetable mixture
Half of the grated cheese
Half of the sauce
The remaining 4 softened tortillas
The remaining chicken/vegetable mixture
The remaining grated cheese
The remaining sauce

Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F until casserole is heated through and bubbly. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Prep time: 60 minutes; Cooking time: 45 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes