Tuesday, November 08, 2005

King Ranch Chicken Casserole...

A bitch adores this yummy dish..YUM!...oh, and it freezes well.

OMG, did a bitch just say something froze well? Jesus, that's so Midwestern!

Anyhoo...enjoy!

3 tablespoons butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (homemade, if possible, but store-bought works fine)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
3/4 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, 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
3 to 4 cups cooked, diced chicken (mixture of light and dark meat preferred)
1/3 cup sliced green olives
1/3 cup green onions, including tops, chopped
2 cup grated longhorn or mild cheddar cheese

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

da 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.

da 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.

da Assembly:
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.

OMG...it's so yummy!

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