Description
The best King Ranch Chicken has the best ingredients!
Ingredients
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- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder (preferably Gebhardt's or homemade)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
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- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes with chiles, drained
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- Canola oil for softening tortillas
- 12 corn tortillas
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- 4 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken (mixture of light and dark meat preferred; use poached skinless, boneless breasts and thighs or roasted deli chicken)
- 1/3 cup sliced green olives (with or without pimientos)
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions, including tops
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
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- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-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 few minutes. Raise the heat to medium. Quickly sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Pour in a small amount of the chicken broth, stirring constantly to remove lumps, and allow the flour to “cook” briefly.
Gradually add the remaining chicken broth and the buttermilk and continue stirring until sauce has thickened, 7 or 8 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. 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, poblano, mushrooms and tomatoes 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 6 of the softened tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Layer the remaining ingredients in the following order:
- Half of the chicken/vegetable mixture
- One-third of the grated cheese
- Half of the sauce
- The remaining 6 softened tortillas
- The remaining chicken/vegetable mixture
- One-third of the grated cheese
- The remaining sauce
- The remaining cheese
Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F until casserole is heated through and bubbly.
