King Ranch Casserole Recipe

by Lisa
(Homesick Texan)

So if you're looking for an easy yet tasty meal, why not tuck into a heaping, pleasing plate of King Ranch Chicken? Your mouth, as well as your friends and family, will thank you.


King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds of chicken, without skin and bones

• 4 teaspoons of lime juice

• 1/4 cup of olive oil

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons of butter

• 1/2 an onion, diced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 poblano pepper, diced

• 1 10oz. can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained (or you can use a can of regular diced tomatoes and a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles, or if tomatoes are in season, can use two cups of diced fresh tomatoes with 1/4 cup of diced green chiles, such as a jalapeno)

• 4 teaspoons ancho chile powder (or chili powder)

• 1 teaspoon of cumin

• 1 cup of chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons of wholemeal flour

• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

• 1/2 cup of half and half

• 1/3 cup of plain yoghurt

• 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped

• 3 cups of grated low fat pepper jack and cheddar

• 10 corn tortillas

• Salt and pepper to taste.


Method:

1. Season the chicken with the lime juice, 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder and a dash of salt. In a skillet heated on medium, cook the chicken in the olive oil on each side for about 10 minutes.

2. When chicken is done (after about 20 minutes), shred it with two forks and set aside. Taste and see if it needs more salt and pepper. Should yield about 3 cups.

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium, and add the onions, red bell pepper and poblano pepper. Cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add the garlic, flour, cumin, cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder, and cook for 1 minute.

5. Add the chicken broth and cook on low until mixture is thickened, a few minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and Ro-Tel cover the pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


6. Uncover the pot, and add the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of lime juice and 1/4 cup of cilantro, and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8. Heat up the tortillas (you can do this by adding a bit of oil on an iron skillet and then cooking the tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side).

9. Ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking pan.

10. Layer half the tortillas along the bottom of the pan (on top of the sauce). To make sure entire pan is evenly covered, you can rip some of the tortillas into strips to fill any gaps.

11. Add half the chicken, half the remaining sauce, half the remaining cilantro and 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese.

12. Repeat the layering, leaving the cheese layer on top.

13. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Serves 6-12, depending on how big a portion you distribute. Goes great with plain yoghurt and cilantro on the side.


*Here I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*

Original King Ranch Casserole Recipe