King Ranch Chicken Casserole. From Scratch.

Ok, so you are probably wondering what I mean by "from scratch" with this recipe. I mean, no can of chicken soup and no can of mushroom soup. Please don't freak out. I know these are your comforts with this recipe. Trust me. I mean, "from scratch" by creating your own thickening agent with flour and cooking all of your veggies and spices until the flavors harmonize. This means taking more time with this dish and focusing on fresh ingredients. Not just dumping everything into a bowl and layering it in a casserole. Here cooking is required prior to baking.

What's my reasoning for putting all the added time and attention to making this dish from scratch? #1. I have been wanting to try a delicious recipe from The Homesick Texan #2. My dear friend Dana just had her first baby...a precious baby boy named Carter and she and her husband needed a delicious homemade meal. What is better to serve than a comforting casserole that just keeps on giving? #3. I have been wanting to make a casserole for Brian and me to eat off of all week and I didn't want to have to feel guilty about it being loaded with crap. #4. I am starting to focus on using the freshest ingredients I can in preparing week night dinners. So, here is where The Homesick Texan's Slightly Fancy-Pants King Chicken Casserole comes in. Please follow along below.

P.S. I did not use any cilantro, because as you know, I just do not have a taste for it. (Don't be fooled by my picture. That is simply a snip of parsley from my herb garden.)

Slightly Fancy-Pants King Ranch Chicken Casserole

(Recipe by The Homesick Texan & Photos by Me!)

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
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 an onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 10oz. can of Ro-Tel tomatoes (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
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 cup of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of half and half
1/3 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
3 cups of grated pepper jack and cheddar
10 corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Cook the chicken in the olive oil on medium, adding 2 teaspoons of lime juice, 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder and salt to taste.

2. When chicken is done (after about 20 minutes), shred it with two forks and set aside. 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 sour cream and cilantro on top.