King Ranch Casserole
Ingredients
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1-2 jalapeño peppers, minced (I was feeling unadventurous and used only half of a pepper.)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 (10-ounce) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
5 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup half and half
3 cups chicken broth
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
4 cups colby-jack cheese, shredded (I used cheddar jack since that’s what Art bought.)
2 1⁄4 cups Fritos corn chips, crushed (Most of a 9 ounce bag.)
Instructions
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450*F. Lay tortillas on two baking sheets, lightly coat both sides with cooking spray, and bake until slightly crisp and browned, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly, then break into bite-sized pieces. Using potholders, adjust top oven rack to middle position.
2. Heat butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onions, chiles, and cumin until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add cream and broth, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Off heat, add cilantro and cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Scatter half of tortilla pieces in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Spoon half of filling evenly over tortillas. Scatter remaining tortillas over filling, then top with remaining filling.
4. Bake until filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle Fritos evenly over top and bake until Fritos are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool casserole 10 minutes. Serve.
Comments
Apparently this is trashy eats week between this and Beef Taco Bake! However trashy this looks, and is, it was still extremely tasty. I’m glad I reduced the amount of jalapeño the recipe called for since it was almost at the top of my spice range. The recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and came together very easily. I think that, next time, I’d serve it with yellow rice or a nice, green salad.
Cook’s Country 2007