King Ranch Chicken

This was not an invention of the famed King Ranch but I dare to say that every Texan has had it. Especially at a church supper or a potluck. This version is without the soups. Very tasty with the flavors of chili powder, roasted peppers and cumin.

Total: 1 hour 40 minutes Hands On: 1 hour Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 Stick butter
• 1 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 C chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 C chopped Poblano peppers(about 3 medium peppers)
• 2 large jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1 Tbls chili powder
• 1 1/2 Tbls ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 C + 1 Tbls all purpose flour
• 2 C chicken broth
• 1 (10oz) can + 1/2 can(5oz) diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained (Rotel)
• 2 C sour cream
• 6 cups cooked chicken, chopped(rotisserie chicken works well)
• 1 1/2 C loosely packed fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 3 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese(use a good quality cheese)or another cheddar cheese
• 3 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese(I use Tillamook)
• 18(6 inch) corn tortillas
• 1/4 C vegetable oil
• 1 – 9.25oz bag of Dorito Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips, crushed
• Garnish with fresh Cilantro and a dollop of sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 9 X 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brush each tortilla on both sides with oil.  Cook tortillas, in batches until lightly browned and crisp on both sides.

3. In the same skillet, Melt butter  over medium-high heat.  Add onion and next 3 ingredients. Sauce 8-10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute

4. Sprinkle flour over the vegetable mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Whisk in chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add tomatoes and sour cream.

5. Stir together chicken and cilantro in a large bowl; stir in vegetable mixture until combined.

6. Combine cheeses in a medium bowl

7. Line the bottom of prepared baking dish with 6 tortillas, overlapping slightly to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the chicken mixture and 1/3 of cheese. Top with crushed Doritos then 6 more tortillas. Top this with second half of chicken mixture, then 1/3 of cheese.  Top with remaining 6 tortillas and last 1/3 of cheese.  Lightly coat a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the baking dish.

8. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes.  Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.