King Ranch Chicken, Corn & Tomato Casserole

Sometimes, it pays to cook in bulk.  This past week, while on vacation in North Carolina, I made an insane amount of this amazing King Ranch Chicken Casserole from Kevin over at Closet Cooking.  It’s kind of like an enchilada lasagna; that’s the best way I can describe it. I’ve made Tyler Florence’s chicken enchiladas before, but this recipe trumped those for sure.  If you’re looking to make a recipe in bulk -- to stick in your freezer for those busy school nights -- or even just a nice easy-to-serve football evening dinner -- this is a great go-to.

We ate one whole 9x11 pan of this while on vacation (in addition to a tasty mixed greens salad with some Lyon Bakery jalapeno cheddar dinner rolls...yum!), and I froze an even bigger tray of it and hauled it home to serve another time.  Now that we’re back and I have a mountain of laundry to put away and our whole car covered in kid snacks and mystery sandy stickiness, I’m actually thinking that time is now. It’s easier to pop this bad boy in the oven than to even call out for pizza -- and no mystery ingredients...

Sometimes I feel like I need a vacation from vacation...next time I go away I'm going to plan on making a whole freezer full of yummy organic casseroles for our return. Whew.  

I pretty much followed Kevin from Closet Cooking’s recipe except that I added waaaaay more chicken.  I had ordered several pounds of chicken breast from Washington's Green Grocer and figured I may as well use it all up.  I used fresh corn and also topped the dish with several chopped heirlooms. I love that Kevin didn’t use any canned soup mixes like so many of the other King Ranch recipes online use.  Additionally, I tripled the recipe -- or just about -- and had a massive amount.  Definitely worth the effort to have a night off from cooking!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

From Closet Cooking

Makes 6+ servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 poblano pepper (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 jalapenos (chopped)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of chicken broth
2 cups chicken (cooked and shredded)
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup corn
1 lime (juice)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
10 corn tortillas
2 cups cheese (grated)

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the onion, red pepper and poblano pepper and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic jalapenos, chili powder and cumin and saute unto fragrant, about a minute.
4. Mix in the flour and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the liquid thickens.
6. Add the chicken, tomatoes, green chilies, milk and oregano and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the corn, lime juice, sour cream, cilantro, salt and pepper.
8. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan.
9. Top with a layer formed with 1/2 of the tortillas.
10. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the the sauce.
11. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the the cheese.
12. Top with a layer of the remaining tortillas.
13. Top with a layer of the remaining sauce.
14. Top with a layer of the remaining cheese.
15. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the top is golden brown.