King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King Ranch Casserole, the quintessential meal to try if you're ever in Texas. I've heard about this many times but never tried it since it always sounded like rotisserie chicken mixed with canned condensed soup (gross). Then I came across this recipe in Southern Living and it seemed really good and gave it a whirl. The consensus? It's pretty damn good! Even Dr. Sweetpea who was very hesitant about trying this casserole raved about how good it is. Another keeper recipe for us. 

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

(Source: Southern Living)

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped poblano peppers (about 2 medium peppers)

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 pounds coarsely chopped smoked chicken (about 5 cups)

1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I omitted)

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

18 (8-inch) soft taco-size corn tortillas

1/4 cup canola oil

Vegetable cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until softened and lightly browned. Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.

Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in broth, and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes and sour cream.

Stir together chicken and cilantro in a large bowl; stir in vegetable mixture. Combine both cheeses in a small bowl.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Lightly brush each tortilla on both sides with oil. Cook tortillas, in batches, in hot skillet 1 to 2 minutes each side or until lightly browned and crisp on both sides.

Line bottom of a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 13- x 9-inch baking dish with 6 tortillas, overlapping slightly, to cover bottom of dish. Top with half of chicken mixture and one-third of cheese. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Lightly coat a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray, and cover baking dish.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.