King Ranch Chicken

 

Tonight I have something yummy and filling and perfect for a chilly winter night -- King Ranch Chicken.  I had never heard of it before, but when I was in Guatemala, one of my new friends asked if I could make this for him, well, come up with a recipe for him.  Senor Jorgesito, this one is for you.

King Ranch Chicken is like a Tex-Mex lasagna (only without noodles) named after King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in Texas.  It's a very popular casserole dish and there are many, many variations to be found, but this is the one I came up with.  If you enjoy a slight tingling sensation in your lips while you eat, this is the version for you.  I would highly recommend a cold beer to go with it.

K2's King Ranch Chicken

1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pre-cooked
butter or butter spray (optional)
lime juice (optional)
chili powder (optional)
1 (10 oz.) can Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes with Lime Juice & Cilantro
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium green pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 small dried red chiles, de-seeded and cut into flakes
1+ cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1+ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 bag bite-sized Tostitos

Shred your pre-cooked chicken and set bowl aside.

If you have the time to do you own, I cooked my chicken breasts by wrapping them in foil with a spritz or two of I Can't Believe Its Not Butter spray, a couple of squeezes of lime juice and some liberal dashes of chili powder. Baked it at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.  Removed it from the oven and cooled to handling temp so I wouldn't burn my fingies when I went to shred it.

In a deep sauce pan, combine diced toms with both soups and cook on low heat.

While sauce is warming, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  When ready, add diced green pepper, diced onion, and red chile flakes to pan.  Sauté until onions are translucent and green peppers are cooked through.

Add the pepper-onion mix and shredded chicken to your sauce and mix until everything is evenly combined.

In a small bowl, mix together the shredded pepper jack and cheddar cheeses.

To assemble -- we're making two layers so you'll want to make sure to divide all your parts equally between the two.

In a 9x13" baking pan (or as I did, two smaller pans so one could be given to the parental types), lay down a layer of Tostitos.

Cover corn chips with a generous layer of the chicken-veggie-soup sauce and cover with a layer of the mixed cheeses.

Repeat the layering.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cheese is toasty on the top.  Remove from oven and serve up right away.

NOTES

If you like Tex-Mex but aren't a big fan of the spicy, you can always omit the dried red chiles and just use a mild or medium cheddar cheese instead of the mix of cheddar and pepper jack.

The Ro*Tel tomatoes tend to be pretty kicky too so if you want to take it down a notch further, then just substitute your favorite Mexican-style tomatoes for those as well.

Would go great with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole on the side and you could always garnish with some shredded lettuce to help complement the lip-tingling sensation.