KING RANCH CHICKEN (COTTON COUNTRY COLLECTION COOKBOOK)

King Ranch Chicken (Cotton Country Collection Cookbook) image

The cookbook is the publication of the Junior Charity League of Monroe, Louisiana. This is great for OAMC--you can even OAMC it in stages...broth, chicken, vegetables. In my family it is the go-to funeral covered dish, the dish we bring when a relative of a family friend dies. I alter it a bit from the recipe, and to me (even though it may not be the "authentic" or "original" King Ranch Chicken) it is the ONLY King Ranch Chicken! There are some on here that are close to the recipe, but there always seems to be a difference in the layering/mixing of ingredients. The cookbook lists it as "A Mexican party must!" Below is the text of the recipe (with my few variations in parentheses or in notes). Preparation time includes the making of the stock, etc.

Provided by JanieTeachGal

Categories One Dish Meal

Time 4h30m

Yield 1 casserole, 8-10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

3 -4 lbs hen (I usually use leg quarters because "dark meat" produces the best results.)
1 onion
1 -2 celery rib
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped (For ease of preparation, I finally broke down and purchased a frozen vegetable seasoning blend when )
1 (10 ounce) can mushroom soup (cream of)
1 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated (Cool tip ( I discovered if you freeze extra sharp cheese(and you do want to use the sharpest Cheddar)
chili powder
garlic salt
12 -24 frozen tortillas (yellow corn)
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies, undrained (I used 2 cans the last time to better cover the top.)

Steps:

Boil hen (leg quarters) until tender in water seasoned with onion, celery, salt and pepper.
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and reserve all stock. (I usually freeze the chicken until ready to make the casserole and freeze the stock in separate containers to use not only for this recipe but all recipes that I use that involve chicken stock/broth.).
Chop onion and bell pepper (or remove the frozen stuff from the freezer), combine soups (I usually put in the chili powder and garlic salt in this step because otherwise the putting together of the casserole gets messier), and grate cheese (see above note in ingredients).
Just before putting casserole together, soak the frozen tortillas in boiling chicken stock until wilted. (You will probably need around 10-12 tortillas for the batch. They do not need to soak very long, or they will become mush!).
Start layering casserole in a 9x12 inch baking dish (or a disposable aluminum casserole pan) in this order: Tortillas "dripping with stock", chicken, onion, bell pepper, sprinkling to taste with chili powder and garlic salt (see above note), soup mixture and cheese. Repeat the layers, being sure the tortillas are ozzing (I know it's a typo, but that typo is one of the reasons why I love this recipe) with the stock.
Cover the casserole with the Rotel tomatoes and all the juice.
Juices in the casserole should be about half of the depth of the dish, if not add a little more stock.
May be made and frozen several days ahead (or make two and freeze one), but always make at least one day ahead and refrigerate so that the flavors will blend.
Bake casserole uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes (It may take a bit longer). Serves 8 to 10.
Secret: a well-seasoned stock.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 849.1, Fat 44.2, SaturatedFat 15.3, Cholesterol 204.6, Sodium 1471.3, Carbohydrate 63.5, Fiber 4.2, Sugar 4.2, Protein 46.8