King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Serves 6 to 8
12 6-inch corn tortillas
Olive oil flavored cooking spray
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 jalapeno chilies, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 10-ounce cans Ro-Tel tomatoes (choose the level of heat you like)
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups chicken broth
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed from the bones and cut up (about 3 cups)
4 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 6 tortillas on each of two baking sheets and spray lightly with cooking spray on both sides. Place in the oven and bake until lightly browned and crisp, depending on the heat of your oven, for 5 to 10 minutes—keep an eye on them so they don’t get too brown. Remove from the oven, cool until you can handle them, and break them into pieces.
Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, chilies and cumin until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Add the cream and the broth; bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken, the cilantro and the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Layer half of the tortilla pieces in a 13 x 9 rectangular or oval baking dish. Spoon half of the filling evenly over the tortillas. Repeat with the remaining tortilla pieces and filling. Sprinkle the crushed tortilla chips over the top and bake the casserole for about 20 to 30 minutes until the edges are bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.