King Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

3 T Butter
2 Large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t Chili powder (homemade, if possible)
3 T All-purpose flour
3/4 C Chicken stock or broth
3/4 C Buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 T Butter or olive oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
1/2 Large green bell pepper, chopped
1 Medium poblano, chopped
1 C Finely chopped mushrooms
2 Plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 1/2 cup canned tomatoes)
2 T Chopped pimientos
Canola oil for softening tortillas
8 Corn tortillas
3 to 4 C Cooked, diced chicken (mixture of light and dark meat preferred)
1/3 C Sliced green olives
1/3 C Green onions, including tops, chopped
2 C Grated longhorn or mild cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole.

Make the Sauce:

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chili powder,
and sauté for a minute or two. Raise the heat to medium. Quickly sprinkle in the flour and
stir to mix. Pour in a small amount of the chicken broth, stirring constantly to remove
lumps and allowing the flour to "cook" briefly. Gradually add the remaining chicken broth,
add the buttermilk and continue stirring until sauce has thickened, 3 or 4 minutes. Add salt
and pepper to taste. Sauce may be prepared in advance and refrigerated.

Make the Filling:

Warm a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the butter or olive oil, and sauté the chopped
onion, green pepper, poblano, mushrooms, tomatoes and pimientos until onion is
transparent, about 4 or 5 minutes. Fold into the mixture the diced chicken, olives and green
onions, combining well. Remove from heat.

Assembling the Dish:

In a small skillet, heat about about half an inch of canola oil. Using tongs, dip the tortillas in
the hot oil one at a time, for just a few seconds, so that they are softened. Cover the
bottom of your baking dish with 4 of the softened tortillas. Layer the remaining ingredients
in the following order:

Half of the chicken/vegetable mixture
Half of the grated cheese
Half of the sauce
The remaining 4 softened tortillas
The remaining chicken/vegetable mixture
The remaining grated cheese
The remaining sauce

Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F until casserole is heated through and bubbly. Makes 6 to 8
servings.

Notes: Possible substitutions: A small can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and chiles for the tomatoes
and poblano, OR a small can of green chiles for just the poblano.