King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken

3 Teaspoon Butter
2 Large cloves garlic, minced
½ Teaspoon Chili powder (homemade, if possible)
3 Teaspoon All−purpose flour
¾ Cup Chicken stock or broth
¾ Cup Buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Teaspoon Butter or olive oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
½ Large green bell pepper, chopped
1 Medium poblano, chopped
1 Cup Finely chopped mushrooms
2 Plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 1/2 cup canned tomatoes)
2 Teaspoon Chopped pimientos
Canola oil for softening tortillas
8 Corn tortillas
3 to 4 Cup Cooked, diced chicken (mixture of light and dark meat preferred)
1/3 Cup Sliced green olives
1/3 Cup Green onions, including tops, chopped
2 Cup Grated longhorn or mild cheddar cheese
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 saut 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 saut
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.