My husband loves reading Lamebook and other sites that show funnies from around the web. Here’s one of his favorites:
Well, my friend Stacy was over for dinner this week on a night that my husband was out for his Fantasy Football Draft. So you know what that meant?
I could make a chicken dish!
Why not a Chicken Casserole dish?
I’ll tell you where you can find Chicken Casserole Supplies:
My Pantry!
I had all but two of the 18 ingredients needed for a Chicken Casserole dish from – you guessed it – The Homesick Texan. {As much as I love them, I don’t keep corn tortillas on hand, nor did I have half and half.} After picking those two items up from the nearby Cub Foods, I had the components to make:
Slightly Fancy-Pants King Ranch
Chicken Casserole
from The Homesick Texan
Eighteen ingredients may sound like a lot, but it really wasn’t. And if you want to make the easier, old-school version with cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, Lisa includes that recipe on her website, too.
I started by seasoning and cooking up the chicken, which took more time than anticipated:
Chicken seasoned with lime, chili powder and salt
Then I shredded it:
Shredded Chicken
Next time, as a time saver, I’d have the chicken done ahead of time or just buy a rotisserie chicken and add the spices.
Then, I sautéed the onions and peppers. The recipe called for a poblano and a red bell pepper, but I had some small Anaheim peppers left from my last CSA box, so I used that instead of the red bell:
Poblano (1) and Anaheim (2) Peppers
I added the spices:
Spices: garlic, flour, cumin, cayenne, chili powder
After thickening the mixture with the chicken broth, I added the half and half. And since I didn’t have a can of Ro-Tel on hand that the author is so fond of, I put in 10 ounces of canned tomatoes along with a chopped jalapeno and serrano pepper, yet again from my CSA box. {Do they expect me to make Tex-Mex and Mexican food all summer? Aha! How did I forget about the serrano peppers used in Indian Food!? Note to self…}
After some simmering {not me, the sauce mixture}, I added the remaining lime juice, sour cream and some cilantro and seasoned it with salt and pepper:
Creamy mixture for the Chicken Casserole
With the oven heated, I began assembling the Chicken Casserole with layers of the sauce mixture, corn tortillas, shredded chicken, cilantro and shredded cheese.
Layering of the Chicken Casserole…
Unfortunately, you don’t get a picture of the finished product. But with all the bubbly, golden brown cheese on top, it looked just like The Homesick Texan‘s Tex-Mex Squash Casserole that I made.
The Verdict? This King Ranch Chicken Casserole is the perfect combination of chicken, ooey-gooey cheese and heat. We thought it would be nice if it were a just a tad creamier, so maybe I’d add a little more sour cream next time. {Or I’d have some leftover to dollop on top. I finished off the container of sour cream for this dish, so we didn’t have that luxury.}
So where did I find my chicken casserole supplies?
- Mostly my pantry and fridge
- My CSA box
- Cub Foods for the missing ingredients
Hopefully, that’ll help out Mr. David D. 
What is your favorite casserole dish?
Please include the recipe or a link to the recipe!
Cheers~
Carrie
That is so funny! and I love the look of your casserole. I also like to make a Greek casserole with rice, spinach, chicken and lemon.
Do you have the recipe posted somewhere? It sounds good!
I don’t but here’s what I do. Brown the chicken and then transfer it to a plate. Saute a chopped onion and a bunch of minced garlic then put rice in and saute a bit. Add a couple cups of broth, 1/4 cup lemon juice, greek oregano, salt and pepper. Add chicken back. Reduce heat and cook until chicken is done (liquid will be absorbed – maybe a little more than an hour). Stir in mince spinach and some olives. Feta to top.