King Ranch Chicken

Oh boy have I been delinquent here ... I've got a few recipes to share. Last Monday, the Crockin' Girls shared a recipe for King Ranch Chicken. I had never heard of King Ranch chicken. I'd heard of the King Ranch from my husband's beef professor-uncle, and the King Ranch Ford pickup because I live in pickup country. But never chicken.

I served it over rice, and kind of mashed the two versions the Crockin' Girls offered based off what I had in the pantry. It was a good recipe to clear out the pantry cobwebs, I had everything already! I also used my last roasted Hatch chile from my freezer (sniff) instead of canned, so ours was a lot spicier than I think this recipe normally would be.

King Ranch Chicken

olive oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 chicken breasts, cubed
salt and pepper
1/2 t. cumin
1 roasted chile or 1 can of chiles, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 can tomatoes
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 can chicken broth
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
2 c. tortilla chips

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in the pan (maybe 1 T. total). Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the chicken and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste and add the cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is opaque inside.

Stir in the chiles, both cans of soup, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, and broth. Remove from heat.

In a large crock-pot, put the tortilla chips down in an even layer. Add the contents of the pan. Cover with the cheese. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.

Serve over rice (if desired).