Cowboy Chicken Casserole

CindiJ's Note:

We eat a lot of chicken dishes and thought this sounded good. Found this recipe on the FoodTV website, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse. This would also work great for OMAC. (Prep time includes 50 minutes In-Active time for poaching of chicken.)

• Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 ½ cups chicken stock
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves , smashed
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 lb white button mushrooms , wiped clean and stems trimmed, quartered
• 1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 12 cups tortilla chips
• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 1 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 2 jalapeno peppers , stem and seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)
• 8 ounces grated monterey jack pepper cheese
• 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon emeril's southwest seasoning , recipe follows
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup chopped drained canned tomato
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies , drained

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken, chicken stock, wine, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the oregano, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and tear or cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve the chicken. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat until foamy. Add the mushrooms, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, stir to blend, and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken cooking liquid, stir, and cook until very thick and flavorful, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Place the tortilla chips in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass casserole. Crush the chips with your hands so they form a thin layer on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid over the tortilla chips and allow them to soak up the liquid. Scatter the chicken over the top of the tortilla layer. Spread the chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos evenly over the chicken. Top with half of the grated cheeses. Sprinkle with the Southwest Seasoning, chili powder and ground cumin. Spoon the reserved mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the spices, then top with the tomatoes and green chiles. Cover with the remainder of the cheeses. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
5. Tip: This casserole may be prepared in advance and frozen until ready to use. Simply allow it to thaw 1 day in the refrigerator and come to room temperature before baking.

Reviews

[~Leslie~]

Wonderful, wonderful flavours in this casserole! I wish I had more, I would eat it again this evening! DH and I enjoyed this recipe, which we easily scaled down to feed 3 (we are just PIGS with this type of food) and we ate the entire thing! I really didn't find it to be too much work, a little more than the average casserole, but oh so worth it. I'd give this 10 stars if I could! LOVED IT! :)

[Schwabina]

Oh, my...this was probably the most complicated casserole I have ever made...but it was so good! There's such a great mix of flavors and textures. I used the recipe for Emeril's Southwest Seasoning, but didn't have coriander, so just used extra cumin.

[Irmgard]

This casserole is awesome! If I could give it 10 stars, I would. The preparation is a lot of work but the end result is so worth it. My husband is looking forward to having some of the leftovers to take to work for lunch. I didn't use Emeril's Southwest Seasoning as I had on hand a commercially-prepared southwest seasoning blend. The spices were almost similar so I don't think it altered the taste too much. I will definitely make this dish again!