Sonora Chicken Casserole

Kim Youngblood

Ingredients

4 cups cooked rice
1 whole chicken cooked & pulled
1 onion cut into quarters
6 tbs butter
6 tbs flour
2 cups milk
4 cups chicken stock seperated (2 used to make rice) (2 used to make cream sauce) 
1 diced jalapeno (seeds & membrane removed)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ancho chili pwder
1/4 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
8 oz grated cheddar or Colby/Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans (7oz) Salse Verde
2 tbs Olive Oil
Water

Instructions

Cook 2 cups of rice by adding 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken stock. Add diced jalpaenos and cook rice until done. After rice is done, remove from heat &  fluff up with a spooon and set aside. Kepp lid off of rice.

Cut up chicken into halves or quarters. Get BGE set up indirect. Get temp to 350-375. Using a CI Dutch Oven place  2 tbs olive in CIDO and heat up. When the oil is hot, place chicken pieces in the pot and cook for about 10 minutes. Flip chicken after 5 minutes. After 10 minutes add enough water to cover the chicken 1/2 to 2/3 of the way. Add quartered onion, cumin, chili powder, ancho chili powder, garlic powder and salt & pepper. Let the chicken, onion, water and spices simmer covered for 2 hours. Water may have to be added. Flip chicken after 1 hour.

Once chicken is done and falling off the bone take chicken out of the pot and let cool.  Rinse CIDO for later use.

Pull chicken, discarding bones & fat and set aside.

Place CIDO back in BGE and heat. Put butter in CIDO and melt. Gradually add the flour and stir to remove all lumps. Add milk & chicken stock and get back to  simmer. Stir occasionally until sauce thickens. This will take 5-6 minutes. Add cayenne pepper & chopped cilantro & stir. Once sauce has thickened add chicken. This should be a fairly thick sauce.

Spray an ovenproof baking dish (9" x 12") with non stick spray. Spread the jalapeno rice over the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon the chicken sauce over the rice. Do not mix with rice. You want a layer of rice then a layer of creamed chicken sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the mixture in diagonal stripes about 1 inch apart until all the cheese is used. Spoon salsa verde between the cheese stripes so you have diagonal stipes of green salsa and golden cheese across the top of the casserole.

Bake in the BGE at 375 indirect about 30 minutes until bubbly.

If you are making this dish ahead of time and are going to refrigerate do not add cheese & salsa verde until you are ready to bake. You will have to bake it at 375 for 45-50 minutes if it was refrigerated.

When this dish was plated we added salsa and sour cream to the top of the dish. Guacamole would be nice served with this dish also.

Notes

Jalapenos and other spices can be added or subtracted depending on tolerance for heat. This was mildly spicy.

Number of Servings: 8

Time to Prepare: 4 hours