King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large leek, ends removed, halved vertically and sliced horizontally
• 8 oz. brown baby bella crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander, ground
• 1/2 tsp. oregano, ground
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 4 c. unsalted chicken stock
• 1- 10 oz. can Ro-Tel
• 1- 7 oz. can fire-roasted mild green chiles
• salt to taste
• 10 corn tortillas
• meat from one whole cooked chicken (approximately 2 � 2 1/2 lbs.), shredded
• 1 1/2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425�F.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Add the leek, mushrooms and garlic, and saut� over a medium flame until fragrant and tender, approximately 8 minutes. Stir in the black pepper, cumin, coriander and oregano, and cook for 2 minutes more. Whisk in the flour, one quarter cup at a time, alternating with the stock, one cup at a time, whisking until smooth and uniform after each addition. Stir in the Ro-Tel and chiles and reduce heat to low.
3. To assemble the casserole, line the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with a layer of overlapping tortillas. Top the tortillas with half of the vegetable sauce and then half of the chicken, and finish with one third of the cheese. Add an additional layer of overlapping tortillas, the remainder of the vegetable sauce, the remainder of the chicken and one third of the cheese, and complete the casserole by topping with any remaining tortillas and cheese. Note that you can switch up assembly by simply stirring all of the chicken and all of the vegetable sauce together into the baking dish, then finishing with a solid crust of all of the tortillas topped with all of the cheese; this method of assembly is certainly not traditional, but it is just as tasty.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted, exposed tortillas are crisped at their edges, and the filling is bubbly and fragrant. Remove and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly before serving.