King Ranch Chicken: Don't Call It A Casserole

I’m not a Texan, but I do wear cowboy boots and have had the guts to serve my salsa to native Texans and yay or nay it being one of the best they’ve ever tasted. And while I do think my salsa is better than almost any you’ll find in New York City where I’m from, I don’t claim to know how to make King Ranch Chicken the way a native Texan would. For that I turn to my lovely girlfriend Angela whose family goes back seven generations, and her advice on how to make a healthy version (though as a native Texan, she noted she would never make it this way). King Ranch is one of her favorite things to make, partly because it’s so delicious, but also because as most casseroles are, it’s so darn easy. Speaking of which, yes, it’s a casserole, but don’t call it that. At least in her parts, it’s just King Ranch Chicken. Why? Don’t mess with Texas. Making King Ranch healthy is pretty simple. No cream of mushroom soup, no cream in fact, and light on the cheese. Just sub in low-fat sour cream or even better, fat-free Greek yogurt. It won’t taste healthy. One last note, as you should already know if you’re a Tex-Mex aficionado: one of the key ingredients is a can of Ro*Tel tomatoes. You can usually find one if you look hard enough long enough in your local groceries, but no worries if you can’t — just use canned diced tomatoes (or tomatoes that have been grilled or roasted) and fresh and chopped green chiles. Click here to see Casserole Recipe Redux