King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

5 Ratings
5 Reviews

This ain't your mama's chicken casserole. The comfort food classic gets a modern, nutrient-dense makeover with the addition of quinoa. Beyond being warm, cheesy, and generally delightful, this flavor-packed casserole is loaded with protein and is sure to become a new family favorite.

By Adam Hickman

Recipe by Cooking Light April 2016

Gallery

Credit: Jennifer Causey Styling: Lindsey Lower

Recipe Summary

hands-on:

23 mins

total:

47 mins

Yield:

Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°.

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Step 2
Combine cooked quinoa and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl. Spread quinoa on a parchment-lined baking sheet; bake at 400° for 14 minutes.
Step 3
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil; swirl. Add poblano pepper, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in flour, cumin, and chili powder; cook 1 minute. Add stock, salt, tomatoes, and chopped green chiles to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in chicken. Pour half of chicken mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish; top with half of quinoa mixture and 2 ounces cheese. Repeat layers once with remaining chicken mixture, remaining quinoa, and remaining 5 ounces cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

442 calories; fat 16.6g; saturated fat 4.8g; mono fat 7.9g; poly fat 2.4g; protein 30g; carbohydrates 45g; fiber 6.5g; cholesterol 56mg; iron 3mg; sodium 686mg; calcium 423mg; sugars 9g.

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daneanp

04/26/2016

For the amount of work involved, my family just didn't like this enough to make again. Both my husband and my 19 year old called it bland. I offered to add some heat and they both just shrugged, like why bother? We have other CL recipes we like so much better, so we probably won't make this one again. FWIW, I found the top half of the quinoa was a little crunchy.

RevCalli

04/25/2016

The flavor was great, but it was more like a stew. Next time I'll either cut the chicken broth in half, or drain the canned tomatoes and green chilies, which the recipe doesn't call for you to do.

Connie

04/11/2016

I made this as written, and didn't think the quinoa was too crunchy. It had great taste. But I thought the dish was too runny, and would reduce the amount of chicken broth. Our favorite king ranch casserole is one from thekitchn, but I will modify that one to include some quinoa instead of all of the tortillas.

Alona

04/05/2016

This is a good recipe. It is fairly easy to make. Would not toast the quionoa though as that makes it too crunchy. Our full review with pictures can be seen here: http://www.nickandalonakitchen.com/2016/04/king-ranch-chicken-and-quinoa-casserole.html

nevacation

03/24/2016

This was fabulous! Not a huge fan of quinoa, but loved this one. Tasted Mexican to me. Kids loved it. Will definitely make it again.

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