King Ranch Turkey

It’s a question asked every year after Thanksgiving. What do I do with all that leftover turkey? Or not. Perhaps you didn’t have much turkey left over or what you had was eaten in turkey sandwiches. Not to fear. This recipe can be made with any chicken or turkey that is already cooked. With the red and green of the peppers, it’s a festive and spicy way to transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

King Ranch Turkey
makes a 9×12 casserole

3 cups cooked turkey (or chicken), diced or shredded
1 cup turkey or chicken broth (preferably homemade)
4 Tbs butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbs spelt flour (or flour of choice)
1 Tbs red chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
4 oz can of chopped green chile
6 oz of red salsa
1/2 cup full fat raw milk or cream
1/3 cup yogurt or sour cream
16 oz. grated cheese (I used 1/2 cheddar and 1/2 pepper jack)
1-2 cups crushed organic tortilla chips

Melt butter in saucepan, add onion and bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes on medium low, stirring frequently.

Stir in flour, then add spices and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add broth and cook for a few minutes on medium.

Add milk, chile and salsa, mixing well.

Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover pot and add yogurt (or sour cream).

Stir to combine and add turkey to sauce.

An alternative method is to layer the sauce and turkey, but I prefer to take shortcuts wherever possible.

Preheat oven to 350^o
In a 9 x 12 baking dish, put 1/2 to 1 cup crushed tortilla chips. These are the chips I used.

This is the second layer, starting with chips.

Add 1/2 of the turkey/sauce mixture, spreading evenly throughout pan.

Top with 1/2 the cheese.

Make a total of two layers. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Top with additional yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

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