Rouses Leg Quarters

Almost free!

I just left Rouses and they are still selling mirlitons at 8 for $1 and they have small avocados priced at 4 for $1.

Just be sure to sort through the avocados since some of them on display are real soft and likely not so good on the inside.

I picked up 20 lbs. of leg quarters and have them in an ice chest defrosting so I can trim them up and cut off the tail pieces for stock.

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Anyone got any good/unique recipes for these puppies?

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I use them for basic stuff like frying, smoking, chicken noodle soup, King Ranch Chicken Casserole, baking in the oven, BBQ on the Weber, etc.

Nothing I'd consider unique or exotic I'm afraid.

Now, a good King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a hell of a good dish and really pretty easy to make.

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King Ranch Chicken Casserole

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Can you share yours? Always wanted to try one

Slightly fancy King Ranch

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken--either breasts, thighs or a combination
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
4 teaspoons ancho chile powder or chili powder
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded, stemmed, and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup half and half
1/3 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
10 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups 6 ounces shredded pepper Jack
1 1/2 cups 6 ounces shredded cheddar1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar
Instructions
Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons of the lime juice, 2 teaspoons of the ancho chile powder, and a generous dash of salt and pepper. In a skillet heated on medium, cook the chicken in the olive oil on each side for about 10 minutes. When the chicken is done (after about 20 minutes), shred it with two forks. Taste and see if it needs more salt and pepper. There should be about 3 cups of chicken.

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium low, and add the onions, red bell pepper, and poblano pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until the onion and peppers are soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Stir in the flour, cumin, cayenne, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder, and cook for 1 more minute.

Pour in the chicken broth and cook on low until the mixture is thickened, a few minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and Ro-Tel cover the pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Uncover the pot, and add the sour cream, the remaining 2 teaspoons of lime juice, and the cilantro, and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.
Preheat the oven to 350° F and have ready a 9×13 baking dish.
To heat up the tortillas, start with 1 tablespoon of the oil to a large skillet heated on medium-high, and add the tortillas, one at a time, cooking about 30 seconds per side or until softened. Add more oil as needed.

To assemble the casserole, ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish. Layer half the tortillas along the bottom of the pan (on top of the sauce). To make sure entire pan is evenly covered, you can rip some of the tortillas into strips to fill any gaps. Add half the chicken, half the remaining sauce, half the remaining cilantro and 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese.
Repeat the layering, leaving the cheese layer on top. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling. If you like, top with additional sour cream and cilantro for serving.

LINK

I have been stung by these cheap chicken sales before thawed them out to find them very stinky, tiny, etc. So when I stopped at Rouses Wednesday I only got 1 pack. Got it home thawed out and cut up and found nice big pieces so I cooked some for supper to make sure they didn't taste funky. They passed the taste not the best fresh chicken but pretty good so gonna load up on them today. Packed in qt bags they will feed us a couple times a week hopefully till the next sale.

It's not pretty meat but it is great for the price.

When this deal comes around, I like to smoke them and pull the meat for later use.