I am planning to make King Ranch Chicken in a Crockpot for a luncheon tomorrow. the directions say to mix the diced, cooked chicken, 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 can of tomatoes and chilies and 4 tab. of quick cooking tapioca.

I don't have the tapioca. Is there something I can substitute? I assume this is for a thickening agent. I wondered if cornstarch would work.

Thanks for your help.

Becky

Yes, the tapioca will be for a thickener. I've used it for years when making stews in the crockpot and it does a great job.

For sure, you can use corn starch, though I'm not sure on the equivalency ratio. I'd mix it first with a little water, till well dissolved, then stir into the other to blend well.

Bon Appetit! ... and please do give us a RR (Recipe Review) after you dine! :)

Found this information:
http://www.foodsubs.com/ThickenStarch.html
and
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...9080408AA3CTQA

Looks like you can substitute either flour or cornstarch (with slightly different results).

Thanks for your help. If I am reading this correctly, it is probably better to use a flour slurry than a cornstarch slurry since this will cook for 3 hours on high in the crockpot.

Flour tends to leave the sauces more opaque/milky (depending on the ingredients of course).

Corn starch will cook up clear, as will tapioca. I've found that the powdered tapioca stirs in nicely and does not tend to go lumpy so easily as the corn starch and flour might, if not careful.

We were both posting together. I'd probably still use the corn starch. For your slurry, drain the tomatoes and mix the juice with the corn starch, so you aren't adding any extra liquid. At the end if your sauce is too thick, you can thin it a little with some milk. If it's too thin, drain some of the sauce and thicken on the stove top.

This thread is making me very hungry! :)

The recipe is 3 - 4 c., cooked, diced chicken, 1 pkg. (10-12) flour tortillas, 1 med. onion, chopped, 2 (10 0z) cans cream of chicken soup, 1 can (1 c.) tomatoes and chilies, 4 c. grated Cheddar cheese and 4 tbsp. quick cooking tapioca.
The directions are to mix the chicken, soup, tomatoes and tapioca. Rip 2 to 3 tortillas into pieces and line the bottom of a 5 qt. crockpot. Add 1/3 of the chicken mixture; top with 1/3 of the onion and cheese. Repeat layers of tortillas, chicken mixture, onion and cheese two more times. Cover, cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or on high for 3 hours.

I will try it with the cornstarch/tomato juice combination and let you know how it turns out. Thanks for your help.

Thank you for sharing your recipe. It sounds delicious!

Well, everyone really enjoyed the King Ranch Chicken in a Crockpot. I was serving three men and they went back for seconds. That always does my heart good. I served it with Mediterranean Bean Salad.