Friday, June 18, 2010

King Ranch Chicken Casserole


Just made this last week and thought I'd share it with ya'll just to prove that on occasion we do eat something other than beef and desserts. It's just that we raise beef and when we have a freezer full of ranch raised steaks and ground beef, why would we spend money on chicken? Even if we didn't raise beef, we are beef eaters, but it would be harder to qualify the expense of a good filet or t-bone if we actually had to shell out money for it. I looked the other day and darn, that stuff's expensive! Don't know who's getting the big cut, but it certainly isn't us! And it honestly does not taste the same as ranch raised beef!

So on occasion we venture over to the dark side and this recipe has been in my box for many a year. Ya'll may already make this and there are lots of versions out there. I hear tell it originated on the King Ranch and they raise beef, so I figure I can get away with it as well.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

1 3-4# chicken cooked and cubed (I cook it in a big pot of water and then use the broth. Then I cut the chicken into pieces and brown it in a pan with butter and season it. It's an extra step that you can skip. but we like the flavor better)
1 large onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
2 c chicken broth
1 can Rotel
12 tortillas, torn into pieces
2 c grated cheese
Sometimes I throw in an extra big spoonful of green chile in too because we like things a bit spicy around here.

*Combine soups, chicken broth, and Rotel in a large bowl and set aside. Spray the bottom of a 9x13" pan and line with half the tortilla pieces. Top with 1/2 of the chicken, 1/2 of the onion, and 1/2 of the cheese. Pour 1/2 of the broth mixture over everything. Repeat layers of tortillas, chicken, onion, and then pour the remaining broth mixture on top. Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese and bake for 45-60 minutes at 350°. Add a big salad, bread and some fresh green beans and you're good to go!

3 comments:

West Michigan Quilter said...

This looks great and I'd like to make it, but I have a couple questions. What is Rotel? What kind of tortillas? Corn or flour?

Anonymous said...

Michigan Quilter: Rotel is canned tomatoes and chile chile or jalapenoes (depending on whether you get hot or mild or original)

Ranch Wife said...

Hi West Michigan Quilter! BK is right (thanks BK!), Rotel is a staple in these parts. It never even occurred to me that it would not be available to everyone. You might find it in the section with mexican foods. In our grocery store, its with the canned tomatoes. I imagine you could substiture a can of diced tomatoes and a can or green chile. And as for the tortillas, I have seen it made with both corn and flour. We generally use flour simply because that's what I generally have around here. Thanks so much for stopping by and if you can't find Rotel and don't want to substitute, I'll send you some!

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