Wednesday, April 15, 2009

King Ranch Chicken Casserole... A Texas Staple

In Texas, everyone knows of Bob Kleburg and his famous 15 million acre King Ranch located in South Texas. It grew from its early days as a Mexican hacienda to a South Texas Cattle Ranch and ultimately, an international corporate agribusiness. It all began with Richard King, who was a steamboat-captain-turned-South-Texas-cattle-rancher-landowner. This recipe is the perfect reflection of that easy-going ranch lifestyle, reflecting the Mexican influence as well. It is truly the best casserole I make and is served in most Texas homes at one time or another.



Since there are now just the two of us here at home, I usually split this recipe into two or three separate casserole dishes and freeze them for future use. It's such a treat some nights to just toss a casserole dish into the oven and have dinner ready an hour later. Enjoy!




King Ranch Chicken Casserole:




Ingredients:

 
1 whole baked chicken, boned & cut into bite size chunks

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 stick of butter

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup

1 10 oz. can of Rotel chiles & tomatoes

12 soft corn tortillas cut or torn into bite size pieces

1/4 cup of chicken broth

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese






Directions:


1. Place cut up corn tortillas in bottom of casserole dish.


2. Pour a little of the chicken broth over the tortillas.


3. In a large skillet, sauté the onion and bell peppers in the butter until almost transparent.


4. Set aside to cool.


5. In a separate bowl, combine the soups with the Rotel, mixing well.


6. Add the onion & bell pepper mixture, stirring well.


7. In 13 x 9" glass casserole dish, arrange alternate layers of tortillas, soup mixture, and grated cheese, until all ingredients are used.


8. Bake in 350 degree pre-heated oven for 50 minutes or until heated through & bubbly & cheese is browned.


9. May be frozen for future use before or after cooking.

8 comments:

lisaiscooking said...

I've never made my own King Ranch casserole, but I've eaten it several times, of course. Time to change that!

Staci said...

Oh my Lord, that looks good!

Mrs. L said...

This sounds so good. Filling. Stick to your ribs kinda dish that I love.

Melissa said...

Looks like good old fashioned comfort food. And yeah, ranch food.

I've heard of this but have never tasted one, even though I lived in Texas for 10 years. My NY Jewish parents never would have cooked this hahaha.

noble pig said...

Well I could dig right in to this! Mouthwatering.

Darius T. Williams said...

I live in Chicago - born and raised, so that would explain why I know nothing of this. Looks amazingly good though!

Marilyn *Pink Martinis and Pearls* said...

Hi Snooty,

Welcome to my blog. I am happy to have you as a reader and I am just as happy to have found your sites as well. Looks like a good recipe for me to try. :)

Dewi said...

I never hear of this "chicken Casserole", it does sound wonderful. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Cheers,
elr