King Ranch Chicken Casserole

 My hubby and I watched an recent episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives where Guy goes to Austin and eats king ranch chicken casserole. Man, Did it look yummy? So I had to make it!

The veggies all chopped. This bowl smelled so yummy

Seasoned chicken cooking away!

Shred time!

Cream of mushroom soup in bowl. CHECK

Sour cream added. CHECK

Rotel added. CHECK

Stir to combine. CHECK

Veggies sauteing away

Heat up tortillas in oil till softened 

Adjust seasonings in the soup mix till it is just right

Shredded chicken ready to go

1st layer soup mix then tortillas

Then add shredded chicken

More soup mix then repeat with tortillas, chicken, soup mix, and so forth

Ready for the oven

King Ranch Chicken Casserole   Recipe Created by Stephanie from http://thebestthingievermade.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

-  8OZ  SOUR CREAM

-1/2 C CHOPPED CILANTRO

-16OZ SHREDDED CHEESE ( I USED MEXICAN BLEND BUT ALMOST ANY CHEESE WILL WORK SHARP, PEPPER-JACK, COLBY, ETC) 1 TO 1 1/2 CUPS RESERVED FOR TOPPING THE CASSEROLE

- 24 CORN TORTILLAS

- ASSORTED PEPPERS CHOPPED FINELY- BELL PEPPER, JALAPENO, BANANA PEPPER, POBLANO PEPPER

-1 LARGE ONION DICED

-2 TBSP MINCED GARLIC

- 14OZ CAN OF DICED TOMATOES WITH GREEN CHILIES 

-2 CANS OF CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

- 1/2 C  CHICKEN BROTH

- 2 LBS OF BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST

SEASONINGS: SALT, PEPPER, CHILLI POWDER, CUMIN, SPANISH PAPRIKA

DIRECTIONS:

1. CHOP ALL YOUR VEGGIES FINELY. I USED SEVERAL KINDS OF PEPPERS USE WHATEVER YOU HAVE ON HAND OR PREFER. THE VEGGIES ARE OPTIONAL BUT DO ADD TO THE FLAVOR AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING ALL OF THEM.
2. COMBINE THE CHOPPED VEGGIES WITH THE GARLIC AND CHOPPED CILANTRO IN  A LARGE BOWL
3. SEASON CHICKEN AND COOK IN A HOT SKILLET WITH 1 TBSP OF OIL. WHEN CHICKEN IS DONE, PLACE IN FOOD MIXER WITH PADDLE ATTACHMENT AND TURN ON LOW. THIS WILL PERFECTLY SHRED THE CHICKEN ( IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MIXER, YOU CAN SHRED BY HAND WITH TWO FORKS)
4. USING THE SAME PAN THE CHICKEN WAS IN, ADD 1 TBSP OF OIL AND DUMP IN VEGGIE MIX. SAUTE TILL SOFT AND SEMI TRANSLUCENT
5. WHILE THE VEGGIES ARE SAUTEING,  COMBINE THE CREAM OF MUSHROOM AND SOUR CREAM.
6. IN THE SAME BOWL, ADD THE CAN OF ROTEL (THIS MIX SHOULD BE THE CONSISTENCY OF PANCAKE BATTER. YOU WANT TO BE THICK BUT NOT TOO THICK)
7. ADD CHICKEN BROTH TO THIN THE MIX IF NECESSARY
8. THEN ADD THE SHREDDED CHEESE AND STIR TO COMBINE
9. IN  A SMALL PAN, HEAT UP TORTILLAS IN A SMALL AMOUNT OF OIL TO SOFTEN THEM UP. APPROXIMATELY 45 SECS ON EACH SIDE ON LOW TO MED HEAT.
10. NOW YOU CAN TAKE THE TIME TO ADJUST THE SEASONINGS ON YOUR SOUP MIXTURE.  I ADDED SALT, PEPPER, CHILI POWDER, CUMIN, AND SPANISH PAPRIKA. I STARTED WITH A 1TSP OF EACH AND TASTED AND ADDED MORE OF EACH IF NEEDED
11. WHEN YOUR VEGGIES ARE DONE, ADD TO THE SOUP MIX AND COMBINE. 
12. IN A 9X13 PAN, SPREAD SOME SOUP/VEGGIE MIX ON THE BOTTOM TO COAT. THEN LAYER THE TORTILLAS OVERLAPPING IF NECESSARY. 
13. THEN YOU LAYER SOME MORE SOUP MIX THEN CHICKEN THEN TORTILLAS REPEAT ENDING WITH THE TORTILLAS COVERED IN SOUP MIX
14. SPRINKLE THE REST OF THE CHEESE ON TOP AND BAKE AT 350 TILL GOLDEN BROWN AND BUBBLY APPROXIMATELY 30-38MINS
15. LET COOL FOR 5-8 MINS FOR CUTTING INTO AND ENJOY !

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