King Ranch Chicken Casserole

If you are from Texas, this was likely a staple in your house growing up. My only issue with it, is that I HATE chunky tomatoes in my food. I know, that makes me a freak and I probably shouldn’t be writing recipes or teaching anyone about food. But yes, it is a fatal flaw and I apologize. I have a feeling a lot of children these days are the same way, so, you’re welcome for a creating this King Ranch Chicken Casserole that BLENDS THE ROTEL so that it is smooth and you don’t even know there are tomatoes in it.

what you need:

• 12 (10-in) corn tortillas
• 1 can (10oz) Rotel
• 1 can (10oz) cream of mushroom condensed soup
• 1 can (10oz) cream of chicken condensed soup
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded My SUPER EASY shredded chicken hack here
• 1 cup smoked sharp cheddar cheese, grated

what you need to do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a casserole dish and set aside.
• In a large nonstick pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and onion and cook until onions are softened and slightly translucent. About 5 – 7 minutes.
• Add cumin, oregano, paprika, and can of Rotel. Stir to combine and cook another 2 – 3 minutes.
• While this is cooking, cut your tortillas. I cut mine in half horizontally, and then into fourths vertically. Each tortilla will give you 8 pieces.
• Remove peppers from heat, and spoon all of the veggie mix into a blender. Add the chicken stock.
• Now, IMPORTANT: do not close the blender top completely. You need to leave some sort of vent open to let the air out. If you blend this with the top completely on and air tight, when you remove the lid, the air inside will expand and it will literally explode all over you.
• Pulse in the blender a few times until the mixture resembles salsa.
• Pour back into the pan you used to cook the veggies, and then add both of the canned soups. They are going to fall out of the can….still in the shape of the can. Disgusting but whatever!!! You want to mix with a whisk while the pan is still warm and the veggies are hot so that the soups will melt into the mixture and make it smooth.
• Now, grab the chicken, cheese, tortillas, and casserole dish and set together. Time to assemble!
• Scoop 1/2 CUP of the sauce into a separate bowl and SET ASIDE.
• Spoon a few tablespoons of sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish and spread out to coat it a bit. Does not need to be completely coated just a little bit is fine.
• Order goes: (SORRY THIS PART IS COMPLICATED) (HONESTLY IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW YOU DO THIS JUST GET IT ALL IN THERE)
  • Few tablespoons of sauce
  • 1/2 Chicken
  • 1/2 Sauce
  • 1/3 Cheese
  • 1/2 Tortillas
  • 1/2 Chicken
  • 1/2 Sauce
  • 1/3 Cheese
  • 1/2 Tortillas
  • Reserved 1/2 cup sauce
  • 1/3 Cheese
• Put dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, and then turn on high broil for about 5 minutes to get the cheese on top nice and crispy and brown.
• Remove from oven and let it cool for about 10 – 15 minutes before serving.
• Serve with my Jalapeno Honey Cornbread Muffins!!!