photo by Firebyrd

Souper King Ranch Chicken Casserole

There's a reason why recipes for this Texan favorite abound. It travels well, feeds a crowd, and results in delicious leftovers. This version keeps the convenience of using canned soups, but gets its oomph from the addition of oregano, cumin, and chili powder.

Try the lightened version or the Quick & Easy version, too!

Cuisine: AmericanMain Ingredient: Chicken

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Recipe
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Nutrition
Notes

Ingredients

Ready in 2 hours, 20 minutes
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Original recipe makes 8 Servings

1 (4 1/2- to 5-lb. )whole chicken

2 celery ribs; cut into 3 pieces each

2 carrots; cut into 3 pieces each

2 1/2 teaspoonssalt; (2 1/2 to 3)

2 tablespoonsbutter

1 mediumonion; chopped

1 mediumgreen bell pepper; chopped

1 garlic clove; pressed

10 3/4 ouncescream of mushroom soup

10 3/4 ouncescream of chicken soup

20 ouncesdiced tomatoes and green chiles; drained

1 teaspoondried oregano

1 teaspoonground cumin

1 teaspoonMexican-style chili powder; *note

3 cupsgrated sharp Cheddar cheese

12 (6-inch)fajita-size corn tortillas; cut into 1/2-inch strips

Souper King Ranch Chicken Casserole Preparation

tsp. chili powder and 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper may be substituted for Mexican-style chili powder.

If applicable, remove giblets from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken.

Place chicken, celery, carrots, and salt in a large Dutch oven with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from broth; cool 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Strain any remaining cooking liquid, and reserve for another use.

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid, cream of mushroom soup, and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.

Skin and bone chicken; shred meat into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with half of corn tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake at 350F for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Lightened King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Reduce butter to 1 Tbsp. Substitute reduced-fat cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup for regular and 2% reduced-fat cheese for regular. Prepare recipe as directed through Step 4. Bake, covered, at 350F for 50 minutes; uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Quick-and-Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Substitute 1 (2-lb.) skinned, boned, and shredded deli-roasted chicken for whole chicken, 3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips for corn tortillas, and 3/4 cup chicken broth for cooking liquid. Omit celery, carrots, and salt. Prepare recipe as directed, beginning with Step 3.