King Ranch Chicken

by Millie Bentley

Greetings. I thought of a chicken casserole I had on a trip I made to Chico one Fall. Can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but it was off Interstate 5 somewhere north and east of Bakersfield but before Stockton. The area smelled of cows and other related odors, but I was tired and hungry so I went in. So glad I did because they had really good food. I ordered a chicken dish that was delicious and I managed to get the recipe. Here it is:

King Ranch Chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can (10 oz.) Ro-tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles

(very important that you use this)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

12 corn tortillas, torn in pieces (or 3 cups Fritos)

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with a food release agent (such as Pam). In a large saucepan, sauté onion and green pepper in olive oil until limp, about 5 minutes. Add soups, Ro-tel and chicken; stir well until blended. In the prepared baking dish alternately layer tortillas (or Fritos), soup mixture and cheese, repeating for 3 layers. Bake for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 8 servings. Note: This can also be prepared in 8 small baking dishes. Yumm-mm!

Until next week, dear Reader, vaya con Dios.