King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken, that ubiquitous Texas casserole, has busted across state borders and onto the plates of folks all over the United States.  It's home food, the comforting stuff, which is why it's so commonly found at dinner parties, reunions, pot lucks, & funerals.  It's hard to hit a large gathering of Texans and not come across this dish  beckoning you to dig in and take a scoop.








Here's what you'll need
10 corn tortillas
1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled or 1 whole chicken, boiled and meat pulled. (I used the Rotisserie bird to save on time and clean up).
1 small (8 oz.) box Veleeta cheese, 1 pkg. shredded cheddar may be substituted
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion or 1/2 a large one, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Ro*tel tomatoes with green chilies, I used the mild.
1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Heat skillet with two tablespoons butter.  Dice onion and place in heated skillet.  Saute onions until soft.

While onions are sauteing, cut tortilla rounds into sixths, as you would for triangle corn chips.  Next, cut Velveeta block into cubes.

Lay a single layer of triangles along the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13" casserole dish.  Pull chicken breast meat in bite sized pieces off of the rotisserie chicken.  Layer chicken meat on top of the corn tortillas. Then top with sauteed onions and cubed Velveeta.

Repeat the layers of tortilla, chicken, onion, and cheese, stopping when casserole dish is 3/4 of the way full.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine soups, Ro*tel, and broth.  Pour soup mixture onto casserole and place in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.

What comes out of the oven will be a a casserole swimming in creamy cheesiness, a queso-esque concoction that screams comfort, and calories, but hey, everything IS bigger in Texas! ; )