King Ranch Chicken Casserole

This dish is a Tex-Mex favorite. In fact, I hear you can’t go to a church social or potluck down in Texas without seeing one version or other of this dish on the table. It’s not surprising because not only is it delicious, but it can be made ahead of time and it travels well.

You can make a low-fat version of this dish by substituting reduced fat cream of mushroom soup, reduced fat cream of chicken soup, and reduced fat cheese. It turns out just as yummy.

I like to serve this dish with some sour cream and salsa on the side. I never have any leftovers when I make it. Try making this easy recipe for your next weeknight dinner or office potluck and you’ll see what I mean.

KING RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped (can substitute red bell pepper)
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 whole cooked chicken, deboned and shredded (about 3-4 cups chicken)
• 1 can (10¾ oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (10¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (10 oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 12 (6-­inch) corn tortillas
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or use your favorite – I like Mexican blend)
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped (optional for garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
3. Sauté onion, bell pepper and poblano pepper until onions start to become translucent.
4. Stir in chicken, soups, Rotel, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Remove skillet from heat.
6. Tear 4 tortillas into 1-­inch pieces and scatter on bottom of prepared baking dish.
7. Top with 1/3 of chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese.
   NOTE:  It’ll seem like you don’t have enough chicken mixture to fill the layer to the edges of the dish, but don’t worry. Just spread the filling really thin. It’s okay to have some empty spots. Once you bake it, it’ll all fill in and be just fine.
8. Tear 4 more tortillas into pieces and make a second layer of tortillas, 1/3 chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese.
9. Tear the last 4 tortillas to make a final layer with the last of the chicken mixture and top with 2 cups of cheese.
10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and cheese is browning at the edges.
11. If desired, garnish with chopped green onion before serving.

NOTE:  This casserole can be made ahead of time and refrigerated up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. To cook from frozen, thaw in refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.

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Chicken Spaghetti

My Mom occasionally made Chicken Spaghetti for us when we were growing up in the Philippines. I don’t remember what she put in her Chicken Spaghetti, but this is my version created from the faded recollection of a much-enjoyed childhood dish. The ingredients don’t sound very “native” to the Philippines, but Filipinos love cream of mushroom soup and Velveeta cheese which were brought over by the Americans during World War II and which have remained Filipino favorites to this day (along with the ever-popular Spam, of course). LOL!

This recipe makes a really big casserole so it’s perfect for a party or a potluck. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’re feeding a smaller group of people.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

• 1 lb. spaghetti noodles, broken into thirds
• 1 cooked rotisserie chicken, deboned and shredded (about 3-4 cups)
• 1 lb. bacon, diced into ½-inch pieces
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 small cans (4 oz. each) sliced mushrooms, undrained
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 lb. velveeta cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
3. Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook just until al dente.
4. Pour into a colander to drain.
5. Put bacon in the same pot you used to cook the spaghetti and fry until crispy.
6. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
7. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pot.
8. Sauté onions in the bacon grease until they start to become translucent.
9. Add red bell pepper and sauté until crisp-tender.
10. Stir in the mushrooms with juice, mushroom soup, velveeta cheese, and water.
11. Cook, stirring, until velveeta is completely melted.
12. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
13. Remove from heat, then stir in shredded chicken, cooked spaghetti, and bacon.
14. Pour into an extra large casserole dish, or two medium size ones.
15. Sprinkle top with shredded cheddar cheese, then grated parmesan cheese.
16. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

I was watching Trisha Yearwood’s show on the Food Network. She made a chicken and rice casserole that looked really good so I thought I would give it a try. It was truly yummy! The family liked it a lot. I’ve made it a couple of times since then, but of course, with some minor changes to the original recipe. I added a little more parsley for one thing. I also don’t bother chopping the slivered almonds. The biggest change I made, though, was to add a topping. My kids wanted the dish to have a crunchy topping. What is it with kids and crunchy toppings? So I made a mixture of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, sprinkled it over the top, and voila!

CHICKEN AND WILD RICE CASSEROLE

• 2 (6-oz.) boxes Uncle Ben’s long-grain and wild rice mix
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing dish
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 16 ozs. fresh mushrooms, sliced (or 2 (4½ oz.) cans sliced mushrooms, drained (reserve the liquid)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 4 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced
• 1 cup toasted slivered almonds
• ½ cup sliced pimientos
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 2 cups plain bread crumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook the long-grain and wild rice mixes according to the package directions. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
3. In a large pot, melt the butter.
4. Add the onions and mushrooms, and sauté until the onions are translucent.
5. Stir in the flour, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the broth (and reserved canned mushroom liquid if using) into the onion mixture, then stir in the half-and-half.
7. Cook until the mixture has thickened, 7 to 10 minutes.
8. Add the chicken, rice, toasted almonds, pimientos, parsley, salt, and pepper.
9. Pour everything into the prepared casserole dish.
10. In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese until well combined.
11. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over top of casserole.
12. Bake about 30 to 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown.