What's Cooking Wednesday - King Ranch Chicken Casserole - A Guest Post!

I must admit that I am so excited about this, my first "guest post."  It makes me feel like a real blogger!  When I asked for ideas on Facebook yesterday for What's Cooking Wednesday, my friend Julie chimed in with a suggestion.  Then she graciously agreed to write a guest post about her recipe, King Ranch Chicken Casserole.

I met Julie at the University of Montevallo, where we were in the same sorority.  I remember her as being fun-loving and hilarious, and found out that she is still that way, in addition to being a loving Christian wife and mother, after meeting back up with her on Facebook a couple of years ago.  We recently (not as recently now, but compared to the almost 20 years that went by before that, pretty recent) had the pleasure of getting our families together for one short meal, which was really fun.  After a stint of moving around, she is now settled in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Tim, and their three sweet daughters. Daughters who, by the way, give her so many hilarious stories that Julie could easily write her own blog!  Her cheery way of dealing with whatever life throws her way is enjoyable and refreshing to hear about.  And she has a special talent for making animals out of food!

And now, What's Cooking Wednesday, a guest post by my friend Julie!

We lived in San Antonio, Texas for six years. One of the many things I love about the city is the wonderful food.  My Texas friend, who is actually from El Salvador, introduced me to  King Ranch Chicken Casserole (KRCC).  It's an easy and versatile dish to prepare; it freezes well, and you can make any number of variations to suit your tastes.  During our time in San Antonio, I had many versions of KRCC at work functions, church potlucks, Bible study/small group dinners, San Antonio Spurs Championship parties, etc.   This recipe makes a lot, I usually cook half and freeze the other half for a night we need a quick dinner.

Read on for the recipe!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole


8 skinless chicken breasts--cooked and cubed *I usually just get a rotisserie chicken or grill extra chicken a day or two ahead*

1 onion *Most of the time, I use dried onion flakes. Can you tell I'm a lazy cook?

1 stick butter

1 jar salsa con queso

1 large bag Tortilla chips

3-1/2 cups milk

2 cans cream of chicken soup

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

*Many people add a can of chopped tomatoes with green chiles. My Texan/Salvadoran friend does not; she doesn't like spicy food--go figure!

Sour cream

Salsa

Saute onions in butter. Combine chicken, onions, Tortilla chips, soup, 2 1/2 cups milk and queso. Stir until all the chips are saturated. Add remaining cup of milk. Pour into a large greased baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and salsa.

P.S. Tracey says next time I can talk about the armadillo I made out of Rice Krispie treats, so y'all make me look good!