I know that a few weeks ago I said that my stuffed shells were Puppy Daddy's favorite meal that I make. Well, when I made this casserole this week he said I might have been wrong and that Mexican Chicken might be his all time favorite. I first had this recipe when I was a teenager. My grandmother, Mimi Bates, who loved to cook, found the King Ranch Chicken recipe in Southern Living magazine. Every year she spent several months with us and cooked up a storm, preparing one delicious dish after another. This one was a big family hit! This is my own version which doesn't include canned creamed soups, though you could definitely use those instead of my mayo and sour cream combination.
This is also a great way to use up left over chicken. This week I used left over turkey breast and it was equally yummy. It's also a great way to use up corn or tortilla chips that may be getting a little stale. If you use chips larger than Fritos you should crush them a bit. I encourage you to give this a try soon!
Ingredients
2 TB butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 TB dry taco seasoning
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped or shredded
6 oz Fritos Corn Chips
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 TB chicken bouillon powder
2 TB dry mushroom gravy mix
1 can Rotel tomatoes, choose your own spice level, drain partially
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in frying pan. Saute onions, peppers and celery until softened. Add taco seasoning and mix together. While vegetables are sauteing spread Fritos in the bottom of an 8 X 8 baking dish. Pour chicken broth or stock over chips. Spread vegetables over corn chips. Then spread chicken over the vegetables. Mix
mayonnaise, sour cream, chicken bouillon powder, dry mushroom gravy mix and partially drained Rotel tomatoes. Put this mixture over the chicken. Top casserole with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.
The reason for this post is Puppy Daddy. Last night I had not really prepared for making a meal, so I did what I usually do on these occasions and made a casserole with what I had in the fridge and pantry. I wasn't sure I would post it, but Puppy Daddy loved it so much that he insisted. In fact, he must have been so excited to take the left overs to work for lunch today that he left the pantry door open when he got out his lunch bag, which by the way, is where we keep the dog treats. I realized this when I heard some mischief going on in the kitchen. When I walked in Hilton was ripping open the bag of Biljac snacks. I made a feeble attempt to get them, but if you know Whippets, you will realize that if a Whippet has something he doesn't want you to have, you will never catch him. In fact the only way I ever get something really tasty (especially a squirrel) away from my dogs is with dog treats, so I knew I should just give up. Now Hilton has eaten more dog treats in five minutes than he normally gets in six months! Oh well!!!
As I said this casserole was made with things I happened to have in my kitchen. Along with the broccoli, water chestnuts, rice, onion and celery, I also used left over chicken (from yesterday's Chicken Valerie), mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and chicken bouillon powder. You can switch out most of the ingredients for other things you have in your kitchen.
While the rice was cooking I sauteed the onion and celery in butter, and cooked the broccoli. Then I mixed the everything but the topping together in the pan with the rice. (I don't like Puppy Daddy to have to wash extra dishes.)
Next this mixture went into a baking dish. Now for the topping. A few weeks ago I hosted a pool party. for lunch we had a salad bar and everyone brought a salad topper to share. Well, I think half the guests brought croutons. Of course all the extra bags were left at my house, so I am now trying to think of creative ways to use them. For this dish I just smashed some croutons up, sprinkled them over the top and poured a little melted butter over the top.
I baked the casserole in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Quick, easy and yummy way to use up what's in your pantry and fridge.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice (follow package directions)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 Tb butter, divided
1/2 cup diced water chestnuts
1 cup cooked broccoli (I steamed it in the microwave for 3 minutes)
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
3/4 cup crushed salad croutons
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions. Saute onions and celery in one Tb spoon of butter over medium high heat. Mix together shredded cheese, mayo, sour cream, cream cheese and chicken bouillon powder. Combine this mixture with with the rice, onion, celery, water chestnuts, broccoli and chicken. Put in baking dish. Top with crushed salad croutons and the other Tb of butter, melted. Bake for 20 minutes.
