Bless Her Heart

Although I still haven’t decided whether or not Texas is part of the South…I have lived here two-thirds longer than I lived in Mississippi.

My daughters were born here and haven’t lived in any other state…expect for my youngest who thought that it would be so cool if she went to college at Ole Miss…(took her only one year to come back home),,,

Even so, Tex-Mex food – like Cajun food – finds its way to our kitchen table quite often.

And here’s one of my fave Tex-Mex recipes.

King Ranch Chicken…

A casserole that showcases the expected ingredients of Tex-Mex foods…ingredients such as corn tortillas, peppers, pulled chicken, shredded cheese and spicy green chiles.

Just like many Southerners could drink gravy as if it were a milkshake, I could also drink Ro-Tel straight out of the can…well, maybe thinned a little so that it’s drinkable.

This dish gives that same cheesiness and creaminess in every single bite.

Yeah, it’s definitely one of my favorite comfort foods.

• 1Tbsp oil
• 2 or 3 bell peppers, any color, finely chopped
• 1 white or yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
• 4C cubed cooked chicken
• 1 standard can cream of chicken soup
• 1 standard can cream of mushroom soup
• 12 corn tortillas, torn into 1” pieces
• 10oz can Ro-Tel
• 2C finely shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1tsp chili powder
• ¼tsp kosher salt
• ½tsp garlic powder
• ½tsp pepper.
• 1Tbsp scallions
• 2Tbsp chili powder
• ½tsp cumin
• 1C chicken broth
• ¼C butter

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9×13.

Heat a large skillet in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté bell pepper, oniand jalapeno for five minutes, until tender.

Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a simmer.

Remove from heat. Drain off all but ½C of the sauce.

Pour the ½C sauce into the 9×13. Layer one-third of the torn tortillas over the sauce. Follow this with a layer of the chicken mixture, half of the cheese, the remaining chicken mixture and finally the rest of the cheese.

Cover the dish with foil.

Bake 35minutes. Let rest five minutes before serving.

To Store: Refrigerate for up to four days. Freeze in individually-sized portions for up to a month.

To Make Ahead: Assemble and bake as usual. Let cool before freezing for up to a month. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then set on counter for about 30 minutes before reheating.