King Ranch Chicken Casserole

There are plenty of options for making this Texas favorite chicken casserole simply because it's delicious.
If necessary, remove the giblets from the chicken and leave them for another use. Wash the chicken.Put the chicken, celery, carrot and salt in a large roasting pan, cover with water to coat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat. Remove the chicken from the broth; let cool for 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Strain the remaining liquid and leave it for another use.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until tender. Add the bell pepper and garlic and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup cooking liquid, mushroom soup puree, and the next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.Chicken with skin and bones; cut the meat into small pieces. Place half of the chicken in a lightly greased 13-inch x 9-inch roasting pan. Top with half of the soup mixture and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Cover with half of the corn tortillas. Repeat the layers once. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese.Bake at 350 ° C for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbles form. Allow to infuse for 10 minutes before serving.* Ground Mexican chili pepper can be substituted for 1 tsp chili powder and 1/8 tsp ground red pepper.Lightweight Royal Chicken Casserole: Reduce the amount of butter to 1 tablespoon. Replace the usual mushroom soup with reduced fat and chicken cream soup with mashed potatoes, and regular cheese with 2% reduced fat. Cook according to the step-by-step instructions, bake under the lid at 350 ° for 50 minutes; remove the lid and bake for 10-15 minutes or until bubbles form. Allow to infuse for 10 minutes before serving.Note: For testing purposes only, we used Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Natural Spicy Cheddar cheese made from natural milk.The Royal Ranch Chicken Casserole is quick and easy to make: Swap a whole chicken for 1 (2 pounds) of oven-roasted, boneless, and grated chicken, for corn tortillas - 3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips and 3/4 cup chicken stock to make the liquid. Do not add celery, carrots, or salt. Prepare the recipe as indicated, starting from step