Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole

Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole


1 large onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups cooked chicken breast
1 can (10 3/4 oz) reduced fat reduced sodium condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 can (10 3/4 oz) reduced fat reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 tbsp chili powder
12 corn tortillas (6 inches), cut into 1 inch strips
2 cups (8 oz) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, divided

1. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onion, celery and peppers in oil until crisp tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the chicken, soups, tomatoes and chili powder.

2. Line the bottom of a 3 qt baking dish with half of the tortilla strips; top with half of the chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Makes 8 - 1 cup servings
Calories 329; fat 12g; saturated fat; 5g; cholesterol; 65mg; sodium 719; carbs 31g; fiber 3; protein 26 g


This is absolutely fabulous. It is kinda like inside out enchiladas. Next time, I am going to cut the tortillas down to 10 and cut them in strips and then in half again, it was a little hard to manage with the larger strips. Plus the ones on the bottom didn't get as soggy and were a little tougher. I substituted extra virgin olive oil instead of canola. I didn't spray the pan, because frankly why do you need it to saute the veggies, that's what the oil is for. I also used leftover rotisserie chicken. Because the chicken was seasoned, I didn't add the chili powder. And I probably never will. This will be one of those recipes that I call a leftover. Since it requires that you use cooked chicken, this will probably be planned in on a week when we have "extra" cooked chicken.