roommate dinner & king ranch chicken casserole.

by - Date posted: 2013-03-01 - 26 comments

Oh hey, March! Nice seeing you. I hope you bring my best friend Spring with you. If not, I may not be so excited to see you anymore.
 
I have three roommates. It’s something that rarely makes it’s way onto the blog, which is odd since I live with these people. They are all German and put up with my strange American habits and Denglish speaking. For living together, we rarely actually see each other, so each week we host a roommate dinner. The chef rotates every week and plans and pays for each meal. Thus, the chef can do the inviting. We move the kitchen table into the den to make an extra long dining table and it is really always a blast! Everyone helps cooks whilst drinking some beer and wine.
 
On Wednesday, it was my turn. When I host, I go pretty all out. I like to introduce new recipes to my international friends and invite them all over. I like to try to cook dishes considered super American. Last time, I did gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.  This time, I wanted to go super Texan. I had one block of Velveeta and one can of Rotel left from my Christmas stash and decided it was time to finally give up the last bit. The previous queso nights had been big hits, but it was time to try something different. Thus, I decided on one of my all-time favorite meals and it was a HUGE HIT with all nine guests! I really wish I had more Velveeta and Rotel to do it again soon.

Recipe: King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

  • 3 Lbs. Chicken Breasts
  • 2 Limes
  • Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
  • 2 Cans Rotel
  • 2 Yellow Onions
  • 1 Block of Velveeta
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 Cup Chicken Broth
  • 1 Large Bag Tortilla Chips
  • 1 Large Casserole Dish

Instructions

  1. Marinate chicken breasts in fresh lime juice and Tony Chachere’s seasoning. Bake until cooked thoroughly (no pink).
  2. Let cool. Shred chicken breasts with a fork.
  3. Chop onions and bell pepper. Sautee in pan.
  4. Combine onions, bell pepper, Rotel, soups, and chicken broth in a pot. Mix together well. Warm.
  5. Chop or shred Velveeta (start with one half of the large block).
  6. Add one layer or tortilla chips to bottom of casserole dish.
  7. Add one layer of chicken on top of the chips.
  8. Add one layer of soup mixture.
  9. Add one layer of cheese.
  10. Repeat until dish is full.
  11. Bake 30 minutes at 325 or until cheese is melted and casserole is warm throughout.

Quick notes

You may homemake the soups (as I had to because these canned options are not available in Germany). Here is a helpful recipe: http://pinchofyum.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup

Variations

Add jalapeños for extra kick.

Preparation time: 45 minutes (baking chicken included)
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 8

For sides, I did a homemade Mexican rice (cook white rice, add can of tomatoes, tomato paste, cilantro, onions, and peppers) and a Southwestern salad (romaine lettuce, corn, beans, cheese) with a lime vinaigrette (limes, red wine vinegar, oil, pepper).
 
Dinner was followed by some Ben & Jerry’s, which my fab Icelandic friend brought to keep with the American theme, and some spectacular Cuba Libres my genius cocktail conducting roommate made with our extra limes. We were up until 4 am, which explains why I was blatantly absent from the blogosphere yesterday. I just don’t bounce back like I used to.

Have you ever tried King Ranch Casserole?

So, who wants to me to be forever indebted to them and send me Velveeta and Rotel? 

 



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26 Comments

    • AH WHAT! These are American staples! Ok, Rotel maybe only more so in the south. Rotel is a canned mixture of tomatoes and green chiles. Velveeta is a block of American cheese used to make queso, macaroni and cheese, and more! This recipe is spectacular!

    • They are pretty much the best American goodies EVER. I’m currently trying to figure out the cheapest way to get them here. Those American food stores online here are ridiculously marked up! I’ve never tried vegemite or tim tams!

  7. I totally get you with the Velveeta. I mull it over to Mexico, and my husband thinks I’m crazy. That is until I make him some queso, and then he thinks its a genius idea. One thing you can do is use a can of Cambells Cheese Soup and mix with salsa. It won’t be exactly the same, but the closest you’ll be able to find. Or you can make Rotel which is basically just stewed tomatoes, jalapenos, onions and garlic.

    • hahahaha queso makes it ALL worth it. Are there no good cheese substitutes in MExico? I feel like they would have all kinds of good melty options. Thank you so much for the tips! I will have to try this. The thing with the rotel is it’s with green chiles, which I love, but are just impossibly unavailable here but we do have jalapenos thank goodness.

      • Mexico has lots and lots of cheeses but not gooey kind. They do not use yellow cheese at all. Its all different types of white cheeses that either melt or you can warm up and put on tortillas like fundido. You can find Cheese Wiz, but I just can’t bring myself to buy it. But to be honest, I prefer Mexican cheeses over American cheeses, but sometimes you just miss some good ‘ol Velveeta, ya know? Maybe look for poblanos as your green chili. I know that will be a stretch in Germany, but you never know.

        • Oh the poblanos are such a stretch which is SO unfortunate because I always want to make stuffed poblanos or use them for a salsa! We’ve been doing some mega salsa experiments, so when we finally ‘perfect’ it I’ll post :)

  9. love king ranch casserole. I had a dinner party with some friends this weekend, too and I made some texas favorites as well- I’ll have a post up about it this week!

    Oh the things I could make if I had velveeta and rotel..
    haileyhiggs recently posted…Life latelyMy Profile

    • Ah can’t wait to see! Every time someone visits I have them bring some and alway stash it for something super special. I’m surprised how much Germans love it every time. So fun – can’t wait to see what you make!

  10. Awe! :( so sad for you being out of Velveeta and Rotel!! I know when I was in Germany I was so so thrilled to receive my packages of green chilli’s. Love your roommate dinner idea! :)

    • I think I’ll be able to find some in Paris this weekend if they have an American store, fingers crossed :) I’ve been so tempted to pay for some of those way overpriced items from the online American grocery stores they have in Germany. Hope all is well!!

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