Janet Groene's Texas Tortilla Casserole

By phototex

Talk about versatile! You can use canned chicken, leftover chicken or fully cooked chicken bites from the meat counter. Bake it in one piece and it serves 8 hungry campers. If you’re a smaller family, simply freeze it in two or 4 batches to bake hot, fresh and bubbly each time.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 stalks celery, cut up
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 to 5 cups bite-size pieces of cooked chicken
• 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 15-ounce can sliced carrots, drained
• 2 cans, 10 ounces each tomatoes with green chiles (e.g. Rotel)
• 1 teaspoon each dried oregano, cumin, chili powder
• 1 12-ounce bag grated Cheddar cheese
• 12 corn tortillas, 6-inch diameter, cut into 1/2-inch fingers

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from rvtravel.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large skillet frazzle onion, pepper and garlic in the hot butter and oil until limp.

Stir in carrots and chicken to coat.

Stir in undiluted soup.

Grease a large casserole(s) and start with a layer of the chicken mixture, a layer of tortilla strips and a layer of cheese. Repeat, ending with cheese.

Cover and freeze casseroles or, to proceed, bake at 350 degrees until bubbling.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Stovetop or Dutch oven baking: Grease a cold skillet (preferably cast aluminum if it’s to be used atop a campstove burner) or Dutch oven. Layer ingredients as above. Cover and place over very low flame or bury in well-started coals. Cook without peeking 40 minutes, then cook further as necessary. Total time depends on your campstove or campfire, size and gauge of the pan and how much wind is blowing.

Hold the Tex-Mex Heat: If some family members don’t like Tex-Mex flavors, use regular diced tomatoes and skip the cumin and chili powder. Pass hot sauce at the table.

Canny Cook Tip: Corn tortillas cut quickly with scissors. Stack 'em three or four deep, then cut away.