Texas Lasagna (king Ranch Chicken Casserole)

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 3 -4 lbs chicken
• 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
• 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 celery ribs, finely chopped, about 1 cup
• 1 (10 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 (15 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 lb shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 lb shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 lb shredded colby, cheese1
• 1 tablespoon ancho chilies or 2 teaspoons mild new mexico chile powder or 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 15 -20 regular size corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Recipe

• 1 boil the chicken with 1/2 cup onion and the salt and pepper until meat falls off the bones (about 1 hour), save the chicken stock for use later. let the chicken cool, then slice the into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes.
• 2 mix 1/2 cup of the chicken stock with all the other remaining ingredients except the cheese and tortillas.
• 3 mix the three cheeses together.
• 4 dip tortillas into remaining reserved chicken stock and put a double layer of tortillas in two 8 inch x 8 inch pans (i use two 2 quart pyrex glass ones), a layer of the soup, vegetables and chicken mixture, a layer of 1/3 of the cheese, then repeat these layers two more times.
• 5 cover with tinfoil and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.
• 6 let the dish set for 10 minutes before serving. this recipe results in a mildly hot dish. if you would like it hotter, increase the three peppers, or just serve with a jar of ground cayenne pepper, so each person can adjust the heat as they like.