King Ranch Chicken Casserole

I grew up with King Ranch casserole.  Tim had never heard of it and was dying to try it - so this is what we made for the weekend. I hadn't had it in a very long time and it was so delicious. I kept sneaking to the fridge to take secret bites.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomato and green chiles
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

Sauté onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and next 7 ingredients; remove from heat.

Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces; layer one-third of tortilla pieces in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of chicken mixture and 2/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake as directed.