Chicken
Rotel tomatoes and Velveeta cheese have been the basic ingredients for a popular cheese dip recipe for years. Add some chicken and a few other ingredients to them and you have a Rotel chicken casserole that can be served at home or taken to a pot luck dinner. Rotel tomatoes are a mixture of tomatoes and green chilies. Purchase it in the heat level that your family enjoys. It is available in mild, medium and hot.
Chicken Preparation
Purchase a whole 3- to 4-lb. chicken. It should be plump with skin that is creamy white to yellow. Store it in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Remove the chicken from its wrapping. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, it is not necessary to wash poultry before cooking. Place it in a large pot with an onion and cover it with water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until it is tender and has an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F using an instant read food thermometer.
Debone the chicken and chop into bite-sized pieces. Discard the skin.
Recipe
Mix together one can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, one can of cream of chicken soup, one can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 tsp. of chili powder and 1/2 cup of chopped onion. Set the mixture aside.
Dice the cheese from a 1-lb. box of Velveeta cheese into small squares.
Place half of a medium bag of corn tortilla chips into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer half of the chicken pieces on top of the chips. Spoon half of the soup mixture over the ingredients in the dish. Top this with half of the diced Velveeta cheese. Repeat the layers, being sure to end with cheese on the top.
Bake at 350 degrees F until hot and bubbly all over. This will take approximately 45 minutes.
Variations
Use this recipe as a way to introduce some more vegetables into your family's diet. Try adding 1 cup of frozen corn kernels plus a can of drained diced tomatoes for one variation. Layer the corn with the other layers and stir the extra tomatoes into the soup mixture. Another suggestion is to add 2 cups of uncooked broccoli flowers to the layers. One to 2 cups of diced carrots are also a good addition on their own or in combination with the other variations. The cooking directions remain the same when these additions are included.
Tags: Rotel tomatoes, Velveeta cheese, green chilies, soup mixture, tomatoes green