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King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a mouth-watering dish that is sure to satisfy any cravings for hearty, flavorful comfort food. A combination of tender chicken, creamy cheese, veggies, and corn tortillas – all baked to perfection in a rich and creamy sauce.
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
This is a classic Texan casserole, named after one of the largest ranches in southern Texas. It is perfect for busy weeknights, potlucks, and more! Plus, the recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for large parties.
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Ingredients:
- Cooked chicken: We like to use store-bought rotisserie chicken for our casseroles. You can use any tender chicken, like cooked chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Olive Oil: You can use any kind of vegetable oil or butter if you prefer.
- Onion: Yellow or white onion work well with this recipe.
- Bell peppers: Red bell pepper, yellow or green bell peppers add a yummy flavor to this king ranch casserole. Some people like to use poblano peppers. Feel free to use your favorite kind.
- Cream of mushroom soup: Sometimes we substitute this with cream of celery soup.
- Cream of Chicken soup: Use 2 cans of this if you don’t like mushrooms.
- Rotel: diced and seasoned canned tomatoes
- Sour cream: This increases the creaminess of the dish.
- Cheese: We like the flavor of sharp cheddar, but you can use any melty cheese like mozzarella, gouda, swiss, Monterey jack, pepper jack, or Colby cheese.
- Corn tortillas: You can substitute these with tortilla chips. Flour tortillas tend to turn out a bit soggy, however.
Substitutions
Can I use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas? You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Flour tortillas tend to get a little soggy. A great substitute for corn tortillas would be tortilla chips.
What can I use instead of bell peppers? Poblano peppers are a popular substitute for bell peppers. They have a mild to medium heat level and an earthy sort of flavor that enhance the dish. To use them, just roast, peel, and dice them, then add them to the chicken mixture.
Instructions:
In a large skillet add oil and sauteé the onion and bell peppers over medium-high heat. Transfer them to a large bowl and stir them with the shredded chicken, condensed soups, diced tomatoes, and sour cream until well combined.
Spray your 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer about 6 of the corn tortillas on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then, place half of the chicken filling on top of the layers of corn tortillas. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the chicken layer.
Repeat the layering with the rest of the tortillas, the remaining chicken mixture, and the remaining cheese.
Bake the casserole in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until it’s heated through and the cheese is bubbly. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can assemble it a day ahead and store it in the fridge, or store it in the freezer for 2 – 3 months. Make sure to wrap it tightly and if freezing it, cover it with aluminum foil.
Freezer Instructions
Before baking the frozen casserole, let it thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for at least 30 minutes. To make sure the cheese doesn’t burn, bake it covered with foil for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
This Tex-Mex King ranch casserole pairs well with avocados, Mexican rice, black beans, refried beans, or salsa verde.
More Casserole Recipes
King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Equipment
- 9×13 Casserole dish
- skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 cup diced bell peppers
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 12 corn tortillas
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉
- In a large skillet add oil and sauteé the onion and bell peppers over medium-high heat.
- Transfer them to a large bowl and mix them with the shredded chicken, condensed soups, Rotel tomatoes, sour cream until well combined.
- Spray your 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer about 6 of the corn tortillas on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Then, place half of the chicken filling on top of the layers of corn tortillas. Cover the chicken layer with cheddar cheese.
- Repeat the layering with the rest of the tortillas, the remaining half of the chicken mixture, and the remaining cheese.
- Bake the casserole for 30 – 40 minutes or until it's heated through and the cheese is bubbly.
