King Ranch Chicken Casserole! This cheesy, creamy casserole is made with layers of crispy corn tortillas, cheese, and a creamy chicken mixture loaded with bell peppers, tomatoes, and green chiles! Perfect for potlucks or family get togethers!
What is King Ranch Chicken?
What is King Ranch Chicken?This classic southern casserole recipe started in Texas! This classic has earned a spot in most people’s heart thanks to its easy recipe, its comforting nature, and its ability to feed the masses.
Although its namesake is the King Ranch, the largest Ranch in all of Texas, there’s no history linking the cheesy, creamy casserole to the ranch itself. In fact, there’s no written history of where the casserole DID come from. But Texans happily claim it as their comfort food mascot.
How to make King Ranch Chicken Casserole from scratch:
To get started, let’s talk about the traditional way of making this casserole dish. Leftover chicken is typically mixed with some cream of mushroom soup, rotel, and layered with tortillas. Easy enough right? BUT! We’re going to make this without the cream of mushroom soup.
So let’s talk about how to make this King Ranch Casserole without canned soup!
How to make King Ranch Casserole without canned soup:
To make this casserole we will be making our own version of a condensed soup, without using a can! To do this we will make a basic roux.
- In a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted add the onion, and bell peppers. Cook until the veggies are tender.
- Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the veggies in the seasonings.
- Sprinkle the flour into the skillet. Stir to coat the veggies in the flour, will end up with a thick paste. Cook for a couple minutes to ensure the flour is cooked.
- Pour in the broth and stir. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring and let simmer while stirring for about 2-3 minutes until thick.
Remove from the heat and use this mixture to continue making the casserole! No canned soups needed!
Tips for making King Ranch Chicken Recipe:
- Use corn tortillas. I think traditionally it would be made with flour, but I love using corn tortillas. The flavor and texture is perfect for casseroles!
- Fry the tortillas briefly before layering. This is the same thing I do when making enchiladas. A brief frying in a small amount of oil in a cast iron skillet helps bring out the flavor of the tortilla and helps them hold up a bit more against the liquid of the casserole so they’re not mush.
- Use leftover or rotisserie chicken. Having shredded chicken on hand makes this recipe come together quick and easy!
Make king ranch chicken casserole in a slow cooker:
This casserole recipe can be made in a slow cooker! To do that simply follow the instructions, but instead of layering the casserole in a dish, put the layers into your slow cooker. You can also make it easier to dish and serve by cutting the tortillas into smaller bite size pieces, about 1 and 1/2 inch squares.
Set this to low and let heat for about 1-2 hours. Everything is already cooked, so it’s just a matter of warming it all the way through and giving the tortillas a chance to soften.
Preparing the King Ranch Chicken Casserole in the slow cooker is a great way to prepare and serve this dish for a potluck or group setting.
More recipes you may enjoy:
- Pulled Pork King Ranch Casserole (Perfect is you have leftover pulled pork!)
- King Ranch Chicken Soup (YES!! A soup version!)
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 (10 ounce) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 1½ cup sour cream
- 2 lbs chicken, cooked and shredded
- 4 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 18 corn tortillas, yellow or white
- ¼ cup canola oil
Optional Toppings
- cilantro, chopped
- sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ degrees. Spray 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted add the onion, and bell peppers. Allow to cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned.
- Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the veggies in the seasonings.
- Sprinkle the flour into the skillet. Stir to coat the veggies in the flour, will end up with a thick paste. Cook briefly for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and stir. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring and let simmer while stirring for about 2-3 minutes until thick. Remove from heat, allow to cool for about 2 minutes and stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles and the sour cream. Stir to combine. Add the shredded chicken and stir until mixed. Set aside.
- Pour the canola oil into a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is heated carefully lay the tortillas in the oil in batches, cooking until just browned on each side. Remove from oil and place onto a plate lined with paper towels to catch the remaining oil.
- Once all tortillas are browned layer 6 tortillas on the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the tortillas to cover as much of the dish as possible. Top with half of the chicken mixture then one third of the cheese. Repeat by layering 6 more tortillas, the remaining half of the chicken mixture, and one third of the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas and the rest of the cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven allow to cool for several minutes then serve warm. Can serve with additional sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Nutrition
I love your recipes! Question for this one though. I see “and stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles” in the directions (#5) but I don’t see diced tomatoes in the list of ingredients.
Hi Jenny! Thanks so much! And you’re right that is a typo. It’s suppose to list a 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (rotel), not just diced green chiles. That would be a lot of chiles.. I’ll get that updated!
A great meal and not using canned creamed soup was perfect. I added black beans and kernel corn to the recipe. It was a big hit with my family.
I searched over 20 king ranch recipes before finding yours, as I was specifically looking for something without canned soups on it. Thank you!!
I’m a Texan and I’ve made several versions of this recipe but I must say this one is my favorite and definitely one that I will make again and again thank you so much for sharing
Thanks for the recipe. I searched online for King Ranch Chicken Casserole, and none of them “floated my boat”. I liked the looks of yours, easy. I followed your directions mostly, but I spread refried beans on each corn tortilla to add more protein and substance, I also added a cup of shredded mozzarella to the chicken mixture and mixed it all together.
Everything else remained the same, it turned out very well, my Ladies expressed their approval, so we’re good!
I made this dish for a potluck and it was delicious! Got so many compliments and I didn’t have to bring back leftovers. I made a tiny modification, however, instead of placing it in the oven, I layered it in a crockpot instead and I ripped the tortillas into smaller pieces so it would be easier to serve. I’ll definitely make this again!
Love that idea! So glad that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing your tips 🙂
Serene gracias por tu aportacion saludos desde ECUADOR…
SIGO GASTRONOMIA 🙂
Wonderful!!!! This was my first time making King Ranch and my whole family loved it. They said it a keeper. I also appreciate there is not canned cream soups! Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks!
This is not the original King Ranch Casserole . I was looking for the original recipe. Original does not have sour cream.
Hi Marie. You’re right, this is not THE original. This is my version. The original uses canned of cream soups which I avoid in my home cooking. So the recipe I made has to take that into consideration, which is where the sour cream comes in.