King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King Ranch Chicken Casserole!  This cheesy casserole is basically a Texan lasagna!  Layers of crispy corn tortillas, cheese, and a creamy chicken mixture loaded with bell peppers, tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder and cumin! Perfect for potlucks or family get togethers!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole is on the menu for today! Who’s coming over?!  This King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a classic Texan dish.  It didn’t take long once I moved here to be introduced to this dish.  It turns up at pretty much any get together or potluck.  I find it perfect for feeding my large family.  It’s one of the few meals that I make that I can count on some leftovers to see us through to another day.

 This dish is basically like a lasagna.  A few more steps involved than my Texas Lasagna though.  Mostly just because we’re going to take a little time to make our own sauce.  Most recipes will use a version using cream of mushroom and some cream of chicken condensed soups.  Nothing against those ingredients, but I decided to make my version with a homemade sauce instead.

Some butter, flour, and chicken stock cooked together create the base to our sauce.  It’s the same method used in the King Ranch Chicken Soup that is such a huge hit!  We also use some bell peppers, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and sour cream to make the sauce extra creamy.

I have shared this recipe with you before, in case you have forgotten.  And most likely you have. Why?  Well…the pictures I took of it were horrendous.  So bad I didn’t even really want to share it or make the dish myself.  Yikes.  I do believe i have improved slightly in the photography department in the 3 years I have been doing this.  But it’s possible I have some of those ugly food pics below for you to reminisce about with me!

By the way..if you’re a fan of casserole dishes I have to share a fun site with you that I have come to enjoy.  Allfreecasseroles.com.  They’ve shared some of my recipes before, including this Funeral Sandwich Casserole, my Cuban Sliders recipe.  They basically collect the best casserole recipes online for every day cooking and offer them all in one place. So make sure you check them out.  The site is run by amazing people who love to share the work of bloggers and I know I personally have experienced a lot of growth and new followers and lots of love from them.

More Texas Style Recipes to Try:

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

King Ranch Chicken Casserole! This cheesy casserole is basically a Texan lasagna! Layers of crispy corn tortillas, cheese, and a creamy chicken mixture loaded with bell peppers, tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder and cumin! Perfect for potlucks or family get togethers!

• Author: Serene
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6-8

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1/2 medium sized onion)
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper (approx. 1 medium bell pepper)
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper (approx. 1 medium bell pepper)
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 and 3/4 cup chicken broth (can sub with mushroom broth or veggie broth)
• 1-10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles (drained)
• 1 and 1/2 cups sour cream
• 2 lbs shredded chicken
• 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• 18 corn tortillas (can use white or yellow)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Optional Topping
• cilantro
• sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. 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.
3. Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the veggies in the seasonings.
4. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet. Stir to coat the veggies in the flour, will end up with a thick paste.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven allow to cool for several minutes then serve warm. Can serve with additional sour cream and fresh cilantro.
10. Enjoy some traditional Mexican Rice and Beans as a side dish! Serve and enjoy!

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