King Ranch Chicken: a make-tonight method

A serving of King Ranch chicken with silky chicken, tomatoes, vegetables and cheese layered between corn tortillas.

This King Ranch chicken is a casserole made with layers of corn tortillas, silky chicken, vegetables and cheese, all baked to bubbly perfection. An straightforward dinner option that’s reliable for feeding a crowd!

There’s nothing better than a comfort food casserole, my family always requests chicken and rice casserole,beef noodle casserole and this zesty King Ranch chicken. This casserole is a great way to use up leftover chicken!

A serving of King Ranch chicken with creamy chicken, tomatoes, vegetables and cheese layered between corn tortillas.

You can never go wrong with a cheesy casserole, am I right? This King Ranch chicken is a Mexican style casserole with plenty of chicken, silky sauce, tortillas and of course, a healthy amount of cheese. This is an memorable dish to bring to a potluck!

Make this dish a meal with memorable side dishes like sauteed green beans, succotash and carrot salad.

King Ranch Chicken Ingredients

When you make this King Ranch chicken recipe make sure you have olive oil, an onion, bell peppers, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cream of chicken soup, a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, cooked chicken, corn tortillas, shredded cheese, Roma tomatoes, cilantro leaves, salt and black pepper. See the recipe below for amounts and details.

Cubed chicken, cooked peppers and tomatoes in a skillet.

How Do You Make King Ranch Chicken?

The first step in this King Ranch chicken recipe is to preheat your oven. Next make the filling by cooking diced onion and bell pepper in a large pan. Add garlic, salt and pepper to the veggies in the pan. Finish the filling by placing seasonings, cream of chicken soup, cooked chicken and a can of tomatoes in the pan and cooking everything together.

Make the casserole by layering a prepared baking dish with tortillas, filling, and shredded cheese. The whole thing bakes in the oven. Take it out and add fresh garnishes like diced tomatoes and cilantro. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Tips For The Reliable King Ranch Chicken

I use a blend of red, yellow and green bell peppers because it looks the nicest, but you can stick to one color if you like.
You can use any type of shredded cheese that you like. I typically use cheddar and Monterey jack, but other great options are pepper jack or colby jack.
The classic King Ranch casserole is made with diced corn tortillas, but if you’re not a corn tortilla fan you can use flour tortillas.
This King Ranch chicken recipe can be halved and baked in a 9″ x 9″ square pan for a smaller group.
This casserole can be assembled up to 6 hours before you plan to bake it. You may need to add more time in the oven to compensate for starting with a cold casserole.

Quick Tip

Any cooked, diced chicken will work, including roasted chicken breast, chicken thighs, leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.

Unbaked King Ranch chicken casserole ready for the oven.

What Is King Ranch Chicken?

King Ranch chicken is a layered dish that’s named after one of the biggest ranches in the United States. There’s no proven correlation between the actual place King Ranch in Texas and King Ranch chicken, but the name has stuck regardless.

What is King Ranch Chicken Made Of?

There are different variations of this casserole, but they all include chicken, cream soup and tortillas as ingredients.

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King Ranch chicken with melted cheese, tomatoes and chopped cilantro on top.

Flavor Variations

This King Ranch chicken casserole is fantastic; however, you can change the recipe to suit your own taste.

Toppings: Feel free to add a dollop of sour cream or some diced avocado. You could also add pickled jalapenos, green onions, diced green chiles, sliced olives or even shredded lettuce.
Soup: For a different flavor you can try cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup.
Beans: This casserole is hearty enough to serve as a stand alone meal, but sometimes I like to complete the Tex-Mex theme by adding a side of pinto beans and rice. You could also add some cooked pinto beans to the casserole.

Ready to give this one a try? The casserole with the funny name is sure to win you over! It’s like a cross between a silky chicken casserole and enchiladas, and that’s always a good thing in my opinion!

More Great Casserole Recipes

Chicken Noodle Casserole

40 mins

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

45 mins

Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

50 mins

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

1 hr

A casserole of loaded corn casserole topped with bacon, red peppers and green onions.

Corn Casserole Recipe

55 mins

Love This Recipe?

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Add as Google preferred source Authorthe Makdob kitchen A serving of King Ranch chicken with creamy chicken, tomatoes, vegetables and cheese layered between corn tortillas.

This King Ranch chicken is a casserole made with layers of corn tortillas, silky chicken, vegetables and cheese, all baked to bubbly perfection. An straightforward dinner option that’s reliable for feeding a crowd! Time Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes

Course Main
Cuisine Mexican
Serves 8

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion finely diced
1 1/2 cups bell peppers finely diced – can use any color of a combination of colors
2 teaspoons garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 10 ounce cans cream of chicken soup
1 10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles do not drain
4 cups diced cooked chicken
16 corn tortillas cut into squares
4 cups shredded cheese cheddar, Monterey jack, or a blend
2 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers to the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until tender.
Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one more minute. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
Add the chili powder, ground cumin, cream of chicken soup, can of tomatoes and chicken to the pan. Stir until everything is combined and heated through.
Line the bottom of the dish with 1/3 of the tortillas. Spoon 1/3 of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over the chicken mixture.
Add another layer of tortillas and continue until all the layers have been added, ending with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake covered for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then top with tomatoes and cilantro. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

Any cooked, diced chicken will work, including roasted chicken breast, chicken thighs, leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.
I use a blend of red, yellow and green bell peppers because it looks the nicest, but you can stick to one color if you like.
You can use any type of shredded cheese that you like. I typically use cheddar and Monterey jack, but other great options are pepper jack or Colby jack.
This recipe can be halved and baked in a 9″ x 9″ square pan for a smaller group.