This cheesy, comforting king ranch casserole has bubbly layers of tortillas, bell peppers, onions, shredded chicken, Rotel, and plenty of melty cheese.
Why this recipe works
This Texas-style hot dish is a potluck classic. Each forkful of king ranch casserole is loaded with pulled chicken and soft tortillas smothered in a creamy sauce and shredded cheese. It’s safe to say this dish is pure comfort food and will feed a hungry crowd with no complaints.
King ranch chicken casserole is easy to make. It’s basically three layers of each component piled into a baking dish. Similar to our Mexican lasagna, the tortillas lend structure to the otherwise unstable cheesy mixture while the bell peppers and onions add welcomed texture.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CHICKEN – This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken. You can use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken breast, or simply sear 2 chicken breasts in a skillet before beginning.
VEGGIES – Both green and red bell peppers plus onion bring a little texture and color to this casserole.
CREAM OF CHICKEN – This creates the ultra creamy base, along with the sour cream. You’ll need two 10-ounce cans of cream of chicken soup. You can substitute with cream of mushroom if desired or use 1 can of each.
CHEESE – We like to use Tex Mex blend cheese, but you can easily substitute with your favorite cheese. Jack and cheddar cheese are great options. Shredding the cheese from the block is preferable, but you can use prebagged cheese if that’s what is most convenient to you. Pre-bagged shredded cheeses contain anti-caking agents which prevent them from melting and can cause the texture to be a little grainy. However, it won’t be that noticeable if you use it in this casserole.
TORTILLAS – Corn tortillas are layered throughout giving structure to the casserole. You can substitute with flour tortillas if desired. We prefer to use corn tortillas as they don’t seem to soak up as much of the surrounding ingredients compared to flour, but either or will work just fine.
ADDITIONS – If desired, you can add a can of diced jalapenos or diced green chiles to the Rotel mixture. Do note that Rotel already has diced green chiles incorporated into the tomatoes.
How to Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish.
- In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper in extra virgin olive oil until they’re warmed through.
- Lower the heat and add in the cream of chicken soup, Rotel, chicken broth, sour cream, chili powder, sea salt, ground cumin, and garlic powder and mix until the ingredients are well-combined. Set aside a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sauce mixture. Stir in the cooked chicken until incorporated.
- Spread the reserved sauce mixture onto the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Layer 4 taco shells (cut into quarters) on top of the sauce mixture.
- Spread 1 1/2 cups of the chicken mixture next followed by a sprinkling of cheese.
- Layer another 4 shells (cut into quarters) in the dish.
- Spread another 2 cups of the chicken mixture.
- Sprinkle an additional layer of cheese.
- Layer another 4 shells (cut into quarters) on top of the ingredients.
- Spread the remaining chicken mixture on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until bubbling in a preheated oven at 350F.
- If desired, you can broil the dish for a few minutes – but keep an eye on it under the broiler as it can quickly burn.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store leftovers with an air-tight lid or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. As this casserole sits, the tortillas will lose some of their structural integrity which means it may be soggier when reheated. Reheat in a 300F oven for around 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Yes, you can freeze the baked and fully cooled casserole for up to 1 month. Wrap it well in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Be sure to let the casserole cool completely before doing so. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. If you are using a glass baking dish, allow it to rest at room temperature until the chill is taken off before placing it in the oven to rewarm.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish your king ranch casserole with fresh diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, green onions, cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy warm from the oven!
More Casserole Recipes
- Dorito Casserole
- John Wayne Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
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King Ranch Chicken Casserole
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 20 ounces cream of chicken soup two 10 ounce cans
- 10 ounces Rotel one can
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast shredded. Approx 2 breasts
- ½ cup sour cream full fat
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ Tablespoon sea salt
- ½ Tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese or Tex Mex blend
- 12 corn tortillas quartered and divided
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken. You can use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken breast, or simply sear 2 chicken breasts in a skillet before beginning.
- You can substitute with cream of mushroom if desired or use 1 can of each.
- We like to use Tex Mex blend cheese, but you can easily substitute with your favorite cheese. Jack and cheddar cheese are great options.
- Corn tortillas are layered throughout giving structure to the casserole. You can substitute with flour tortillas if desired. We prefer to use corn tortillas as they don’t seem to soak up as much of the surrounding ingredients compared to flour, but either or will work just fine.
- If desired, you can add a can of diced jalapenos or diced green chiles to the Rotel mixture. Do note that Rotel already has diced green chiles incorporated into the tomatoes.
- Garnish your king ranch casserole with fresh diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, green onions, cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream.
- STORAGE – Store leftovers with an air-tight lid or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. As this casserole sits, the tortillas will lose some of their structural integrity which means it may be soggier when reheated. Reheat in a 300F oven for around 10 minutes or until warmed through.
- FREEZING – You can freeze the baked and fully cooled casserole for up to 1 month. Wrap it well in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Be sure to let the casserole cool completely before doing so. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. If you are using a glass baking dish, allow it to rest at room temperature until the chill is taken off before placing it in the oven to rewarm.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish.
- In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper in extra virgin olive oil until they're warmed through.
- Lower the heat and add in the cream of chicken soup, Rotel, chicken broth, sour cream, chili powder, sea salt, ground cumin, and garlic powder and mix until the ingredients are well-combined. Set aside a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sauce mixture. Stir in the cooked chicken until incorporated.
Assembling The Casserole
- Spread reserved sauce mixture onto the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Layer 4 taco shells (cut into quarters) on top of the sauce mixture.
- Spread 1 1/2 cups of the chicken mixture next followed by a sprinkling of cheese.
- Layer another 4 shells (cut into quarters) in dish.
- Spread another 2 cups of the chicken mixture.
- Sprinkle and additional layer of cheese.
- Layer another 4 shells (cut into quarters) on top of ingredients.
- Spread the remaining chicken mixture on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until bubbling in a preheated oven at 350F.
- If desired, you can broil the dish for a few minutes – but keep an eye on it under the broiler as it can quickly burn.
Nutrition
Kristen Rittmer
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