King Ranch casserole is a Texas-style layered bake of torn corn tortillas, shredded roasted chicken, peppers and onions in a creamy tomato and green chile sauce, with cheddar and Monterey Jack melted between the layers and over the top. It is rich, mildly spicy and very filling, something like a chicken enchilada casserole that you scoop with a spoon. One 9-by-13-inch dish feeds eight, and a rotisserie chicken does most of the work. It is a classic for potlucks, church suppers and family dinners.
How to make King Ranch chicken casserole: Cook onion, bell peppers and jalapeño with chili powder and cumin for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, canned tomatoes with chiles and broth, and simmer. Save 1/2 cup of sauce for the dish and fold chicken into the rest. Layer tortillas, chicken and cheese twice. Bake covered at 375°F for 30 minutes, then uncovered 15 to 20 minutes, to 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Layers of flavor. Corn tortillas, creamy sauce, chicken and two cheeses.
- A rotisserie chicken shortcut. No chicken to cook.
- Feeds a crowd. Eight hearty servings, and it stretches further.
- Gentle heat. One seeded jalapeño and a can of tomatoes with chiles.
- Great leftovers. It reheats well for lunch.
Ingredient Notes
Roasted chicken. One whole rotisserie chicken, cooled and torn into chunks. You want about 4 cups.
Corn tortillas. Sixteen, torn into pieces. Corn holds up in the sauce and gives the dish its flavor.
Onion and peppers. One large onion, one red and one yellow bell pepper and one seeded jalapeño, all finely chopped.
Spices. Two tablespoons of chili powder and a 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, kosher salt and black pepper.
Condensed soups. One 10.5-ounce can each of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom.
Tomatoes with green chilies. One 10-ounce can.
Chicken broth. A 1/2 cup, to loosen the sauce.
Cheese. One and a half cups each of shredded sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, about 6 ounces of each.
Oil. A tablespoon for the vegetables, plus more for the dish.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil, plus more for the dish
- 1 large white or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 whole roasted chicken, cooled and torn into chunks (about 4 cups)
- 16 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
How to Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole
1. Prepare the oven and dish. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil.
2. Cook the vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden.
3. Make the chicken mixture. Stir in both soups, the diced tomatoes with green chilies and the broth, and bring to a simmer. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Remove the pot from the heat and fold the chicken into the remaining sauce.
4. Layer the casserole. Spread the reserved sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add half the torn tortillas, half the chicken mixture, half the cheddar and half the Monterey Jack. Repeat those layers once.
5. Bake. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer.
6. Rest. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
What Makes It King Ranch, and Is There Ranch Dressing in It?
There is no ranch dressing in King Ranch casserole. The name has nothing to do with the salad dressing or the seasoning packet. It refers to a famous ranch in Texas, although the dish does not appear to have come from the ranch itself, and no one can say for certain where it started.
What makes a casserole King Ranch is the build, not a single ingredient.
| Layer | What it is |
|---|---|
| Tortillas | Torn corn tortillas, which soften into the sauce like a tamale-flavored noodle |
| Chicken | Cooked chicken, shredded or torn |
| Sauce | Creamy and tomato-based, with green chiles, peppers, onion, chili powder and cumin |
| Cheese | Cheddar and Monterey Jack, between the layers and on top |
Condensed soup is part of the long tradition of this dish, and it is what gives the sauce its creamy body here. The sauce can also be made from scratch with butter, flour and stock, but that calls for its own amounts and steps.
If you came looking for a casserole that tastes like ranch dressing, that is another dish. There are a few of those linked further down the page.
How Long Does It Take?
About 90 minutes in all. Plan on 30 minutes to chop, cook the sauce and build the layers, 45 to 50 minutes in the oven and 5 minutes to rest.
Tips for Success
Why save some sauce for the bottom?
A thin layer of sauce under the first tortillas keeps them from sticking to the dish and drying out.
Why tear the tortillas?
Torn pieces overlap and fill the corners, so every scoop has tortilla in it.
Why bake it covered first?
The foil traps steam, which heats the casserole through and softens the tortillas. Taking it off at the end lets the cheese bubble and brown.
How spicy is it?
Mild to medium. For less heat, leave out the jalapeño. For more, leave some of its seeds in.
Can I use other cooked chicken?
Yes. Any cooked, shredded chicken works, as long as you have about 4 cups.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers. They keep for 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165°F. Leftovers can be frozen, though creamy sauces can lose some quality in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
What to Serve With It
A crisp green salad, sliced avocado or a bowl of pinto beans is plenty next to a dish this rich. For more casseroles, try the tamale casserole, the stuffed pepper casserole or the Ritz cracker chicken casserole. And if it was ranch flavor you wanted, make the chicken bacon ranch casserole with potatoes, the chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole or the slow cooker creamy ranch chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a casserole a “King Ranch”?
Layers of corn tortillas, chicken, a creamy tomato and chile sauce and cheese.
What is King Ranch casserole made of?
Chicken, corn tortillas, onion, peppers, condensed soups, tomatoes with green chilies, spices, cheddar and Monterey Jack.
What makes King Ranch casserole unique?
The corn tortillas. They bake into the sauce and give it a flavor that flour tortillas or noodles do not.
What to eat with King Ranch casserole?
Something fresh and simple, like a green salad or sliced avocado.
Final Notes
I tear the tortillas and shred the cheese while the vegetables cook, so the layering goes quickly. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil plus more for the baking dish
- 1 large white or yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10.5 ounces
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup 10.5 ounces
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies 10 ounces
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 whole roasted chicken such as rotisserie chicken; cooled and torn into chunks, about 4 cups
- 16 corn tortillas torn into pieces
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded, about 6 ounces
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded, about 6 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden.
- Stir in both soups, the diced tomatoes with green chilies and the broth, and bring to a simmer. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Remove the pot from the heat and fold the chicken into the remaining sauce.
- Spread the reserved sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add half the torn tortillas, half the chicken mixture, half the cheddar and half the Monterey Jack. Repeat those layers once.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer.
- Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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