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King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe

Published: Mar 17, 2017 · Modified: Oct 14, 2022 by Steven Pennington · This post may contain affiliate links.

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⬇️ Table of Contents
  • How Spicy is This King Ranch Chicken Casserole?
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 🥣 How to Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole
  • 🍗 Chicken From Scratch
  • 💭 How To Truss A Chicken
  • ⏲️ Baking Temp & Time
  • 📖 Recipe Card
  • King Ranch Chicken Casserole
  • Video: How To Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a Tex-Mex casserole dish that is made with chicken, tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. This recipe gets its name from the King Ranch in Texas, which is a large ranch in Texas, also known as the world’s largest cattle ranch.

This recipe is a southern family favorite that stretches all the way from Mexico. This cheesy and flavorful chicken casserole recipe is a great way to get your family together for dinner.

Completed king ranch chicken casserole plated on orange plate
Completed King Ranch Chicken&Nbsp;
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One of my favorite parts of making our casserole is how quickly it all comes together. Making it the perfect planned ahead weeknight dinner plan. A few ingredients come together in harmony, all within 15 minutes. Then follow that up by baking the King Ranch Chicken Casserole to cheesy perfection.

How Spicy is This King Ranch Chicken Casserole?

This recipe is very mild in terms of heat. You can add more jalapenos or hot sauce if you want it to be spicier.

🥘 Ingredients

  • Roasted Chicken (option: using chicken breast, chicken thighs).
  • Corn Tortillas (using flour tortillas will result in a chewier texture).
  • Use Corn Tortilla Chips as a replacement for corn tortillas.

King Ranch Casserole Sauce

  • Butter
  • Onion
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Poblano Pepper
  • Rotel
  • Adobo Sauce
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Mushroom Soup
  • Cream Corn
  • Chicken Stock, or Chicken Broth
  • Black Pepper
  • Sea Salt
  • Green Chile / Hatch chiles

Dry Ingredients For The Sauce

  • Chili Powder
  • Garlic Powder
  • Sea Salt
  • Cumin
  • Oregano

The Cheeses

  • Mexican Cheese Blend
  • Monterey Cheese
  • Queso Fresco

Queso Fresco is a slightly salty and drier cheese with a flavor like mozzarella. It is awesome. Look out for this cheese in your grocery store if you haven't tried it before. It's common in grocery stores nowadays.

Garnishes

  • sliced Jalapeno
  • sliced Roma Tomatoes
  • Queso Fresco Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Roasting a Whole Chicken (Optional)

🥣 How to Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole

First, cut one large onion into small and medium dice. This will offer additional textures to the King Ranch casserole.

Cutting one large onion in half. Then dice the onion into small and medium dice. This will add additional texture to the casserole.

Next, clean and slice the red bell pepper and the poblano pepper. Begin by cutting off the top of the bell pepper, then remove the seed and rib.

Remove the seed and rib from bell pepper and poblano pepper.

Use a mandolin if you have one; if not, slice thin or dice to a size you enjoy.

Slicing bell pepper and poblano with a mandolin.

Add two tablespoons of butter to the bottom of a medium-sized pot. Over medium-high heat, add bell peppers, poblanos, and onions. Begin by sweating the vegetables.

The idea is to remove some of the natural water. This will help the King Ranch Chicken not be soggy.

Tip: Add a solid pinch of salt to bring out the flavor and allow the peppers and onions to release their natural waters.

Sweating the peppers

The next ingredient is Rotel. A great ingredient that can be used in so many ways.  Add 3 tablespoons, or to taste.

Rotel has new flavors: Serrano, Chipotle, Fire-Roasted, Mexican Style, Chili Fix'Ns

⭐ Link To RoTel's Website

Adding 3 tablespoons of rotel to the pot

Secret Ingredient Alert:

Ingredient: Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce - 1 Tablespoon

Add even more to bump up the spice profile.

Chipotles are not as hot as some like to believe. They're roasted Jalapenos. The roasting process sweetens the peppers. Still spicy...

Easy to make yourself at home. Here's our Adobo Sauce recipe. I always keep some in the refrigerator. The image below is of our Adobo.

Queso dip add adobo sauce

Or, just buy chipotle in adobo sauce at the grocery store. The recipe does not use the entire can. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks, stored in an airtight container. It works nicely with BBQ. Try using some in your BBQ sauce next time.

The secret ingredient, chipotles peppers in adobo sauce. Recipe calls for 1 tablespoon.

Time To Add Some Thickening Agents

The thickening agents will help create that luscious creamy sauce texture everyone loves.

  • Add 1 ½ tablespoon of all-purpose flour to the pot with the onion, peppers, and Rotel. The flour will start to thicken the sauce quickly. Be sure to stir while adding the flour to help reduce any lumps.
  • Add in 1 can of cream of mushroom soup. If you would like to move past the canned soup stuff, here's our chef version:: Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • Then add the chicken stock or broth to start thinning out the flour. Add 2 cups to start. Add in up to 4 cups. Add more if needed. Recipe: Le Cordon Bleu Chicken Stock
  • Add five tablespoons of sweet cream corn.
Cream of mushroom soup

Add The Dry Ingredients Next

  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Oregano
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin
  • black pepper - to taste

Evaluate, does it need a splash of chicken stock? Now is the time to get the consistency where you want it.

🥘 Construction

The layering of the King Ranch Chicken casserole is equally important to the selection of ingredients to achieve the properly finished texture.

Start by soaking corn tortillas in chicken stock for about 40 seconds. Add cooking spray to the bottom of the casserole baking dish to avoid sticking.

Soaking corn tortillas in chicken stock before beginning to build the king ranch casserole.

Layout 6 tortillas in a 9 by 13 casserole dish. Then cover with a layer of roasted shredded chicken.

Applying the first layer of shredded roast chicken making a even layer.

Add some of the amazing sauce we made right on top of the chicken.

Add a layer of king ranch sauce right over the top of the chicken layer.

After adding the sauce, sprinkle some of the Queso Fresco & Mexican cheese all over.

Sprinkling the special mexican blend of cheeses.

Repeat the steps above to create a second layer.
Use the same steps, starting with the soaked corn tortillas, the shredded chicken, more sauce, and the cheese layer.
Now it is time to add Monterey Jack cheese right on top.

On the very top layer, add sliced pieces of monterey jack cheese. Six slices total.

Finish by topping with more of the special Mexican cheese blend and garnishing with tomatoes or diced tomatoes and jalapenos. The jalapenos will sweeten while baking, reducing the spice level.

De-seed jalapenos if you're concerned about them being too spicy.

Adding tomatoes for garnish for a nice presentation.

Top each tomato with a sprinkle of Queso Fresco and black pepper.

Placing jalapenos in between the sliced tomatoes for presentation.

I purchased a grocery store rotisserie-cooked chicken and removed all the meat. In the video, I demonstrate how to remove all the chicken meat from the bones.

🍗 Chicken From Scratch

✏️ Planning Tip: Start the day before and roast a whole chicken. The flavor will improve in the refrigerator overnight. The advantage of roasting a chicken at home is that you can control the size of the chicken. I like a lot of chicken in my casserole.

The chicken will not be piping hot fresh from the oven. Removing chicken meat off the bone when it's hot is very hard.

Here is the link to the Perfect Roast Chicken - Every Time

Whole roasted chicken on wire rack ready for king ranch chicken casserole

💭 How To Truss A Chicken

Take 2 Minutes - Technique Right Here

Watch the short video, and you'll learn an invaluable skill for life.

Trussing a chicken

Preparing the Chicken

Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and start by cutting off the legs and thighs, moving on to removing the breasts and wings.

Finish by using your fingers to remove the rest of the chicken from the bone. I demonstrate this in the video found on the recipe card below.

I have 2 posts covering how to cut up a whole chicken ↩️

  • Post 1
  • Post 2

⏲️ Baking Temp & Time

Bake the king ranch chicken in a preheated oven of 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Pics - Before Baking

A photo of the completed construction of the king ranch chicken casserole. Before the baking.

After Baking

Baked king ranch chicken casserole fresh out of the oven

How Long Will It Last In The Refrigerator?

Make sure to cover with an airtight container. The King Ranch Chicken is good for one week

Can I Use Beef As A Replacement Protein?

Yes, select a cut of beef that will cook in the same amount of time as the casserole. Ground beef would be the easiest replacement protein.

If you want to reduce the amount of fat, you can par-cook the beef on the stovetop, then drain the fat away.

What If We Don't Like Jalapenos?

You could try something less spicy like hatch chile peppers. They have a mild to spicy profile. The "catch" is some of them can be hot, while others are not. Take a taste before using.

Recipes To Try

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Southern Fried Chicken - Grandma's Way

45 Types of Peppers | A to Z | Defined| Photos

What Are Chipotle Peppers?

Mexican Cornbread Recipe

📖 Recipe Card

King ranch chicken casserole in a glass casserole dish

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Steven Pennington
Delicious chicken casserole using southwest flavors prepared and ready to bake within 15 minutes
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Make Ahead Dinner Plan
Cuisine Texan / Southern
Servings 8 People
Calories 729 kcal

Suggested Equipment

Casserole Dish
Medium Sized Pot

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups Roasted Chicken shredded
  • 16 Corn Tortillas / 4 extra in case some are broken, use the best looking pieces

King Ranch Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon Butter / to saute the onion & peppers
  • 1 large Onion / small and medium dice
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 Poblano Pepper
  • 3 tablespoon Rotel / onion & peppers mix
  • 1 tablespoon Chipotle In Adobo Sauce / be sure to try our recipe, so good!!!
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Flour
  • 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 5 tablespoon Cream Corn
  • 4 cups Chicken Stock / start with 4 cups and add more if desired
  • Black Pepper / to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt / taste and adjust before construction

Dry Ingredients - The Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin
  • ½ teaspoon Oregano

The Cheeses

  • 16 oz Mexican Cheese Blend / 1 whole bag
  • 6 slices Monterey Cheese
  • 1 ½ cups Queso Fresco

Garnish

  • sliced Jalapeno
  • sliced Roma Tomatoes
  • Queso Fresco Cheese
  • Shredded Cheese

Instructions
 

  • Roast a whole chicken or purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Our link to "Roasting the Perfect Chicken".https://www.butter-n-thyme.com/perfect-roast-chicken/
  • Shred the chicken away from the bone once the roast chicken is at a temperature you can handle. The whole chicken will be used. Cut the chicken into medium pieces, then mix all parts of the cooked chicken evenly. 
    Tip: Keep chicken bones for chicken stock
  • Making The King Ranch Sauce: Start by cutting the onion, poblano pepper, and red bell pepper into medium/small dice; use a mandolin if you have one. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium-sized pot and melt; once melted add onion and sweat for a few minutes, then add the poblano and red bell pepper along with a pinch of salt.
    The salt helps the sweating process and releases the natural water. 
  • Next, add the chipotle pepper and Rotel (add to taste). Stir together, then add in the flour. Once mixed, add the cream of mushroom (you could use cream of chicken soup as well) add 5 tablespoons of cream corn. Then add 2 cups of Chicken stock to start, add up to 4 cups of chicken stock to get the consistency you enjoy.
    If the sauce seems too tight/thick, you can add more chicken stock.
  • Add all of the seasonings next, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper. Taste and adjust your season, salt level, etc.
  • Building the Casserole: Spray 9 by 13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Then dip the corn tortillas into chicken stock for 40 seconds. Layout 6 corn tortillas per layer, then spread out one of the layers of chicken, sauce, the Mexican cheese blend, and then some Queso Fresco.
    Repeat the same layering steps over to build the next layer. 
  • On the presentation layer(top), use 6 slices of Monterey Cheese slices, then add the Mexican cheese blend on top of it, followed by laying out sliced tomatoes. If you like jalapenos, add them to the top layer for presentation. Finish with Queso Fresco over the tops of the tomatoes.
  • Cooking / Baking: Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. If you want to add additional browning, you can place the casserole under the broiler for a few short minutes.

Video

Video: How To Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Notes

  • Make-ahead dinner plans. Prepare the full recipe, minus baking. Make sure everything is cooled down to around room temperature before baking. Then cover and seal with plastic wrap or an air-tight container. It will last in the refrigerator for 1 week.
  • Ingredient Idea: Adding different cheeses like parmesan or pecorino to top the casserole.
  • Using low-fat cream of mushroom soup will change the recipe to require a little more flour, around ½ tablespoon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 729kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 21.8gFat: 18.1gSaturated Fat: 7.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.1gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 247mgPotassium: 274mgFiber: 6.5gSugar: 4.5gVitamin A: 310IUVitamin C: 16.2mgCalcium: 54.7mgIron: 3.4mg
Keyword King Ranch Casserole, King Ranch Chicken, King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Try This Recipe, You'll Love It. Pin it!Mention @ButterNThyme or tag #butternthyme!

 

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