This easy King Ranch Chicken recipe is one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table on busy weeknights that the whole family family will eat. This great recipe is a Tex-Mex casserole that consists of tasty layers and is the ultimate comfort food.

King Ranch Chicken- Finished King ranch chicken recipe in a glass casserole dish on a wood background- kids activities blog
Are you ready to make this delicous king ranch chicken casserole? Your family is goign to love it!

King Ranch Casserole

Here in Texas, we call this family favorite just “King Ranch Chicken” and the casserole part is just implied. It is a classic Texas casserole recipe that equals easy dinner.

Related: Check out the rest of these chicken casseroles!

If you’re one of the poor, unfortunate souls who have never tasted this unique chicken dish before that resembles a little bit of Tex-Mex lasagna a little bit creamy casserole, then y’all should try this easy meal tonight!

Related: How to cook marinated chicken in the air fryer

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Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe

King Ranch Chicken is one of those recipes that is so simple to make–a little of this, a little of that–yet so delightfully different and tasty. Serve it at your next potluck, church supper or take it to a new mom in need.

Both kids and grownups like it.

King Ranch Chicken Supplies- 2 chicken breasts, shredded, 12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters, 1 green bell pepper, diced, 1 red bell pepper, diced, 1 white onion, chopped, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 10 oz can Rotel, 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (reserve 1 cup for topping), 1 cup chicken broth, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, non-stick cooking spray, (Optional) sour cream, (Optional) fresh cilantro, (Optional) lime juice, (Optional) mild salsa
Grab your King Ranch Casserole Supplies Like: Chicken, soup, rotel, peppers, oil, cheese, tortillas, ans spices!

Ingredients Needed To Make This Delicious King Ranch Casserole Recipe

King Ranch Casserole- Chopped up red and green peppers on the wood cutting board- kids activities blog
Chop up your vegetables in preperation of this King Ranch Casserole.

Directions for King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Step 1

In a large skillet or a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onions and peppers, just until soft (about 5 minutes).

Step 1- King Ranch Casserole- heat oil and sauté onions and peppers
Saute your peppers and onions! Your kitchen is gonna smell great.

Step 2

Add broth, canned soup – mushroom and chicken, Rotel tomatoes, and spices. Stir well.

Step 2- King Ranch Casserole- Add broth, tomatoes, soup, and spices
Now add your canned soup, Rotel, and spices and stir well.

Step 3

Continue to stir and boil until thickened and bubbly and the consistency of a creamy sauce.

Step 3- King Ranch Casserole- Continue to stir and boil until thick and bubbly
Stir and boil until thick and bubbly.

Step 4

Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Step 5- King Ranch Casserole- place 1/3 tortillas, then 1/3 chicken, then 1/3 sauce mixture, and sprinkle 1 cup of cheese and repeat
Place down tortilla quarters, shredded chicken, sauce, cheese, then repeat.

Step 5

Place 1/3 of the tortilla quarters down in a layer. Add 1/3 of the shredded chicken breasts. Top with 1/3 of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times. 3 Cups of cheese is what will be used up for these layers of cheese.

Step 6- King Ranch Casserole- Top with 1 cup shredded cheese, cover with foil.
Top with 1 cup shredded cheese, cover with foil.

Step 6

Top with 1 cup shredded cheese, cover with foil.

Step 7

Place 9-inch baking dish in the oven:

  1. Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes.
  2. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.
Step 7- King Ranch Casserole- Bake 40 minutes, let sit, and then serve.
Bake for 40 minutes, let sit, and then serve.

Notes:

If Rotel is too spicy (it is for my mother in law and that’s okay) you can use canned tomatoes, but you will be losing some flavor.

Don’t have leftover cooked chicken or thawed out chicken on hand? You can use store-bought rotisserie chicken for this best chicken casserole.

This should be good in the fridge for 3-4 days. Yay leftovers!

Serve

Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serve with a salad.

Garnish with sour cream, fresh cilantro, a squirt of lime juice and salsa.

King Ranch Casserole Recipe Variations

  • If you want to use flour tortillas , be aware that they will not keep their shape as well as the layers of corn tortillas during cooking. One way to overcome this is to lightly brown them in a frying pan before cutting them up for this recipe.
  • I have seen crispy tortilla chips used in this recipe as well, but it tends to be salty due to the chips being dusted with salt. If you try this, decrease the onion salt in the recipe.
  • If you want to use ground turkey or ground beef instead of the chicken a pound usually works well.
Yield: 6 servings

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

This super easy busy night dinner recipe is one of our family's favorites, King Ranch Chicken Casserole. The simple Tex-Mex flavors blend together with a delightful creamy texture with just a little crunch.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts, shredded
  • 12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon marjoram
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 10 oz can Rotel
  • 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (reserve 1 cup of cheese for topping)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • (Optional) sour cream
  • (Optional) fresh cilantro
  • (Optional) lime juice
  • (Optional) mild salsa...or the good stuff!

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Saute onions and peppers until softened which usually takes about 5 minutes.
  3. Add broth, canned soups, Rotel and spices. Stir well
  4. Continue to stir and boil until thickened.
  5. Spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
  6. Layer the casserole in the casserole dish: Place 1/3 of the tortilla quarters down in a layer. Add 1/3 of the shredded chicken breasts. Top with 1/3 of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times.
  7. Top with 1 cup of shredded cheese and cover with foil.
  8. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes.
  9. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.
  10. Let rest out of the oven 10 minutes before serving.
King Ranch Casserole steps and images with completed dish
Your family is going to love this King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe.

MORE EASY CASSEROLE RECIPES FROM KIDS ACTIVITIES BLOG

What did your family love about the King Ranch Chicken casserole? Did you love how easy it is to make?



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