King Ranch Chicken Casserole recipe is an easy comfort food classic made with layers of corn tortillas, a creamy chicken mixture, veggies, and cheese.
This family-friendly main dish meal comes together in just 15 minutes and bakes into the best bite of Tex-Mex cooking when you crave a taste of Texas!
AUTHENTIC King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Our King Ranch Chicken Casserole is so easy to make using a few shortcut ingredients, like cans of condensed cream soup and a zesty canned blend of diced tomatoes and green chiles, that quickly mix with the chopped cooked chicken.
Creamy, cheesy, and slightly spicy, this king ranch casserole is the perfect protein-packed dinner that even the pickiest eaters will devour.
This King Ranch Chicken recipe is filled with your favorite Mexican flavors and baked in the oven until melted and bubbly like my beef or chicken enchilada casserole; it’s simply prepared as layers of soft tortillas, chicken, and a creamy sauce rather than bundling the filling in shells like my baked burritos.
Easy casserole recipes are the perfect way to pile a hearty meal into a one-dish dinner – they’re the best for busy weeknights and beloved by home cooks even beyond the South.
Why We Love Chicken King Ranch Casserole
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Creamy, cheesy, cozy, and completely comforting.
- A perfect weeknight meal that can be prepared ahead as a freezer-friendly supper.
- Great for potlucks, family get togethers, or game day gatherings.
King Ranch Chicken Casserole Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sweet yellow onion
- Bell pepper: I used a red bell pepper but you can a green bell pepper or any color you prefer.
- Cream of chicken soup
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Mild Rotel
- Shredded cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Cilantro (optional)
- Soft taco-size corn tortillas
- Colby and Monterey jack cheese
Substitutions and Additions
- Choose Your Chicken: You can cook your chicken in the oven, in the slow cooker, poach it in some water on the stove, or take the shortcut of shredding a store bought rotisserie chicken. You can even use leftover holiday turkey!
- Create Some Crunch: Instead of using soft corn tortillas, you can try Doritos or tortilla chips for a crunchy twist.
- Swap The Soup: Feel free to use any combination of condensed cream soups that you prefer. I made my casserole with the classic cream of mushroom and cream of chicken combination, but you can try other flavors like cream of celery or cream of onion.
- Change The Cheese: Instead of using Colby and Monterey jack cheese, feel free to substitute Cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack, or a Mexican blend.
Recommended Tools
- 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven
- Whisk
- 9×13 baking dish
- Nonstick cooking spray
How to Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Make The Sauce: Saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil until softened and then remove from the heat. Whisk in the undiluted cans of soup and the undrained Rotel.
- Make The Chicken Mixture: Stir in the shredded chicken and chopped cilantro.
- Assemble: Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the quartered corn tortillas. Spoon the chicken mixture over the bottom layer, sprinkle with cheese, add a layer of tortillas, top with the remaining chicken mixture and cover with cheese.
- Bake: Bake uncovered at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
- Serve: Serve while hot. Enjoy!
What To Serve With King Ranch Chicken Casserole
This King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a hearty, protein-packed meal on its own, but pairs perfectly with some simple sides. I love serving this dish with my cornbread muffins, Mexican street corn, or Mexican coleslaw. For a fun Tex-Mex meal, serve with some salsa, guacamole, and chips for scooping.
More Easy Casserole Recipes
Tip From Our Recipe Developer
- You can substitute pre-shredded cheese for the freshly shredded cheese, but it will not be as creamy. Pre-shredded cheese adds cellulose to the cheese and has a powdery texture.
- You can substitute shredded rotisserie chicken for the boneless, skinless chicken breast.
How to Store King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- To Store: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the baked casserole for up to 1 month. Allow the casserole to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.
Other Easy Dinner Recipes
- Frito Pie Casserole
- Millionaire Pie
- Lasagna Roll Ups
- Crack Chicken Chili
- Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Baked Chicken Chimichanga
- French Onion Beef Noodles
- Garlic Bread Meatball Bombs
- Crack Chicken Penne
- Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie
- Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion
- 1 chopped bell pepper any color, I used a red bell pepper
- 10.5 ounces can of cream of chicken soup undiluted
- 10.5 ounces can of cream of mushroom soup undiluted
- 10 ounces can of mild Rotel undrained
- 3 cups shredded cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro optional
- 12 soft taco-size corn tortillas quartered
- 4 cups freshly shredded Colby and Monterey jack cheese divided into 1½ and 2½
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the olive oil, chopped onion, and chopped bell pepper to a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until the onions and bell peppers are softened. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the undiluted cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and the undrained Rotel. Whisk until well combined.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and chopped cilantro.
- Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with half of the quartered corn tortillas.
- Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the bottom layer of corn tortillas.
- Sprinkle 1½ cups of the shredded cheese over the chicken layer.
- Layer the remaining corn tortillas over the cheese layer.
- Spread the remaining chicken mixture over the corn tortillas.
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the chicken mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve while hot.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the baked casserole for up to 1 month. Allow the casserole to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.
- You can substitute pre-shredded cheese for the freshly shredded cheese, but it will not be as creamy. Pre-shredded cheese adds cellulose to the cheese and has a powdery texture.
- You can substitute shredded rotisserie chicken for the boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Also used corn chips..👍🏻
I have a slightly different spin on this recipe.. instead of tortillas, I mix in a bag of crunched up Doritos.. I like the regular original Doritos but any flavor works.. we call it Chili Chicken.. so good!
How many calories for servings?
please and thank you love the recipe.