Description
King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a comforting Tex-Mex dish featuring layers of seasoned chicken, sautéed vegetables, creamy cheese sauce, and crunchy tortilla chips, baked to bubbly perfection. This hearty casserole blends flavors of chili powder, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and sharp cheddar cheese into a crowd-pleasing meal perfect for family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
Vegetables and Sauce
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel), drained
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Cheese and Chips
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
- 5 cups tortilla chip strips (thick, rectangular style)
- 2 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Place chicken breasts on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness about 3/4 to 1-inch thick. Season both sides with chili powder.
- Cook Chicken: Heat cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add seasoned chicken and cook about 5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Remove to a cutting board to cool.
- Prep Vegetables and Cheese: While chicken cooks, finely dice onion and bell pepper; shred cheddar cheese. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add Flour: Stir in flour, cooking for about one minute until flour coats the pan bottom and turns golden brown.
- Create Gravy: Gradually add chicken broth, stirring to dissolve flour and scrape browned bits. Simmer until gravy thickens, then remove from heat.
- Combine Chicken and Tomatoes: Drain diced tomatoes well. Dice cooked chicken and stir chicken and tomatoes into the gravy mixture.
- Add Dairy: Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese until well combined.
- Assemble Casserole: Layer a few handfuls of tortilla chip strips in the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Spoon half the chicken mixture over chips. Add additional chip strips (about half as much as first layer), then top with remaining chicken mixture. Finally, sprinkle remaining 1.5 cups shredded cheddar over casserole.
- Bake: Bake in preheated oven at 375ºF for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole bubbles around edges.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle sliced green onions on top after baking and serve hot.
Notes
- Use thick rectangular tortilla chips for best texture; they hold up well in the casserole without becoming soggy.
- If preferred, rotisserie chicken can substitute for fresh chicken to save time.
- Drain diced tomatoes thoroughly to prevent excess liquid making the casserole watery.
- For spicier flavor, add additional chili powder or jalapeños in the sauté stage.
- Sour cream can be substituted with Greek yogurt for a tangier alternative.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes after baking for easier slicing and serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
