King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King Ranch Chicken Casserole recipe – MY FAVORITE meal!! Chicken, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, salsa, chicken broth, onion, corn tortillas, and cheese. Use a rotisserie chicken for quick assembly. Makes a great freezer meal. Everyone cleaned their plate! Even the picky eaters!!

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This King Ranch Chicken Casserole just might be my favorite chicken casserole. Tortillas, chicken, creamy Rotel sauce, and tons of cheese. All of my favorite flavors. I look forward to making this and having leftovers all week. This is comfort food at its best. Now, this isn’t fancy; It is just darn good! Serve this casserole with some black beans and rice for a perfect Tex-Mex meal!

How to Make King Ranch Chicken

This casserole is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, combine cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, salsa, garlic salt, and onion flakes. Stir until warm, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cut corn tortillas into quarters. Place half of the tortillas into the baking dish. Top the tortillas with cooked chicken, shredded cheese, and half of the sauce mixture. Repeat layers. Top the casserole with shredded cheese and bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

• I use rotisserie chicken in the casserole. You can use any cooked chicken that you have on hand. Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken tenderloins all work great.
• Our favorite store-bought salsas are Mateo’s, Kylito’s, Pace Picante Sauce, and Pace Restaurant Style Salsa. I find them at Walmart.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa: https://www.plainchicken.com/superior-grill-salsa/
  • Can substitute a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles or two cans of diced green chilies for the salsa.
• You can use any cheese that you enjoy. Cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, pepper jack all work great.
• Can substitute flour tortillas if you prefer.
• Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
  • You can use any condensed soups that you prefer. Cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or cream of celery all work fine.
  • Use gluten-free condensed soups for a gluten-free casserole.
• Feel free to add chopped onions and bell peppers to the casserole.
• Can King Ranch Chicken Casserole be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cover the dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate. Let the casserole come to room temperature before baking.
• Can King Ranch Chicken Casserole be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to bake, thaw and bake as directed.
• Can King Ranch Chicken be made in the crock pot? Yes! Assemble the casserole in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW or HIGH until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What to Serve with Chicken Casserole

This casserole is a family favorite. We make this at least once a month. It is delicious! We like to top the casserole with some lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, and sour cream. We serve this with some tortilla chips, salsa, Mexican rice, and beans. I’ll take this casserole over the Mexican restaurant any day!

Here are some of our favorite recipes that go great with this King Ranch Casserole recipe:

Salads

Mexican Chopped Salad

Mexican Chopped Salad –  the perfect side to all of your favorite Mexican recipes! Lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocados,…

Dip

Chuy’s Jalapeno Dip

Chuy’s Jalapeno Dip – easy copycat recipe of Chuy’s famous dip. Tastes just like the real thing!! SO good! I…

Vegetables

Southwestern Green Beans

Southwestern Green Beans with Rotel- only 4 ingredients and ready in about 20 minutes! Oven-roasted green beans, Mexican Rotel tomatoes,…

Mexican

The BEST Guacamole

The BEST Homemade Guacamole recipe – a super simple recipe loaded with fresh produce that tastes great! Avocados, lime juice,…

Recipe Print Recipe

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Author: Plain Chicken

Yield: 8 people

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

King Ranch Chicken Casserole – MY FAVORITE!! Chicken, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, salsa. chicken broth, onion, tortillas and cheese. Use a rotisserie chicken for quick assembly. Makes a great freezer meal. Everyone cleaned their plate! Even the picky eaters!!!

Equipment:

• 9×13-inch Baking Dish

Ingredients:

• 1 (10.5-oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10.5-oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1 tsp garlic powder or garlic salt
• 1 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
• 12 (8-inch) corn tortillas, cut into quarters
• 1 (3-pound) rotisserie chicken, boned and shredded (about 4½ cups cooked chopped chicken)
• 3 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, combine the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, salsa, garlic salt and onion flakes. Stir until warm, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Put half of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan, top with half of the chicken, then sprinkle with one cup of cheese. Pour half of the soup mixture over the top, and then repeat the layers. Tortillas, chicken, cheese, and soup mix. Top the casserole with the remaining cup of cheese.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.

Notes:

• I use rotisserie chicken in the casserole. You can use any cooked chicken that you have on hand. Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken tenderloins all work great.

• Our favorite store-bought salsas are Mateo’s, Kylito’s, Pace Picante Sauce, and Pace Restaurant Style Salsa. I find them at Walmart.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa: https://www.plainchicken.com/superior-grill-salsa/
  • Can substitute a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles or two cans of diced green chilies for the salsa.
• You can use any cheese that you enjoy. Cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, pepper jack all work great.
• Can substitute flour tortillas if you prefer.
• Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
  • You can use any condensed soups that you prefer. Cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or cream of celery all work fine.
  • Use gluten-free condensed soups for a gluten-free casserole.
• Feel free to add chopped onions and bell peppers to the casserole.
• Can King Ranch Chicken Casserole be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cover the dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate. Let the casserole come to room temperature before baking.
• Can King Ranch Chicken Casserole be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to bake, thaw and bake as directed.
• Can King Ranch Chicken be made in the crock pot? Yes! Assemble the casserole in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW or HIGH until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Plain Chicken

https://www.plainchicken.com/king-ranch-chicken-casserole/

All images and text © Plain Chicken, Inc.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plainchicken or tag #plainchicken!

Steph