King Ranch Chicken Casserole – Tex-Mex comfort food at its best! Chicken, chicken soup, mushroom soup, onion, diced tomatoes and green chiles, Cheez Whiz, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese. One of the best things you’ll ever eat!! Everyone LOVES this yummy Tex-Mex casserole!! #casserole #chicken #texmex
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Pin This RecipeEasy Tex- Mex Chicken Casserole
Oh, King Ranch Chicken, where have you been all my life? Seriously! Why have I never eaten this?! I guess I was just searching for the right recipe. Well, I finally found it in my new cookbook Some Day You’ll Thank Me for This: The Official Southern Ladie’s Guide to Being a “Perfect Mother” by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays.
Gayden and Charlotte describe the King Ranch Chicken recipe as follows:
“Many of our mothers did not cook with tortilla chips. In this recipe, the elegance of tortilla chips is enhanced with Cheese Whiz and cream of mushroom soup. Just about the only nice thing to be said about King Ranch Chicken is that it’s one of the best things you’ll ever eat.”
I couldn’t agree more with them – this really was one of the best things we’ve ever eaten!
Some of you might be thinking “What is King Ranch Chicken?”. There is no ranch in this casserole. The name comes from the King Ranch in Texas, one of the largest ranches in the United States. Recipes vary, but generally, a sauce with Rotel, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, bell peppers, and onion. Layer the sauce with tortilla chips, chicken, and cheese to make the casserole.
How to Make King Ranch Chicken Casserole
This is super easy to make. Start with chopping some cooked chicken breasts. In a large saucepan, heat cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, onion, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, cheese whiz, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Line a baking dish with crushed tortilla chips. Layer chicken, sauce, and cheese. Pop the casserole in the oven and prepare to be wowed.
- I like to use rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken in this recipe.
- Can use any combination of cream of soup in this recipe.
- Can King Ranch Chicken be made in advance? Yes! You can prepare the casserole and refrigerate it overnight.
- Can King Ranch Chicken be frozen? Yes. You can prepare the casserole and freeze it for later. To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed.
- Do the chips get soggy if I make this ahead of time? If you are worried about the tortilla chips getting soggy, I suggest making the casserole sauce in advance and assembling the casserole while the oven preheats. The sauce will keep several days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the chicken and sauce.
- What can I substitute for Cheez Whiz? I’m not sure. I’ve only made this with Cheez Whiz. Don’t knock it until you try it! You could try Velveeta.
- I used plain tortilla chips. Feel free to use Doritos or any other flavored tortilla chip you enjoy.
What to Serve with King Ranch Chicken
This casserole is a new favorite at our house. We’ve made it several times and absolutely love it! We like to serve this with a salad, black beans and rice, and a roll. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this yummy Mexican casserole:
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King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 3 large chicken breasts, cooked
- 1 (10.5-oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 (10.5-oz) can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
- 1 (10-oz) can Rotel tomatoes, undrainedd
- 1 cup Cheez Whiz
- Dash of Tabasco
- Dash of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 (13-oz) bag tortilla chips, crushed
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch dish with cooking spray.
- Dice the cooked chicken breasts.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the soups, onion, tomatoes, Cheez Whiz, Tabasco and Worcestershire Sauce until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Line the bottom of a casserole dish with the crushed tortilla chips. Place the chicken on top and pour over some of the mixture. Add a layer of half the Cheddar. Repeat the process, topping with Cheddar and mozzarella.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes:
- I like to use rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken in this recipe.
- Can use any combination of cream of soup in this recipe.
- You can prepare the casserole and refrigerate it overnight.
- You can prepare the casserole and freeze it for later. To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed.
- If you are worried about the tortilla chips getting soggy, I suggest making the casserole sauce in advance and assembling the casserole while the oven preheats. The sauce will keep several days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the chicken and sauce.
- I used plain tortilla chips. Feel free to use Doritos or any other flavored tortilla chip you enjoy.
Steph
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Ok..so when repeating the process..does that mean with the chips and chicken? It doesn't say NOT to use all the chicken on the first layer so I wasn't sure if I should keep half for a second layer.
Yes, keep half the chicken for the second layer. It won't ruin the dish if you put all the chicken in one layer though.
Thanks! Gonna make it tonight for my bunco party!
I make a similar dish. I use velveeta and nacho cheese doritos and put the mixture over spanish/mexican rice…..mmmmmmm
Fitchy – yes, use a 9×13-inch pan. Enjoy!
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If I make the recipe as written, should it go in a 13" x 9" x 2" dish?
Aly – use a 9×9 or 8×8 pan. Enjoy!
I'm halving this recipe. What size pan should I use?
This casserole has been a staple at our house for a LONG time. It freezes well IF you use corn tortillas instead of tortilla chips. Just cut them in wedges and use them like you would the chips. I usually double the amount, because I have 4 young men (and one old one) to feed. No leftovers. But if you aren't feeding a bunch of ridiculous eaters, doubling it makes one for dinner and one to freeze.
Found this recipe on Pinterest and repinned. I'm wondering what size casserole to use and if I should double it to feed 5 big eaters??
Just made this for dinner and it was fantastic. My husband loved it and said it was a keeper. 🙂
Made this for supper last night…I used Doritos. My very very picky hubby loved it! Thanks!,,
That has been on my to do list for the last week….thank you so very much for sharing, it is not complicated either!
Just got the ingredients, cooking now! Thanks.
This is what's for dinner tonight! I can hardly wait!
This looks like a great alternative to the kings ranch chicken I already make. I will substitute tortilla chips for corn tortillas because chips seem to taste stale when cooked. Thank you!!!
My mama made this..being from Alabama, she just used Doritos ..lol
Oh Yum!! This chicken looks really great!!
This definitely sounds like a recipe my husband and son would love!
"You speak to everybody, even tacky people"
No wonder why you comment on my blog 🙂 😉 :0
We did this years ago but it called for just plain tortillas, not the chips. In retrospect, yours sounds much better!
This sounds incredible! I'll be saving this recipe for sure. I've actually been to the King Ranch. Talk about an expansive piece of land.
Love it! Casseroles are the perfect comfort food.
Your picture really wants me to try it now! This is so yum!
Steph this looks incredible! Its mouthwatering! I will definately try this soon.
Have a wonderful weekend!
It looks delicious and with such a strong endorsement, I must try it