Stop what you are doing and add this King Ranch Chicken and Rice Bake to your menu! It is ridiculously delicious. Chicken, rice, cream of chicken soup, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, Velveeta, and cheddar cheese. Super simple to make and ready to eat in under 30 minutes. This just might be my favorite Tex-Mex casserole. I wanted to eat the entire pan myself!
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook rice according to the package directions.
In a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt Velveeta cheese. Stir in cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and Rotel tomatoes. Cook over medium-high heat until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine cheese sauce, chopped cooked chicken, and cooked rice. Pour rice mixture into prepared pan. Top with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes:
I use rotisserie chicken for the chopped cooked chicken in this recipe. You can use any cooked chicken that you have on hand. Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and chicken tenderloins all work fine.
You can use 4 cups of any cooked rice that you enjoy. White rice, brown rice, instant rice, long-grain rice, basmati rice, Mexican rice, Spanish rice - anything goes.
I like to use 2 packages of Knorr Mexican Rice in this casserole for extra flavor.
You can use any flavor of cream of condensed soup. Cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, or cream of celery soup all work great.
I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup in this dish to control the sodium.
Is King Ranch Chicken spicy? If you are sensitive to spicy food, make sure to use Mild Ro-tel.
Feel free to add onions, green bell peppers, poblano pepper, or chopped red bell pepper to the chicken mixture.
I topped the casserole with cheddar cheese. You can substitute any cheese that you enjoy. Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese are also delicious.
Can King Ranch Chicken & Rice be made in advance? Yes! You can assemble the casserole and refrigerate it overnight before baking. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking straight from the oven.
Can King Ranch Chicken & Rice 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 the casserole, thaw, and bake as directed.