Description
King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a comforting Tex-Mex dish featuring tender chicken simmered in a creamy, cheesy sauce with tomatoes and green chiles, layered with crispy tortilla chips, and baked to bubbly perfection. This hearty casserole is perfect for family dinners and offers a delightful combination of flavors and textures.
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, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel), drained
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Casserole Assembly
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (divided 1/2 cup and 1.5 cups)
- 5 cups tortilla chip strips (thick rectangular chips preferred)
- 2 green onions, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare and Season Chicken: Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound to an even thickness of 3/4 to 1 inch using a mallet or rolling pin. Season both sides with chili powder.
- Cook Chicken: Heat cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the seasoned chicken breasts and cook for about 5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a clean cutting board and allow to cool.
- Prep Vegetables and Preheat Oven: While cooking chicken, finely dice onion and bell pepper. Begin preheating oven to 375ºF.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, add butter, diced onion, and bell pepper. Sauté over medium heat until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add Flour: Stir in flour and continue to cook for about one minute, allowing the flour to turn golden brown and coat the skillet bottom.
- Create Gravy: Pour in chicken broth, stirring to dissolve flour and loosen browned bits from the skillet. Bring to a simmer until the mixture thickens into a gravy. Remove skillet from heat.
- Combine Chicken and Tomatoes: Drain diced tomatoes with green chiles. Dice cooled chicken and stir both into the skillet with the gravy.
- Add Sour Cream and Cheese: Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese until well combined.
- Assemble Casserole: Layer a few handfuls of tortilla chip strips into the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spread half of the chicken mixture on top. Add more tortilla chip strips, about half as much as the first layer, and spoon the remaining chicken mixture over them. Top with remaining 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven at 375ºF for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly 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 in the casserole, such as Mission brand or a generic equivalent.
- Pounding the chicken to an even thickness ensures even cooking.
- Make sure to drain the canned diced tomatoes well to prevent excess liquid in the casserole.
- Leftover casserole can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven covered with foil to retain moisture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
