King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King ranch casserole in baking dish with spoon.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole with layers of tortillas and chicken in a creamy cheesy homemade sauce and topped with crunchy corn chips. Tex-Mex comfort food casserole!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Tex-Mex

Keyword chicken ranch casserole, king ranch chicken, king ranch chicken casserole

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 705kcal

Author Kelly Wildenhaus | the hungry bluebird

Ingredients

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (I used a mix of white and blue tortillas)
Vegetable oil spray
1 tbsp butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced (use gloves!)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 (10-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, like Ro-tel
5 tbsp flour
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups chicken broth/stock (preferably homemade)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices
1 lb Colby Jack cheese, shredded
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
2½ cups corn chips (Fritos), crushed

Instructions

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 450º. Lay tortillas on two baking sheets and lightly spray both sides with vegetable oil spay. Bake until lightly crisped and browned, rotating halfway, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly and then break into pieces and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, minced jalapeños and cumin, and cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes/chiles and their juices and cook until most of the liquid is gone, about 10 - 12 minutes.
Add flour and cook and stir for 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and then cream, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 2 - 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Carefully add chicken and stir and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes ~ chicken should be slightly underdone. Remove from heat, gradually add cheese and cilantro, stir until cheese is melted.
Place half of tortilla pieces in bottom of 9" X 13" baking dish set on a baking sheet. Spoon half of mixture over chips. Scatter remaining tortilla pieces over filling, then top with remaining filling.
Bake casserole on lower rack until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with crushed corn chips and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

This Tex-Mex chicken casserole is crazy good and guaranteed to wow your family and friends. It’s homey and comforting, like casseroles are, and real and authentic, like I kind of have a thing about. And the best part? Those crunchy Fritos on top.

Feel free to adjust the spice to your liking! Also in a pinch you can use Ritz crackers on top or anything you have on hand. How about doritos?

Nutrition