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King ranch casserole in baking dish with spoon.
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5 from 1 vote

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

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!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 705kcal

Ingredients

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

Calories: 705kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 954mg | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1207IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 515mg | Iron: 3mg