This delicious Tex Mex Casserole is a family favorite dinner recipe. King Ranch Casserole has layers of corn tortillas, cheese, and a creamy chicken filling loaded with pepper, tomatoes and green chiles!
During the winter months I can never get enough casseroles and soups in my life. One of our favorite soup recipes is this Crock Pot King Ranch Soup. Since we love it so much I decided to make the classic King Ranch Casserole.
This casserole originates from Texas and I hear that you can't attend a potluck without seeing at least one of these casseroles being served up. Now, if you were from the Midwest, like I am, it would be the famous Tater Tot Casserole or a Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole that would be served at every potluck!
You might think that this dish was first made on the famous King Ranch, which is the largest ranch in all of Texas, but there is no history linking this creamy, cheese casserole to the ranch, but I bet if you showed up with this famous casserole to the ranch they wouldn't turn it down!
How to Make King Ranch Casserole
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and peppers until softened, about 7-10 minutes.
- Grab a large mixing bowl and combine the onion and pepper mixture from the skillet, cream of mushroom and chicken soups, diced tomatoes, cumin and chile powder. Reserve ¾ c. of this sauce of later.
- On the bottom of your prepared baking dish spread ½ c. of sauce mixture. Then spread ½ of the chicken over the sauce. Top chicken with half of the remaining sauce and then ⅓ of the cheese. Spread a layer of corn tortillas (½ the tortillas) over the cheese. Spread remaining chicken over the tortillas, top with remaining sauce (except reserved sauce) then ⅓ of the cheese, remaining tortillas, and the reserved sauce and remaining cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.
Is this casserole spicy?
No, it's not extremely spicy. If you would like to make it have a little more heat you can add more chile powder and look for a spicier can of diced tomatoes with green chile peppers.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this casserole ahead of time although the tortillas might be a little more mushy.
Simply prepare the casserole up to 3 days before you want to enjoy it. Allow it to completely cool after assembling it, cover with plastic wrap or a cover on your pan. Place it in the fridge. When ready to bake it simply place in oven and bake according to directions. It may take 10-15 minutes longer due to the fact it's cold now.
If you'd like to freeze the casserole follow the same directions, but place in freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use it, remove it from the freezer and place in the fridge allowing it to thaw completely before baking.
Can I make this in a Slow Cooker ?
Yes! Simple layer it in your slow cooker instead of a baking dish. Set it to low and let it cook 2-3 hours or until warmed through and cheese is melted. It's perfect for transporting to your next potluck!
King Ranch Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 10.75 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chile powder
- 2 c. cooked and cubed chicken
- 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 12 corn tortillas cut into quarters
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion, red and green peppers until softened about 7-10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the onion and pepper mixture, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, diced tomatoes, cumin, and chile powder Stir until completely combined. Reserve ¾ c. of sauce for later.
- Spread ½ c. of sauce on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spread 1⁄2 of the chicken over the sauce. Top chicken with half of the remaining sauce and then ⅓ of the cheese. Spread a layer of corn tortillas (½ the tortillas) over the cheese. Spread remaining chicken over the tortillas, top with remaining sauce (except reserved sauce) then ⅓ of the cheese, remaining tortillas, and the reserved sauce and remaining cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.
The casserole looks fabulous. I haven't seen condensed cream of mushroom soup and chicken soup. Have to look for those ingredients next time in the grocery shop.
I remember seeing this recipe often in Texas! Good ol comfort food. Love your step by step photos!
This dish makes a great quick weeknight dinner option. Throw it all together and it is ready in no time.
This sounds delicious! Comfort foods are always popular in my house especially casseroles. They can feed many people and easy to make!
This is exactly what comfort food it's all about. I love the colours, flavours in this dish, everything about it just calls my name out very loud. Delicious and perfect for this time of the year.
Oh my goodness, this recipe deserves to have 5 stars and I am sure that my family will definitely love to have this for our dinner, tonight.
Oh my! There are layers and layers of goodness in this Tex Mex casserole! I will definitely be putting this on my must-try recipe list!
Taking into account cheddar is the only type of cheese my kids would eat, I should definitely try this casserole. Looks yummy and so fulfilling, will work great as a weekend lunch or dinner.
This casserole is delicious! Such a filling and flavorful comfort food perfect for any potluck!
I feel like this is a straight-up, "Hi, I'm Texan!" recipe! As a New Yorker turned Texan, this is right up my alley.
This looks so yummy! This would be a great comfort food dish for a family dinner!
You had me at cheesy and creamy! This looks like pure comfort food.
What a delicious and cheesy comfort food meal. It looks so easy and customizeable also!