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King Ranch Chicken Casserole

[heart_this] · Apr 8, 2009 · 63 Comments

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

My collection of shredded chicken, from leftover roasted chickens, was growing and I wanted to use some of it to clear some space in my freezer. (Ice cream season is coming and I will need that space!) After searching around for a while I came across the concept of a king ranch chicken casserole which sounded really good. A chicken ranch casserole seems to be a creamy chicken casserole with texmex flavours that is layered like a lasagna using corn tortillas. I had been thinking about doing something with a creamy poblano sauce for a while and this seemed like the perfect time to.
Most of the recipes that I came across called for canned creamed soups to form the base of the sauce but I was determined to do it without them. I started by sauteing the vegetables in more butter than I would normally use so that I could sprinkle in some flour to form a roux and thicken the chicken stock. I finished the creamy part of the casserole off with some milk and sour cream for a bit of tanginess. For the texmex flavours, I used those poblano peppers and some jalapeno peppers, canned chopped green chilies, chipotle chili powder, cumin, oregano and cilantro. With all of the chili heat in the dish I thought that some corn would go well to take the edge off. Of course it is really hard to not top off a texmex dish like this with some ooey gooey melted cheese.
The king ranch chicken casserole was easy to make and it was super tasty! I over filled my baking dish and some of the sauce bubbled over. Luckily I always bake things like this on a baking sheet so I was saved from having to clean up a big mess in the oven. The chicken casserole was nice and creamy and cheesy and good! This dish is packed with so many of the texmex flavours that I like so much and it sure is a winner in my books. I am looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunches over the next few days.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Servings: 9
ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 1 red pepper (chopped)
  • 1 poblano pepper (chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 2 jalapenos (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup of chicken broth
  • 2 cups chicken (cooked and shredded)
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 lime (juice)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 10 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups cheese (grated)
directions
  1. Melt the butter in a pan.
  2. Add the onion, red pepper and poblano pepper and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic jalapenos, chili powder and cumin and saute unto fragrant, about a minute.
  4. Mix in the flour and cook for a few minutes.
  5. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the liquid thickens.
  6. Add the chicken, tomatoes, green chilies, milk and oregano and simmer for 15 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat and stir in the corn, lime juice, sour cream, cilantro, salt and pepper.
  8. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan.
  9. Top with a layer formed with 1/2 of the tortillas.
  10. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the the sauce.
  11. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the the cheese.
  12. Top with a layer of the remaining tortillas.
  13. Top with a layer of the remaining sauce.
  14. Top with a layer of the remaining cheese.
  15. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the sides are bubbling and the top is golden brown.
Similar Recipes:
Texmex Lasagna
Corn and Black Bean Tortilla Pie
Lasagna
Crockpot Chicken Santa Fe

Chicken, Food, Main Course, Recipe, Texmex

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    April 9, 2009 at 12:19 am

    I cooked a whole chicken last week and shredded it to freeze – this will be a wonderful dish to enjoy some of it with. Thanks for making a roux and NOT using the nasty creamy soups.

    Reply
  2. Donna-FFW says

    April 9, 2009 at 12:54 am

    OMG!! Absolutely a culinarywork of art.. delicious, Kevin..

    Reply
  3. Natalie says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:01 am

    That is some pretty serious Chicken Casserole! Awesome.

    Reply
  4. Treehouse Chef says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:04 am

    This is the most delicious chicken casserole that I have ever seen!

    Reply
  5. Walt. says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:23 am

    how much chicken should you use?

    Reply
  6. What's for Supper? says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:46 am

    Yeah….this looks really good. But how much chicken should you use?

    Reply
  7. elly says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:51 am

    This looks really good! I’ve heard of king ranch chicken but have never tried it. Looks like I should!

    Reply
  8. Sharon says

    April 9, 2009 at 2:09 am

    Awesome recipe!

    Reply
  9. A Feast for the Eyes says

    April 9, 2009 at 2:45 am

    Genius! I have some frozen shredding chicken that I want to use…this is it! Bravo on not using canned cream soups. I can see this dish on my dinner table this week. You don’t mention how much chicken to use, but I can guess. I’m sure you’ll be posting how much anytime soon.

    Looks really good!

    Reply
  10. Mead Chick says

    April 9, 2009 at 3:22 am

    That looks seriously good. As a huge fan of TexMex myself, I think I’ll be using this recipe in the future!

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    April 9, 2009 at 3:31 am

    Yum….every girl in Texas and Oklahoma has King Ranch Chicken in her recipe bag of tricks; glad to see it has wandered north of the border. Really one of the more delicious tastes treats my mother in law ever made.

    Reply
  12. Leela says

    April 9, 2009 at 3:35 am

    I was going to ask too how much chicken to use, but others have already mentioned the missing ingredient. I have a HUGE bag of cooked chicken breast (saved up from all the rotissertie chicken I’ve bought — I only eat the dark meat) in the freezer and this is such a wonderful way to use it.

    Reply
  13. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    April 9, 2009 at 4:00 am

    A scrumptious casserole! So comforting!

    cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  14. alice says

    April 9, 2009 at 4:24 am

    This looks awesome Kevin. I only make one chicken casserole using those dang cream of chicken soup cans.. I would prefer as you did here. Can’t wait to try this.

    Reply
  15. Julia says

    April 9, 2009 at 4:35 am

    I have a rotisserie chicken begging to be baked into this wonderful casserole. I loved that you took the time to make everything from scratch and didn’t rely on shortcuts. I think my family will love this. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  16. Anna at Mediocre Chocolate says

    April 9, 2009 at 4:53 am

    Oh, that looks amazing. All the flavors of enchiladas without all that tedious rolling and mess! Yum! Bravo for skipping the canned condensed crud, too.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    April 9, 2009 at 5:10 am

    Thats a great healthy casserole Kevin…Happy Easter to you..

    Reply
  18. tamilyn says

    April 9, 2009 at 6:10 am

    It looks amazing Kevin. Something familiar, but kicked up a notch.

    Reply
  19. Jamie says

    April 9, 2009 at 8:19 am

    This looks delicious. I really love these rich, creamy casserole dishes and I have never seen one like this. Yum!

    Reply
  20. Kevin says

    April 9, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    Doh! I can’t believe that I missed the main ingredient. I have added the 2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken to the recipe.

    Reply
  21. Robin Sue says

    April 9, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    I do love a good King Ranch! Yours looks fantastic!

    Reply
  22. Carrie says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    This looks great! All of those flavors sound awesome.

    And I’m so glad that ice cream season is on its way!!

    Reply
  23. Jescel says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    yum! this looks soo good. smart move on your part to elimated the canned soup. don’t like using them either.. and speaking of ice-cream, well i got one for ya! check out my blog.

    Reply
  24. Ciao Chow Linda says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:16 pm

    Kevin – That looks scrumptious. How great that you conserve all those small bits of chicken and didn’t use a commercially prepared soup.

    Reply
  25. Jeff says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:55 pm

    Nice addition to kill the need of canned cream crap.

    I now do the throw the casserole dish on top of another pan because boil over has had me cursing and scrubbing more than once.

    Reply
  26. lisaiscooking says

    April 9, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Sounds like a delicious combination!

    Reply
  27. sugarlens says

    April 9, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    I love how you made a casserole without using Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup!

    Looks delish. Very creative. I bet it tasted good!

    Reply
  28. Anonymous says

    April 9, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    I’ve heard of this recipe. What a great comforting recipe. The photo is great!

    Reply
  29. Gloria says

    April 9, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    OH my God Kevin this look absolutely delicious and tasty, nice picture,Gloria

    Reply
  30. Pam says

    April 9, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    This is my kind of casserole – looks great Kevin.

    Reply
  31. Cheryl says

    April 9, 2009 at 4:53 pm

    I have heard of King Ranch Casserole before but had no idea what it was!

    Reply
  32. CakeJunkie says

    April 9, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Sounds yummy.
    Just thought I’d share that if you don’t want to go to the trouble of layering you can always use crushed tortilla chips and just mix it all together. (I save the random pieces in the bottom of the bags that are too small for anything else and stick them in the freezer so they don’t go stale…when I have enough I make a casserole.)
    I made something pretty similar to this last night. We top it with guacamole and sour cream and eat it using chips as our eating utensil…yummy!

    Reply
  33. Helene says

    April 9, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    This looks so comfy and yummy Kevin.

    Reply
  34. unconfidentialcook says

    April 9, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    Oh my, if this isn’t right up my alley….I just love the idea of using those tortillas in the casserole, plus all those tex-mexy spices. Yum. And, btw, those pistachio-lamb chops look beyond divine! I lovelovelove the chops and racks (and their prices) from Costco. I’m going to do the pistachios next time. Thanks, as always.

    Reply
  35. Jennifer says

    April 9, 2009 at 6:14 pm

    I love shredded chicken.

    I make a tortilla chicken soup that uses shredded chicken.

    I actually will cook the chicken in my crock pot with chicken broth and when I get home, it just falls apart! I use it for chicken tacos, or my soup, but I think my family would go ga ga over this dish!

    Thanks Kevin, you are always so creative!!

    Reply
  36. Kirby! says

    April 9, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    KING RANCH CASSEROLE!! This was the first meal I ever made by myself. My mom used to cook this, and it was always my favorite, so when I set out to make dinner for my roommates in college when I was 19, I called up my mom and got her recipe. It’s a lot like this one! I should crack it out again! It always reminds me of home 🙂

    Reply
  37. Anonymous says

    April 9, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    Super Hearty! Hey Kevin, we might try to a variation of your recipe with steak

    Reply
  38. Steph says

    April 9, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    That looks so good! I can’t wait for icecream season either!!

    Reply
  39. Ari (Baking and Books) says

    April 9, 2009 at 10:53 pm

    This looks great, and that’s saying a lot coming from a vegetarian! (I’m a meat lover at heart, what can I say.) Definitely forwarding it to my family. 🙂

    And yes, must make room for ice cream!!

    Reply
  40. Kerstin says

    April 9, 2009 at 10:57 pm

    Looks like the perfect comfort dish to take to a potluck – yum!

    Reply
  41. Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer says

    April 9, 2009 at 11:07 pm

    I cannot wait to dig into this one – I am printing and adding the missing ingredients to my shopping list – It will go great with the Cornbread recipe I just posted!!

    Reply
  42. Chef Fresco says

    April 10, 2009 at 2:04 am

    I love King Ranch casserole- probably one of my most favorite dishes ever! I’ve always wondered where that name comes from. . .

    Reply
  43. Katrina says

    April 10, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    That’s a great looking casserole!

    Reply
  44. Melynda says

    April 10, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    Yum, and not a can in sight! thanks

    Reply
  45. Carolyn Jung says

    April 10, 2009 at 5:23 pm

    I am so making this! I even have extra corn tortillas in the freezer just waiting to be used for something like this.

    Reply
  46. [email protected]: a food blog says

    April 10, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    I want this for supper now…thanks!

    Reply
  47. Anonymous says

    April 10, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    Whoaaaa, that’s a mighty big piece of casserole there!

    Reply
  48. Jan says

    April 11, 2009 at 12:03 am

    Looks and sounds fab, Kevin. What a great way to use up leftover chicken. A very happy Easter to you.

    Reply
  49. Shelly says

    April 11, 2009 at 1:45 am

    Wow this kicks the crap out of the sad King Ranch Casserole I made! Looks delicious!

    Reply
  50. Dishesdone says

    April 12, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    This looks delicious! Love comfort food!

    Reply
  51. and_she_makes_four says

    April 13, 2009 at 2:58 am

    Kevin, bravo, another beautiful dish. My husband loves chicken casserole, I must try this! Thanks for blogging this!

    Your friend,

    Jenifer
    Jaime and Jen DISH

    Reply
  52. Deborah says

    April 13, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    I’m trying to clear my freezer for the same reason! I’ve had a similar casserole before and loved it.

    Reply
  53. mikky says

    April 14, 2009 at 3:25 pm

    wow… this is a winner, kev… 🙂

    Reply
  54. Julia says

    April 15, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    I just wanted you to know that I made this last night for my hubby and son. They DEVOURED it!

    To help make it a little more diet friendly, I replaced Pam for the butter, used half the cheese and replaced it with reduced fat, replaced the milk and sour cream for non-fat versions, and cut the number of tortillas to 4 instead of 10.

    Seriously, I’ve never seen them eat something so quickly. Thanks again for posting this!! This will be one of those recipes that I’ll know by heart before I know it. 🙂

    Reply
  55. Jaime says

    April 19, 2009 at 9:30 pm

    i love that your recipe doesn’t use cream of ___ soup!

    Reply
  56. Spryte says

    April 21, 2009 at 5:36 pm

    Wow!!! Your version looks GREAT!

    I’m definitely saving to delicious!

    Reply
  57. Anonymous says

    April 22, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    It’s kind of hilarious that you posted this…my mom grew up about 9 miles from King Ranch (yes, it’s a real place in south texas) and it’s where the recipe came from. I didn’t think anyone from anywhere North of Dallas would know about this. Especially with the actual name!!

    Reply
  58. Randi Lynne says

    May 3, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    I used jasmine rice instead of the tortilla layers and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in place of jalapenos. This warm dish was perfect on a cooler, rainy day. Delicious!

    Reply
  59. Purple D says

    September 3, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    I was looking for a recipe without the cream soups and voila! I found one! I even plan to use whole wheat flour, hoping the taste will blend with the taste of corn tortillas.

    Yum! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  60. Vanessa says

    September 14, 2010 at 7:43 pm

    Wow that doesn't look anything like the soupy mess we make down here in the South.. not 30 minutes away from the King Ranch. Cannot wait to try your take on this comfort food!! Your's looks amazing!

    Reply
  61. zen chest says

    November 2, 2010 at 7:20 am

    This is really nice! I would love to try this one. This is really pretty amazing!

    Reply
  62. Gail L says

    February 9, 2014 at 12:01 am

    Love this recipe with all the fresh vegetables in it and no cream soup or flour tortillas! I have made this recipe several times and everyone has asked for the recipe! I double layer the corn tortillas & the taste of corn comes out a little better! Thx so much Kevin for coming up with this recipe!

    Reply
  63. Juliana Fendez says

    November 29, 2018 at 4:57 am

    I made this recipe exactly as directed Except I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and I used canned chicken breast. It was absolutely delicious and so easy and quick to make! Regards Juliana

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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