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King Ranch Casserole
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- SERVES
- 6
- COOK TIME
- 45 Min
This stick-to-your-ribs Tex-Mex casserole gets its name from the biggest ranch in Texas (and the world!) -- King Ranch! Our recipe for King Ranch Casserole is big on taste and sure to satisfy your gang's big appetites. With chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and more, there's no way you could pass on this Texas favorite!
What You'll Need
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 (14-1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 12 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
What to Do
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Saute bell pepper, onion, and garlic 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in soup, diced tomatoes, and chili powder. Cook just until warmed.
- Line bottom of prepared baking dish with half the tortilla strips. Sprinkle half the chicken over tortilla strips, top with half the sauce, and half the cheese. Repeat layers.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly and hot.
Notes
- Find even more great Texas dishes like this King Ranch Casserole recipe, in our collection of 8 Easy Texas Recipes.
- Hey, you can have a King Ranch Casserole for breakfast, too! Just check out our recipe for King Ranch Breakfast Bake.
- Looking for more make-ahead casseroles? Check out this collection!
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grace 9719926
Aug 03, 2022
In deep south Texas we make this with sour cream and jack cheese. Toasted corn tortillas or cheat with tortilla chips...skip the condensed soups. Rotel is a must but any brand tomato with green chiles will do. In a pinch, diced tomatoes a can of diced green chiles will work.
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lafarmgirl
Apr 17, 2016
maybe a redundant question... if using ground beef, should it be browned first?
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janetblight 4010963
Apr 17, 2016
Yes. Add it to Step 2 when you are sauteing the vegies.
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ajnadeau 1640027
Apr 16, 2016
Will someone please tell me what "Rotel" is? I live in Canada and am not sure if I have heard of it. It may be sold under a different name here./ Thanks
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janetblight 4010963
Apr 17, 2016
Rotel is a version of canned tomatoes, but it has lots of other stuff in there too, vegies and etc. It can be used as salsa, or in any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes. )
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Travellingirl
Feb 10, 2016
Many things American are the biggest and the best, but Australia can't let you claim this one! Anna Creek Station is the world's largest working cattle station. It is located in the Australian state of South Australia. Its area is roughly 6,000,000 acres (24,000km2 9,400sqmi) which is slightly larger than Israel. It is 1,977,000 acres (8,000km2 3,089sqmi) larger than its nearest rival, Alexandria Station in the country's Northern Territory and over seven times the size of the United States' biggest ranch, King Ranch in Texas, which is 825,000 acres (3,340km2 1,289sqmi). From Wikipedia
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BeckySue
Aug 19, 2016
Thanks for that info Travellingirl. What dish would you name after Anna Creek Station? Since it's a cattle ranch, something beefy? Is there a classic Australian.beef stew or beans with beef ?
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Scarlett Vale
Aug 12, 2015
I'm a native Texan and I've been making KRC for decades, but this recipe seems odd to me. I use whole chicken breasts to cover the bottom of my dish, usually 4 or 5. Crisscross 2 or 3 layers of flour tortilla strips, covering the chicken. Sprinkle with the diced onion and green pepper. Mix a can of cream of mushroom and a can of cream of chicken soup with a can of Rotel, pour over the veggies. Cover the entire dish with sharp shredded Cheddar, bake uncovered at 350 for an hour. This just seems much easier. The first time I made it for my mother I thought she would devour the entire pan herself! This is a family favorite and always a hit. Hope this helps someone else!
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vonvon79 2264658
Jul 12, 2015
DELICIOUS!!! Great recipe, made as is, only regret should of made two pans of it. Boyfriend could of ate one 9 x 13 pan himself. Thank you for whoever submitted this, a real winner. I just love recipes like this, keep them coming.
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magnoliasouth
Jul 28, 2014
What size tortillas? Can I use flour tortillas instead?
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Test Kitchen Team
Jul 29, 2014
We used 5-inch sized tortillas. You could use flour tortillas, but they do get gummier since they are all flour. Corn tortillas will stay together better. Enjoy!
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Ida9464
Jun 20, 2014
I used seasoned ground beef with onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper. I doubled the cream of chicken soup and added a little salsa with the rotel. I added extra cheese as well. This was awesome and everyone loved it! I definitely added it to my repertoire! Thanks!
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jimbobday
Oct 20, 2013
The King raises Beef. How come a chicken recipe?
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normbrode1936 8498583
Nov 05, 2013
I think that beef would do justice to this recipe, I am going to try it, looks good.
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laneberry134 0509911
Oct 19, 2013
Love this recipe! I usually have all the ingredients on hand so it is easy to put them all together to have a great meal. I have made it with both hamburger and left-over pulled pork. My family loves it no matter what meat I put it in it.
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dsimonds 0013462
Oct 19, 2013
I spice it up just a little bit more by using 1 can of hot rotel instead of just tomatoes and green chiles.We love this dish and it is really fool proof and quick to make
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Member 9025806
May 23, 2013
I love this recipe! I used two cans of drained canned chicken breast and added sliced black olives since I was pressed for time on a visit with family. It was a real hit and a breeze to put together.
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pwall 6609295
May 07, 2013
I have been making this casserole since 1971. It's a fattening HIT!! Many have asked me for the recipe. But I've always made it with either Doritos or Tostitos (any flavor) and used 2 cans of soup and 1 can of chopped green chilis. The only tomatoes I use is to add 1 cup of salsa to the mixture. I use no onions or bell pepper. Tex-Mex typically does not use bell pepper. And NO chili powder. Put soups, green chilis, garlic powder or fresh into a bowl and stir. Add salsa and continue to mix. Add the 3-4 cups of chopped cooked chicken. I use a rotisserie chick. Put a layer of chips in a 9x13 greased pan, and using your flat hand, smash the chips. Top with cheese. Add the chicken mixture and top with more chips and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. YUM!! Pass the sour cream and more salsa. Serve with Ranch Beans or Black Beans and Spanish Rice. What a meal.
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mscarole
Jan 24, 2013
STUPID ?? HOW WOULD I SERVE THIS IF I DIDN'T WANT TO USE THE TORTILLAS?
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brmason8 9997679
Jan 18, 2013
Do you soft corn tortillas are hard ones
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txkimberly 8240285
Jan 20, 2013
As a born and raised Texan, I've been making this recipe for years. My recipe varies slightly from this one, but I always use flour tortillas. I use a pizza cutter and quickly slice-up 4 large tortillas into 1/2" strips.
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soloman
Jan 18, 2013
how many frozen chicken breasts is 4 cups? I'm just trying to get an idea of how many I should cook.
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bicycleben56 6783495
Jan 18, 2013
Tht's depends on the size of yr CB's & how U chop yr CB's. Bt 5 or 6 of med size (from base of yr fingers to the base of yr thumb).
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lindiane1 1865825
Jan 18, 2013
King Ranch Chicken never had green beans, maybe this is something you family does.
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plinioflores 1333524
Jan 11, 2013
It looks good, however, I think it needs a few spriggs of chopped cilantro ahd some green beans. Then , your tortillas should have been crisp-fried to take out the water in them so they can absorb all the flavors in the mix. (There's a rule in physics that says:NO TWO BODIES CAN OCCUPY THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME". If the tortilla has water, it wont absorb the flavers, and will detract from the flavors of the rest of the dish,that's why not everybody can make good Mexican Chilaquiles). I give it a good rating, though, because it follows the advice of HIPOCRATES, the FATHER OF MEDICINE:" MAKE YOUR FOOD YOUR MEDICINE, AND YOR MEDICINE-YOUR FOOD" BYE
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leachsrl 6023371
Nov 03, 2012
Great taste. Finally a Chicken recipe my husband likes. I omitted the green chiles and used garlic powder instead of chopped garlic. Recipe worked perfectly and served well. YUM!
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tmarcenzo 0050796
Nov 02, 2012
MMMM,,,-Good-----It is very nutrishious and yummy ' November 2, 2012--LoMarcenzo
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froggymca59 8842276
Oct 28, 2012
I fixed this last night and my husband loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!
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GinaMT17
Oct 27, 2012
Can this be made using flour tortillas?
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mary hlav
Oct 26, 2012
I've been making this for years....love especially serving KRC when my in-laws come in from Kansas City....gotta serve them a little bit of Texas!
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vanscoyoc 2890
Oct 26, 2012
This is very good! My kitchen smells like a Mexican Restaurant. I baked mine in a 12x9 glass dish. I also served it with a spoonful of sour cream. I will definitely be making this a lot!!!
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atreinen 2846496
Oct 26, 2012
Made this last night. This goes in my meals notebook! Only two leftover servings. I brought one for lunch and I am sure the other will be gone by the time I get home from work.
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johnson3894 9831431
Oct 25, 2012
Will this freeze well?
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latula2003 0958930
Oct 26, 2012
They said yesterday that you can freeze before cooking ingredients. I guess you can make two; cook one and freeze the other uncooked.
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KT in ND
Oct 25, 2012
Tred this today, and we loved it. great with a dollop of sour cream on top. Quick and easy, and easier when using frozen then thawed chunks of chicken. Great for last minute and pot lucks.
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ndjuves 6404998
Oct 25, 2012
LeeJuve: I'm trying the recipe tonight, however, with more then layer you need more sauce mixture. The amount would have fine for a 9 X 9 bake pan, then all you would have to is cut back on the chicken,2 1/2 cups. I looking forward to baking, I hope it will not be too dry.
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greatcooksmallkitchen
Oct 25, 2012
Almost everyday, someone wants to know the nutritional values of a recipe. This is very important. You can go to www.nutritionaldata.com a free website that allows you to enter your recipe information and will calculate the information for you. Bottom line, most of the recipes on this site are high fat, high carb, high calorie. They taste great, but to be healthy, you need to make substitutions.
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lcooper51 1716926
Oct 25, 2012
going to try it soon,sounds good,can't wait.
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terrystewart
Oct 25, 2012
Anyone know how many calories or nutritional value this might be?
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tinysnickers 2712799
Oct 25, 2012
THIS RECIPE SOUNDS DELICIOUS! IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT CALORIES HOWEVER, THIS MIGHT BE A RECIPE YOU SHOULD NOT MAKE. OF COURSE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO USE LOW FAT CHEESE, AND SOUP TO HELP WITH THE CALORIES.
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sarahmccoy4444 1577684
Oct 25, 2012
The spices and veggies in this are very good for you if you feel like you must use low fat versions of the cheese and soup and your Golden.
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