Free recipe Tex-Mex

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Name: King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 12 corn tortillas, 6-inch; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 yellow onion, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 3 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 cup whole milk; 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, 10 oz, with juices; 1/2 cup sour cream; 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded; 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded; 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded; 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped; kosher salt, to taste

The Texas classic made from scratch: layers of corn tortillas, shredded chicken, peppers and a creamy chile-spiked sauce under a bubbling blanket of cheddar and jack.

By Priya Hollis, Head of Shop & Product Published March 5, 2025

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Prep: 30 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 1 hr 20 min
Servings: 8
Level: Medium

King Ranch chicken is Texas comfort food at its finest, a layered bake that sits somewhere between enchiladas and lasagna. Old-school versions lean on canned soups, but a quick homemade sauce of sauteed peppers, broth, milk and sour cream tastes brighter and is barely more work.

We lightly toast the corn tortillas before layering so they soften into the sauce without dissolving into mush. Diced tomatoes with green chiles add tang and gentle heat, and a mix of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack gives you both flavor and a glorious melt.

It feeds a crowd, travels well to potlucks and tastes even better reheated. Serve with a crunchy slaw, sliced avocado and hot sauce.

Scratch-made creamy chile sauce
Feeds a crowd
Make-ahead friendly

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Warm the tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until lightly toasted and pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Tear or cut them into quarters.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and poblano with a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the broth and milk.
Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices and the sour cream and season with salt. Remove from the heat.
Stir the chicken into the sauce. Toss the cheddar and jack together in a bowl.
Arrange one third of the tortilla pieces over the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping as needed. Top with one third of the chicken mixture and one third of the cheese.
Repeat the layers twice, ending with cheese.
Bake uncovered until bubbling at the edges and the cheese is golden in spots, 35 to 40 minutes.
Let rest 10 minutes, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Test-kitchen tips

Assemble up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 10 to 15 minutes, covering with foil if the top browns too quickly.
Toasting the tortillas first is what keeps the layers distinct; untoasted tortillas can turn pasty in the sauce.
A rotisserie chicken yields about 4 cups of meat and makes this a fast weeknight bake. Use pepper jack for extra heat.