Description
A comforting and hearty King Ranch Chicken Casserole featuring tender chicken, flavorful peppers and onions, creamy cheese sauce, and crunchy tortilla chip layers baked to perfection for a delicious Tex-Mex meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
Vegetables and Dairy
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 green onions
Sauce and Base
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)
- 5 cups tortilla chip strips
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Place chicken breasts on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and pound to even thickness about 3/4 to 1 inch. Season both sides with chili powder.
- Cook Chicken: Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add seasoned chicken and cook about 5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Remove to cutting board to cool.
- Prep Vegetables and Cheese: While chicken cooks, finely dice onion and bell pepper, shred cheddar cheese. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, add butter, diced onion, and bell pepper. Sauté over medium until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add Flour: Stir in flour and cook about 1 minute until flour coats skillet bottom and turns golden.
- Make Gravy: Add chicken broth, stirring to dissolve flour and scrape browned bits. Bring to simmer until thickened, then remove from heat.
- Add Chicken and Tomatoes: Drain diced tomatoes with chiles. Dice cooked chicken and stir into gravy with tomatoes.
- Add Dairy: Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar until combined.
- Assemble Casserole: Layer a few handfuls of tortilla chip strips in 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spoon half chicken mixture over chips. Add more tortilla chips (half the first amount), then remaining chicken mixture. Top with remaining 1.5 cups shredded cheddar.
- Bake: Bake in preheated 375ºF oven for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole bubbles.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle sliced green onions on top and serve hot.
Notes
- Use thick rectangular tortilla chips for best texture, such as Mission brand or similar.
- Make sure to drain diced tomatoes to avoid excess liquid in casserole.
- Pounding chicken ensures even cooking and tender pieces.
- Leftover casserole can be refrigerated and reheated for quick meals.
- For a spicier kick, add extra chili powder or diced jalapeños.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
