King Ranch Chicken Casserole

If lasagna had originated in Texas it might look more like the King Ranch Chicken Casserole. Layers of Southwestern flavors find their way into a creamy sauce full of sweet onion, red bell and poblano peppers, spiced up with cumin and chili powder. Then the richness from sour cream is folded in along with fresh tomatoes, parsley and green chilies. Wrap tender chicken into the sauce and nestle it between corn tortillas along with cheese melting throughout!

Casseroles became extremely popular in the 1950s and the 1960s and King Ranch Chicken was a frequent attendee at many dinner tables. There’s no clear history of this one dish wonder but most everyone agrees it was created in our great state. Some believe it was possibly named after the King Ranch in Texas – regardless of its origin the flavors are big and bold!

Texas cuisine spans a broad range from Southern to Southwestern flavors. This dish falls squarely on the Southwestern side of the fence. The creamy sauce starts with sweet onions, red bell and smoky poblano peppers, plus a touch of garlic. Spiced up with chili powder and ground cumin, rounded out with red, ripe tomatoes, green chilies and sour cream. Add chunks of chicken to complete this luscious sauce, perfect for this hearty meal!

here are two components in this casserole – poaching the chicken and making the sauce. You can prep the chicken up to a day or so in advance or if you’re in a time crunch, pick up a roasted chicken at the market. The sauce is simple and comes together in no time,

Saddle everything between corn tortillas covered with a both Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese and you’re all set to feed your crowd!The Southwestern flavors of this Texas classic are sure to please!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

For the poached chicken:

When poaching chicken, I often cook twice the amount needed, freezing the extra for later.

1 to 1-½ pounds bone-in chicken breasts

6 cups of water, or enough to cover the chicken

1 tablespoon champagne, white wine or rice vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the sauce:

6 tablespoons butter

1 large sweet onion, chopped, about 1-½ cups

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped, about 1 cup

1 small poblano pepper, seeded and chopped, about 1 cup

1 teaspoon chopped garlic, about 2 cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

¼ cup flour

1-¾ cups chicken stock

1 cup chopped tomatoes, about 4 to 5 small tomatoes, preferably Campari tomatoes

1 small can mild green chilies, 4-ounces

1-½ cups sour cream

1 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped

For the casserole:

18 white or yellow corn tortillas, 8” each

2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese – about 7 to 8 ounces

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese – about 7 to 8 ounces

To cook the chicken:

Place the chicken in a stockpot, adding enough water to cover the chicken. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, and kosher salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the chicken in the cooking stock for an additional 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and allow it to cool enough to handle. Shred the chicken and set aside while you make the sauce. You should have about 2 cups of shredded chicken.

To make the sauce:

In a large shallow stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, bell and poblano peppers. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chili powder, cumin, kosher salt the black pepper, stirring to blend well.

Toss in the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Pour the chicken stock into the pan, stirring until smooth. Cook for another 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken.

Turn off the heat and add the chopped tomatoes, green chilies, and sour cream. Stir in the chopped parsley.

To assemble the casserole:

Lightly spray a baking dish (8” x 12” x 3”) with a cooking spray. Spoon a small amount of the sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce.

Line the bottom of the dish with six of the corn tortillas, overlapping to fit. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the top of the tortillas.

Spread a third of both the cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese over the top.

Layer another six tortillas on top of the cheese, followed by the remaining chicken mixture and another third of the Monterrey Jack and Cheddar cheese. Top the dish with the remaining six corn tortillas and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350-degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly.

Let the dish rest for about ten minutes before cutting and serving, longer if you want cleaner cuts. (But we’re okay with messy!)

Serves 6 to 8.

Some notes:

Always grate your own cheese. It takes minutes and the difference in the melting quality is quite noticeable.

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A great set of knives make such a difference in prepping and cooking. We’re partial to Wusthof, having used them for decades. Invest in the best, take care of them and they will last for a lifetime! https://amzn.to/3TKApgp

And for cutting boards, John Boos boards are not only gorgeous but they’re so well made! https://amzn.to/4eAniGr