King Ranch Chicken

Name: King Ranch Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10 serving
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium white or yellow onions; 2 poblano chile peppers; 1 red bell pepper; 1 Jalapeno pepper; 3 to 5 cloves garlic; 5 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken; 2 cups sour cream; 16 ounce jar green salsa; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 1 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro; ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil; 10 street taco size or 4 to 5-inch diameter corn tortillas; 4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

User Reviews

4.5

12 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings
10
Calories
730 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

King Ranch Chicken

Jade Rice

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King Ranch Chicken - Nothing says comfort food like an EASY casserole recipe with shredded chicken, cheese, salsa, sour cream, layered with tortillas, and seasoned to perfection! Use rotisserie chicken to save time making this a great family-friendly weeknight dinner recipe!

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Ingredients

Servings

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium white or yellow onions diced small
2 poblano chile peppers seeded and diced small (two very large green bell peppers may be substituted)
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced small
1 Jalapeno pepper seeded and finely diced*
3 to 5 cloves garlic finely minced
5 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken rotisserie highly recommended
2 cups sour cream
16 ounce jar green salsa tomatillo salsa verde
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoons salt or taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro finely chopped; divided
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil optional for frying but recommended; divided
10 street taco size or 4 to 5-inch diameter corn tortillas cut in half (20 halves)
4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese plus a little extra if desired

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole dish or similar with cooking spray; set aside.
To a large skillet, add the butter, onions, poblano, red pepper, jalapeno, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Stir nearly constantly.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir constantly.
Transfer the chile and onion mixture to a large bowl and add the chicken, sour cream, salsa, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, 3/4 cup cilantro, and stir well to combine; set aside.
Optionally but recommended, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of the oil to a large nonstick skillet, add about 4 tortilla halves, and fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until crispy. Allow fried tortillas to rest on paper towels. Repeat until you've fried all of the tortillas. If you're not frying them, skip this step and simply layer them in the baking dish as directed in the next step.
Line the bottom of the baking dish with about 6 to 8 tortilla halves. They can be touching, but not overlapping too much. The goal is to line the base of the pan.
Top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Then evenly sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Repeat this process two more times starting with layering the tortilla halves, chicken mixture, cheese. Again, tortillas, chicken, cheese. Tip - For an extra golden and extra cheesy top, I like to sprinkle a bit more cheese on the final layer.
Cover the pan tightly with foil. Tips - If you want to prep this dish as a make-ahead recipe, after covering with foil, stop here, and refrigerate for up to 24-36 hours before baking. Take the baking dish out of the fridge at least 30-45 minutes before you plan to bake it so it has time to come up to room temp if you're making it this way.
Bake covered for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is as golden browned as desired.
Allow the casserole to rest for about 5 minutes before sprinkling the final reserved 1/4 cilantro as a garnish, slicing, and serving. Optionally, you can also add shredded lettuce on top, diced tomatoes, avocado, guacamole, more salsa, or whatever garnishes you enjoy. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Notes

*Notes About Spiciness - This isn't a very spicy dish despite the fair amount of chile peppers.
However, to make it spicier:
Tip: If you want to make sure this stays a normal/average spicy level, don’t confuse a serrano chile pepper with a jalapeno pepper. Serranos are thinner and leaner looking than jalapenos which are shorter and plumper looking. The color of the flesh is very similar, a nice “grass green” shade. However, serranos are much hotter than jalapenos and unless you want this dish to read pretty spicy, don’t get confused.
Use canned green chiles (especially fire-roasted) instead of poblano peppers.
Keep the seeds and membranes of the jalapeno.
Seek out a green salsa which indicates it’s spicy

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 1 Calories 730kcal (37%) Carbohydrates 33g (11%) Protein 39g (78%) Fat 50g (77%) Saturated Fat 23g (115%) Polyunsaturated Fat 21g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 177mg (59%) Sodium 1276mg (53%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 7g (14%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 730 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	1
Calories	730kcal	37%
Carbohydrates	33g	11%
Protein	39g	78%
Fat	50g	77%
Saturated Fat	23g	115%
Polyunsaturated Fat	21g	124%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	177mg	59%
Sodium	1276mg	53%
Fiber	5g	20%
Sugar	7g	14%