Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe with Rotel
This easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe with Rotel is a hearty dish that’s ideal for busy weeknights and requires only 10 minutes of prep time!!
Tex-Mex flavors with chicken come together in a creamy sauce between layers of tortillas and cheddar cheese. Try this family favorite for your next meal!
Cheesy King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe
This is what I call cozy comfort food at its best! Another teenager-approved recipe that is perfect for busy families.
This cheesy casserole has layers of corn tortillas, creamy chicken made with easy-peasy creamed soup, spicy Rotel tomatoes and cheese…bring on the cheese.
This Tex-Mex casserole is a southern favorite recipe that is so easy to love. It’s one of our favorite recipes and I hope you’ll enjoy it too!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- quick and easy to make with simple ingredients
- satisfying meal to fill a hungry appetite
- easy casserole that you’ll want on regular rotation
Love cheesy chicken casserole recipes? Try these next!
Chicken Dorito Casserole Recipe
Easy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
Easy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients & Substitutions
- butter
- onion- you can use yellow cooking onions, Vidalia onions and green onions in this recipe.
- green bell pepper – any bell pepper will taste delicious in this chicken casserole recipe. You can use red, yellow, orange or green.
- cooked chicken, shredded – a few options here would be to boil the chicken, use leftover cooked chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken
- cream of mushroom soup
- cream of chicken soup
- diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel) – if you don’t have Rotel tomatoes, you can add a can of green chiles to a small tin of tomatoes.
- corn tortillas – corn tortillas are the traditional tortillas for this recipe, or you could substitute flour tortillas.
- cheddar cheese – we like to use sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe, or you could also use mild or medium cheddar. Monterey Jack cheese also works well. Any of the best cheeses for melting could work in this cheesy casserole.
- Optional – add 1 teaspoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Can I make king ranch chicken casserole ahead of time?
Yes. This cheesy casserole can be assembled (do not bake), then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for one day.
To cook, bring the casserole to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes and proceed with cooking. It might need an additional 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time.
Make-ahead freezing instructions
Assemble the casserole (unbaked) cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. You can freeze for up to two months.
To cook, thaw casserole in refrigerator overnight, then allow the casserole to come to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Cook according to instructions.
Can I bake chicken ranch casserole from frozen?
Yes, you can bake this casserole from frozen. Assemble the casserole (unbaked) and cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Remove the plastic wrap and cover with aluminum foil, then for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes. Check to ensure that casserole is heated through and adjust time if needed.
How to make King Ranch Chicken Casserole
You can find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this page with a full list of ingredients and step by step instructions. I like to include visual photos with tips to ensure success with every recipe!
Step 1 – Preheat oven to 375°F.
Step 2 – Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray or grease it lightly with a little melted butter.
Step 3 – In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté onion and green pepper in a large skillet until tender. This will take 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Step 4 – To the cooked veggies, add the shredded chicken, both cans of soup, Rotel tomatoes. Stir to combine.
Step 5 – Arrange 1/3 of the corn tortillas in an even layer in the bottom of prepared casserole dish, followed by 1/3 of the chicken mixture and 1/3 of the shredded cheddar cheese. It’s okay if the tortillas overlap a little.
Step 6 – Repeat with two more layers, finishing with the shredded cheddar.
Step 7 – Bake in 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until heated through and bubbly.
Serve King Ranch Chicken Casserole with chopped parsley for garnish (optional). This casserole tastes delicious with a dollop of sour cream on the side.
My cheesy garlic bread also is a great side for this casserole recipe.
Related: How to Reheat Garlic Bread
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, place single serving on plate and microwave in 30-second interals until heated through.
Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe with Rotel
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
This easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe with Rotel is a hearty dish that’s ideal for busy weeknights and requires only 10 minutes of prep time!!
Tex-Mex flavors with chicken come together in a creamy sauce between layers of tortillas and chedar cheese. Try this family favorite for your next meal!
Ingredients
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, not diluted
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup not diluted
1 (10 ounce) can can diced tomatoes with green chilies (we used undrained Rotel tomatoes)
14 corn tortillas torn into 1-inch pieces
3 and 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, or grease lightly with melted butter.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion and green pepper until tender. (4 to 5 minutes). Turn off heat.
- To the skillet, add the shredded cooked chicken, both cans of soup (undiluted) and the canned tomatoes. Stir well to combine.
- Arrange 1/3 of the corn tortillas in an even layer in the bottom of prepared casserole dish, followed by 1/3 of the chicken mixture and 1/3 of the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Repeat with two more layers, finishing with the shredded cheddar.
- Bake in 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until heated through and bubbly.
Notes
Storage & Reheating: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, place single serving on plate and microwave in 30-second interals until heated through.
Make-ahead Instructions: Yes. Casserole can be assembled (do not bake), then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for one day.
To cook, bring the casserole to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes and proceed with cooking. It might need an additional 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time.
Make-ahead freezing instructions: Assemble the casserole (unbaked) cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. You can freeze for up to two months.
To cook, thaw casserole in refrigerator overnight, then allow the casserole to come to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Cook according to instructions.
Make-ahead from frozen: Assemble the casserole (unbaked) and cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Remove the plastic wrap and cover with aluminum foil, then for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes. Check to ensure that casserole is heated through and adjust time if needed.
Corn Tortillas vs. Flour Tortillas – Traditionaly, King Ranch Chicken Casserole is made with corn tortillas. I have subsituted for flour tortillas many times and both are delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner Recipes
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 517
- Sugar: 3.4 g
- Sodium: 693.4 mg
- Fat: 33.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 18.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.4 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 21.5 g
- Cholesterol: 94.2 mg
Just a little comment to say I loved the the chicken ranch casserole. It was very good and easy to make. Thanks!!!
That’s terrific!! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know you liked this chicken casserole 🙂
Why do u say corn tortilla in the ingredients but in the instructions u say torn flour tortilla dies it matter which use?
My mistake – Traditionally, this casserole is made with corn tortillas but you can also substitute flour tortillas.
In the instructions, it calls for flour tortillas layer and overlapped but in the list of ingredients it calls for corn tortillas torn into pieces! Which one is better to use?
I’ve updated the post and the recipe card. You can use either tortillas in this recipe. Thanks!
This is Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. It’s a New Mexico household/party staple. We just don’t make it with Rotel…we use chopped green chile. Same ingredients, made same way.
Can confirm that this is King Ranch casserole is very much teen approved!! Loved the corn tortillas had to go to another grocery store to get them but it was worth it! Thanks for the recipe!!
This Recipe was A Hit with my Family Loves it. I Making it Again today I’m using Corn Tortilla this time. I used Flour last time. Thanks for Sharing your Recipes.
That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂