Description
A comforting and flavorful King Ranch Chicken Casserole featuring tender chicken, a creamy tomato and pepper sauce, layered with crispy tortilla chips and melted cheddar cheese. Perfect for a hearty family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 green onions, sliced (for garnish)
Sauce Components
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Casserole Layers
- 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (divided into 1/2 cup, 1.5 cups portions)
- 5 cups tortilla chip strips (thick rectangular style)
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and pound to an even thickness of about 3/4 to 1 inch using a mallet or rolling pin. Season both sides with chili powder.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, swirl to coat the skillet surface, then add the chicken breasts. Cook about 5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken and let cool on a cutting board.
- Prep Vegetables and Cheese: While the chicken cooks, finely dice the onion and green bell pepper, shred the cheddar cheese, and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, add butter, diced onion, and bell pepper. Sauté over medium heat until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add Flour: Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and continue sautéing about one minute until the flour coats the skillet bottom and turns golden brown.
- Make Gravy: Pour in chicken broth, stirring to dissolve flour and scrape up browned bits. Bring to a simmer until thickened, then remove from heat.
- Combine Chicken and Tomatoes: Drain diced tomatoes with green chiles. Dice the cooked chicken and stir both into the gravy mixture.
- Add Sour Cream and Cheese: Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar until fully combined.
- Assemble Casserole: In a 9×13-inch casserole dish, layer a few handfuls of tortilla chip strips. Spoon half the chicken mixture over chips. Add more tortilla chips (about half the previous amount), then the remaining chicken mixture. Top with remaining 1.5 cups cheddar cheese.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated 375ºF oven for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole bubbles around the edges.
- Garnish and Serve: After baking, sprinkle sliced green onions on top and serve hot.
Notes
- Use thick rectangular tortilla chips, such as Mission brand, for ideal texture in the casserole.
- Make sure to drain diced tomatoes well to prevent excess liquid in the casserole.
- Pounding the chicken to even thickness ensures even cooking.
- If preferred, cooked shredded rotisserie chicken can be used to save time.
- For extra spice, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the chili powder seasoning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: thirty g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
