King Ranch Chicken has been around for years! This Slow Cooker version can be put together in just a matter of minutes and tastes delicious. A layered tortilla chips, chicken, and creamy soup mixture make this comfort food hard to beat.
We can’t begin to tell you how much we love using our slow cookers. It’s so nice to throw all the ingredients in your slow cooker and have no dinner worries for the rest of the day!
Your family will go crazy over this King Ranch Chicken recipe with chicken, cheese, and tortilla chips. It’s so delicious!
Why is it called King Ranch Chicken
No one is exactly sure why it’s called King Ranch Chicken, but this Tex-Mex recipe has been around for years!
It’s rumored that its name comes from King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in the United States, although no one has actually found a connection between the dish and the ranch.
It may be a mystery, but this chicken dish has been a favorite in Texas cookbooks and lunchrooms for a long time.
CHoosing the right slow cooker
For this recipe, you’ll need a good slow cooker. Did you know every one of us sisters uses a different slow cooker?
We’re all in different stages of life with different schedules, and because of that we need different things from our slow cookers!
Here are a few suggestions to take into consideration before selecting yours.
How big is your family? If you have a large family, we’d recommend looking at an 8 quart slow cooker so you can make sure your recipes fit all in one.
We love this 8 quart slow cooker. You can find it in a 6 quart size too!
What are your slow cooker needs? Do you need a self timer while you’re gone at the office all day? Or do the simple high and low settings work for your lifestyle?
Check out these self timer slow cookers and these manual slow cookers to see which one will work best for you.
How to Make King Ranch Chicken
Ready to have dinner done in just a matter of minutes? Here are the step by step instructions on making King Ranch Chicken in your slow cooker.
- Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread a layer of tortilla chips in the crock pot to cover the bottom. It’s ok if they are overlapping.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the chicken, diced tomatoes, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, garlic and onion.
- Stir until combined.
- Place half of the chicken mixture on top of the chips.
- Then top with half of the cheese.
- Repeat layers.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 3 hours.
Related recipe: love king ranch chicken? Try our favorite version- Ranch Chicken Casserole!
What to serve with King Ranch Chicken
Serves: 8
Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken Recipe
King Ranch Chicken has been around for years! This Slow Cooker version can be put together in just a matter of minutes and tastes delicious. A layered tortilla chips, chicken, and creamy soup mixture make this comfort food hard to beat.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces tortilla chips white or yellow
- 5 chicken breasts cooked and diced
- 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chilies 1 can, drain slightly
- 10.75 ounces cream of chicken soup 1 can
- 10.75 ounces cream of mushroom soup 1 can
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread a layer of tortilla chips in the crock pot to cover the bottom. (It's ok if they are overlapping.)
- In a medium sized bowl combine the chicken, diced tomatoes, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, garlic and onion.
- Stir until combined.
- Place half of the chicken mixture on top of the chips.
- Then top with half of the cheese.
- Repeat layers.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Serve with extra tortilla chips.
Notes
WHAT TO SERVE WITH KING RANCH CHICKEN
Nutrition
Calories: 559 kcal · Carbohydrates: 41 g · Protein: 43 g · Fat: 25 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 117 mg · Sodium: 1198 mg · Potassium: 830 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 345 IU · Vitamin C: 8 mg · Calcium: 259 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Equipment
- Non-stick Cooking Spray
- Slow Cooker
- Medium Mixing Bowl
Recipe Details
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This looks so yummy and I LOVE crock pot recipes!!
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Do you have to cook the chicken before you put it all together and then cook for 6 hours in the crock pot??
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Jen, I was astounded by this as well! Glad to know I wasn't the only one. Putting already cooked chicken in the crockpot for 4-6 hours sounded like the results would be a dish with chicken the consistency of leather in it. I'm going to try it though because overall it sounds easy and tasty.
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@Jen Yes, the recipe states "cooked & diced"
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I was wondering about the chicken too since it seems like a lot of time in the crock pot due to the fact that the chicken is already cooked. I'm sure the others just wanted to clarify as well. This sounds amazing and I can't wait to try it!!
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I have cooked this for years. I stew a whole chicken, then use half of the chicken stripped from the bone and freeze the other half for another recipe or double this. I don't like too much of the soup so I use one can cream of mushroom chicken. And, rather than tortilla chips, I use corn chips.
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I might add that you can buy slow cooker casserole's now. An hour is enough to cook this.
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Wonderful recipe! Definitely need to give this a try :) Happy Blogging! Happy Valley Chow
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Thank you for the nice recipe and have a wonderful day. I think you posted some time last year.
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I was looking at the comments about cooking the chicken. I do a cream of chicken soup (3-4cans) depends, and the boneless, skinless chicken tenders(raw) and put in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours and it turns out delicious serve with egg noodles. So if you're cooking this for 6 hours I wouldn't see why you couldn't put the chicken in raw. That's just my opinion :) . But this looks delicious can't wait to try maybe this weekend :)
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How did it go with the raw chicken? I also wondered why cook chicken then put in crockpot for 6 hours.
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Has anyone tried to make this with raw chicken?
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I have. It worked out great.
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Just made this for dinner tonight and it was yummy! I cheated by buying a bag of frozen grilled chicken strips, putting them in the fridge overnight to thaw and then just chopping them up for the recipe. I loved how easy this was.
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I wonder, could I assemble this and bake it?
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I have a recipe that is a baked King Ranch, and instead of tortilla chips, you just just tortillas! You just tear them up when you are layering!!
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The Directions include mixing in the Chicken Broth, but broth isn't listed in the ingredients - how much should be used?
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I just made this recipe- had it cooking on low and only lasted 5 hours before I decided it had to be done. Everything had turned to mush and it had no taste. Are you really supposed to cook it for 6 hours? I feel like after a couple hours at the most it looked like your picture.
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I make recipe like this in a casserole! It's sooooo yummy. I add it corn, cumin and paprika to mine. My sister ate 4 helping!
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I'm sorry. Maybe I missed something, but this was just not that good!
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I was excited to check out this recipe but I was put off by the whole "cooked chicken" thing. I just don't see the point in using a slow cooker for 6 hours if I have to start off with already cooked chicken.
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I thought the same thing! What is the point in pre-cooking the chicken if you're going to put it in the crock pot for six hours? And if you have to cook and dice the chicken first, then it's definitely not a throw-all-the-ingredients-in-your-crock-pot-and-go kind of recipe. Too much prep and you lose the whole point in using your crock pot. Looks yummy, but I don't think I'll ever get around to trying it.
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I used raw chicken. I guess it worked okay. The biggest problems were that the chips turned to mush and my (raw) chicken was way over cooked and it was so salty and just generally gross.
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I recommend adding cumin.. for tex mex flavor
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Can you make it w/out the chips?
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Some folks (people who may have to watch salt intake,) make it with yellow corn tortillas.....(torn in bite-size pieces)..... you don't get the salt you get with the chips....
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I want to try King ranch chicken in my crock pot.
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I too ended up with complete mush, with very little flavor despite my seasoning the chicken before I cooked it. I have had zero success using the crock pot and my husband is threatening to throw it out! As a FT working mom, I'm desperate for some tasty meals to come out of the damn thing!
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Not sure if you will read this reply but i have awesome awesome crock pot recipes. A great beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs, teriyaki meatballs, tomato parmesan soup.....i didn't have success with this particular recipe either, but definitely don't throw out the crock pot!
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Try a beef stew or pot roast. They come out great and McCormick makes packaged mixes especially for slow cookers/crock pots.
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Hi everyone! This is actually a very popular dish that I make very often, it is one of my favorite foods. The only shock to me is that you can make it in a slow cooker! I have always made it as a casserole. To make it in the oven you preheat it to 350 degrees and bake it for 20-25 minutes, with the chicken being previously boiled on the stove top until it is done. This always tastes way better if you use Doritos instead of regular Tortilla chips also. I will have to try to make it in the slow cooker to see if it works. I am going to use raw chicken cut into cubes though.
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Ok so did i do something wrong?? This turned out to be a goopy mess. All chips were basically gone and mush. Seemed more like a dip in the end........ kinda gross to be honest. Cooked 6 hours on low, had to half the recipe.....but that's the only change i made....
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Its the juices from cooking the raw chicken, that why we use cooked chicken, try with using left over rotisserie chicken, i think you will be surprised.
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We have this all the time! It's perfect for cooking in my motor home while we're traveling, then we have a meal ready when we stop. I use raw chicken cut in small chunks and it comes out great. I also use tortillas torn into a few strips instead of chips, and no chicken broth. Maybe the broth is what makes it "mush" as other reviewers noted.
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I like the flavors of this recipe, but the chips were just either burned to the side of the crock pot or useless mush. I would rather just skip the chips and serve yummy crunchy chips at the table. Treat is more as a nachos-style dip. Still yummy though!
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I make this in a casserole in the oven as well. I will definitely try to make in the crock pot. We prefer yellow corn tortillas torn up so you do not get mushy salty chip taste like ^ previous commenters were talking about. Also, the broth could be what is making it mushy since I don't use broth to make this recipe. It depends on if you want it more of a dip or an actual meal I guess. I have always eaten it as a casserole. Also, remember that times vary due to the size of the crockpot and each one is different. Crockpots are kind of a trial and error thing if you cannot be there to watch it and test the timing with a new recipe especially one that has a few different ways of making it.
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We made this today for a church pot luck and it was gone super quick!! Everyone loved it!!
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I made this tonight for my family and we did not like it. We put some sour cream and salsa on and I did get the kids to eat a little but the rest got thrown out. Very bland and they did not like the consistency
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I really can't wait to try this. I have only had it backed in the oven, so this will be a good change.
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This looked so yummy I just had to try it. It is in the crockpot now for dinner tonight. I did add some cumin and sprinkled some fresh cilantro between the layers. It's been on for a couple of hours and already smells amazing! Going to serve it with Mexican/Spanish style rice and a nice green salad with my homemade Honey Cilantro Lime dressing. I have sour cream, green onion, cilantro and salsa on hand to serve with it as well. Thanks so much!
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Our family loves this recipe. I'm making it with precooked hamburger tomorrow. Hope it turns out as well as the chicken.
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I am going to use this as a base and just cook it on the stove, then layer it and pop it in the oven at 350 for like 30 minutes. Sounds yummy!
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So it is King ranch chicken without ranch in it? I saw another recipe that has ranch in it. Did we forget the ranch or just in the name?
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King Ranch is the largest ranch in Texas. Has nothing to do with ranch dressing.
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This was awesome and was a huge hit!! I used Clancey's Green Chile and Qeueso tortilla chips from Aldi's, which added even more flavor!
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Does any one know the nutritional information on this? It's sounds like it would be good but also not so healthy either.
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How many does his serve? It looks great!
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I make this all the time. However, I use raw chicken and do not put chips in. When it is done cooking, I put chips in a bowl and put king ranch mixture and shredded cheese on top. I cook for abt 6hrs on low.
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It was tasty. We liked it. But this is probably the 4th different recipe of King Ranch I have made. Short of getting an Abuela to make fresh corn tortillas for it, they turn to mush and dissolve in to the casserole. I have tried dipping them in to hot oil like when you make Enchiladas, I have use corn chips, and Tostada shells. They all dissolve. Any one have and suggestions?
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I have made this recipe for years, and we all LOVE it! I'm actually in Texas, close to the actual King ranch, so I've had many, many versions of King Ranch casserole. This recipe is the one that I return to time and again for my family, and for potlucks. If you don't want your tortillas mushy, there are several options. You can use real corn tortillas and layer as you would in a baking dish, or use hearty/thick tortilla chips. Also, cut down your cooking time. I prefer to use the thick, restaurant style tortilla chips. It's just easy and quick! If you use Doritos, (such as Nacho cheese flavor), it changes the flavor of the dish (still good, but not the true flavors of King Ranch casserole). I only have to cook in my slow cooker for a about 3 hours, because the chicken is only getting heated through, not actually cooked. 2-3 hours is long enough to heat through, melt your cheese, and soften your tortillas. When I take it to work, I throw all the ingredients into the crock pot, and plug it in no later than 9 AM. It's perfect for our noon luncheon. Thank you Six Sisters for this "keeper", that has become one of my most requested recipes!
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Made this King Ranch Chicken this evening, for the first time. I used cooked chicken, opted to leave out the chicken broth, and added Doritos instead of tortilla chips. I also made plain white rice to add to the finished mix. It was amazing!! Thank you for sharing, we needed something different on the menu. 🤗
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OMG... this was AWESOME, I used bite size tostitos chips, because that is what I had on hand... and everyone loved it. This is positively a keeper and I am going to put a link for it on my FB page.
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Can't wait to try this! I'll use corn tortillas as we have a lack of teeth to deal with. But I'll add my cumin and cayenne pepper too. Gotta have the spices to keep us healthy. :). Thank you Ladies for what will be a super supper!! Happy New Year too!
