This Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole is comfort food at it’s finest. Made as an enchilada-style casserole with tortillas, it’s creamy, hearty, and always a hit wherever we serve it.
This casserole was so delicious and and so easy to prepare. You could easily make it in the morning and throw it in the oven at dinnertime for a tasty meal in minutes.
History of king ranch chicken (or Texas ranch chicken)
This recipe dates back to the early 40s and 50s. While there is no definitive story for where this came from, rumors say it began on King Ranch in Texas(hence the name), the largest ranch in the United States.
Most people assume that’s where the recipe originated, but nobody knows for sure who invented it.
Fun fact: there is actually no ranch in the recipe, but the ranch refers to “where it all began.”
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How to make Texas ranch chicken casserole:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, saute onion, green pepper and red pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Stir in chicken, soups, tomatoes and chili powder.
Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with half of the tortilla strips.
Top with half of the chicken mixture.
Top chicken mixture with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.
What to serve with Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole
We like to serve King Ranch Chicken with a big green salad like this one, a big helping of green veggies (like our Oven Roasted Parmesan Broccoli), or a big fruit salad like this one.
Substitutions or additions
- Other types of condensed soups (we know a lot of people don’t always have cream of celery on hand, so you could definitely do 2 cans of cream of chicken, or substitute another type of condensed soup. It may change the flavor slightly, but not too much!)
- chips instead of corn tortillas
- flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas
- rotisserie chicken or canned chicken when you’re in a pinch
Can it be frozen?
Yes! You can definitely make this casserole ahead of time and freeze it before baking.
To freeze, assemble the casserole and cover tightly with aluminum foil, or use a freezer-safe baking dish with a tight lid (do not bake it first).
To reheat, thaw the casserole for 24 hours in the fridge, then bake as directed.
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More Casserole Recipes to Try
- Zucchini Taco Casserole
- Mom’s Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Chicken Divan)
- Ground Beef and Bean Taco Casserole
- Easy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta Casserole
- Quick and Easy Shepherd’s Pie
- Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Chicken and Broccoli Stuffing Casserole
Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
- 10.75 ounces cream of celery soup, 1 can
- 10.75 ounces cream of chicken soup, 1 can
- 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chilies, 1 can, undrained
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 12 corn tortillas, (cut into 1-inch strips and divided)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese , divided
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, saute onion, green pepper and red pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Stir in chicken, soups, tomatoes and chili powder.
- Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with half of the tortilla strips.
- Top with half of the chicken mixture and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.
Notes
- Other types of condensed soups (we know a lot of people don’t always have cream of celery on hand, so you could definitely do 2 cans of cream of chicken, or substitute another type of condensed soup. It may change the flavor slightly, but not too much!)
Nutrition
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That looks amazing, such a fun recipe!
Looking forward to trying this! Thanks so much for sharing!
Looks yummy!
I’m a Texas girl love love love the rename, but in Texas it’s called King Ranch Chicken.
I posted previously and my phone is not cooperating but I give it 5 stars
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Looks great!
I was wondering how this would be with canned chicken?? Wanting to make this for supper.
Hi Kelly, canned chicken will work fine in this recipe. You will need the same amount of canned chicken as you would if you used cooked cubed chicken breast.
Hi! I was wondering how you cooked the chicken before putting it into the casserole? I wasn’t sure if I should broil it or bake it. Thanks!
Made this last night (used canned chicken! Worked GREAT!!). This was A-FREAKIN-MAZING!!!!!!!!!! My WHOLE family LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yay! That’s what we like to hear!!
Hi Anna, we go even easier than that, we just boil a bunch of chicken breasts. Let them cool and then cut them into small pieces.
“Ranch” doesn’t refer to the salad dressing, but an actual ranch in Texas. Like someone mentioned earlier, here in Texas, we call this recipe King Ranch Chicken (based on one of Texas’ largest ranches near Kingsville, Texas). 🙂
Can I prep this the night before and pop it in the oven the next day?
Yes, you can prepare this the night before and pop it in the oven the next day!!
can you use with flour tortillas?
Flour tortillas work great in this recipe!!
I made this tonight and it turned out great! I cooked the chicken on my griddle, and took it one step further on the recipe and made homemade corn tortillas then fried the strips so they didn’t get mushy. My kids are asking for seconds!!! YUMM! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this tonight for my boyfriend, mom and sister and they all raved about it!! I didn’t have any chili powder so I used fajita seasoning instead. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi I was just wondering where the ranch comes in?
No ranch in this recipe! That is just the name referring to a Texas Ranch!
So do you cook the chicken done with the veggies or after the veggies are good just mix in the chicken to cook in the oven. Sorry I wasn’t following.
In the ingredients it say 3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast, so it’s already cooked when you start this recipe.
Though it was ironic that I saw this on Reel Eats today! So, I just HAD to cook it! We liked it and I will cook it again!
This looks really good, can’t wait to try this one out.
I love this recipe but use Doritos instead…and except for forgetting the can of rotelle :/ it was AMAZING!!
Can this be a frozen meal?
Hi Wendy, just looking over the ingredients and this should freeze just fine.
Wanted to try this recipe tomorrow…I only have cream of chicken soup. Can I just substitute the cream of celery for more of the cream of chicken soup? Will it taste much different?
You are so fine to use cream of chicken soup. It won’t change the taste that much and being a chicken dish, cream of chicken soup will go great!
It was ok…I wont make it again. I made it and I had a lot of leftovers and it got soggy
Can I use 2 cream of chicken soup ? I don’t have any cream of celery right now?
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup will work just fine!
Made this according to recipe but added 3/4 cup wild rice and 1 cup water. Made in my new rectangular 9 x13 crock pot. Put whole pieces of raw chicken on top, then spooned some of mixture over top of chicken. Cooked on high for 5 hours. Came out great. My husband said it reminded him of spanish rice.
I made this for dinner tonight. It was so good! I used rotisserie chicken and added a can of corn to the recipe. Delicious! I will definitely make this again!
This was easy and good. It reminded me of chicken enchiladas.
I make this but with Doritos instead of tortillas and if you like spicy use the spicy doritos yummy!
It is currently 2:58 AM in Utah and we just got done making these! They are delicious!
Not my favorite. I tasted the mixture before layering it, and it was super bland. It was in desperate need of seasoning. I doctored it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. I also topped it off with some sliced olives. Was ok, but I don’t think I’ll be making it again.
So far for recipes, you ladies are 2 for 2! This is the second recipe of yours I have tried, and it was a hit. I baked off bunches of chicken and vegetables on Monday, and had TONS of leftover cooked chicken (3 breasts, 2 legs, and 4 thighs). We were tired of the leftovers, so I went on a search to change it up. I came across your recipe, had everything at home, and figured why not!
I used: 3 cups mixed chicken meat (white and dark from leftovers), HOT Rotel chiles and tomatoes, and flour tortillas. For the soups, I only had lowfat cream of chicken and lowfat cream of mushroom…so I made it work! Lastly, when sweet peppers are on sale, I buy them in bulk then spend a day dicing peppers. I freeze one diced pepper in a bag, so on busy nights I have cut up veggies ready to go (I do the same for onions too). So I used all green peppers, since that’s what I had.
Put is all together, and baked until bubbly. My husband had to helpings, and took some for his lunch today. This is a keeper, and is going in the file for leftover chicken night!
Has anyone made this using ground beef instead of chicken? Any good?
haven’t seem this before, have been looking for something like this, thank you for this recipe
Good but think could use half of the chili powder.
Could the cream of celery soup be substituted for can cheese and use that with the cream of chicken soup?
Yes it is—-King Ranch Chicken Casserole!
This recipe is great! Very easy. I used a yellow bell pepper instead of green and I did not put any Chili Powder in. The flavor was great.
Great easy recipe. Had no clue what to make for dinner, but had all the ingredients for this. Super yummy!
Tasty. Made it according to the recipe and loved the results.
This recipe is great! I have made it many times! I love adding brown rice into the filling, which I think gives it a better consistency!
We are so glad you like this casserole. Adding brown rice sounds delicious!
I made this last night before going to bed. Followed the recipe except had to use two cans of Cream of Chicken ast hat was what I had. Also bought two 8 oz bags of the Soules Kitchen, fully cooked Rotisserie chicken and dumped then out and then cut it all into smaller chunks that what it came as. Other than that followed the recipe exactly. Cooked it last night and warmed it up tonight for dinner. My husband and myself both really liked it. I will make it again. We did cut up and used the flour tortillas. Delicious.