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King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Melissa Hart

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

This Texas casserole is unapologetically built from tortillas, canned soup and a little chile heat. Tear the tortillas instead of stacking perfect rounds; the ragged edges catch sauce. It should scoop like a soft enchilada, not run like soup.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
  • 2 cans 10 1/2 oz each condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 12 corn tortillas torn into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon of the butter.
  2. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and bell pepper for 7 to 9 minutes, until soft but not browned.
  3. Stir in the soup, tomatoes with green chiles, broth, chili powder and cumin, and heat until the sauce just begins to bubble.
  4. Layer half the tortilla pieces, half the chicken, half the sauce and half the cheddar in the dish, then repeat the layers.
  5. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
  6. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the center is bubbling and reaches 165°F, then rest for 10 minutes before scooping.