Original King Ranch chicken casserole with Rotel tomatoes is the ultimate creamy, comfort food! It's a quick, easy recipe and has been a favorite of Texas families for over 70 years!! It's a hearty, make-ahead dinner that needs just 10 minutes of prep time!
10ouncesdiced tomatoes & green chiliesundrained, I use RoTel
2cupschicken breastcooked and diced
12corn tortillas6 inch, cut into bite-size pieces
2cupsCheddar cheeseshredded- about 8-ounces
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Grease or spray 7x 11-inch baking dish (2 quart) with cooking spray and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add diced bell pepper and onion.
Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until tender.
Stir in both soups, undrained tomatoes with chiles, and diced chicken.
Add about ½ the tortillas to the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
Top with chicken mixture.
Sprinkle with ½ the cheese.
Repeat layers ending with cheese.
Spray aluminum foil with nonstick spray and cover the casserole dish tightly.
Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 20 minutes more.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Slow Cooker
Spray the inside of a crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the veggies, soups, and chicken in a large bowl.
Starting with cut up tortillas layer the casserole ingredients as above, ending with cheese.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours - remove cover the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
Video
Notes
Expert Tip: Give the aluminum foil a good spray with nonstick cooking spray before covering the casserole. It will keep the melty cheese from sticking.
Use reduced sodium soups to lower sodium in this recipe if you need to. It will still taste great
Try frozen green bell peppers or the diced bell peppers and diced onions in the produce section of the store.
Assemble this on Sunday night and keep it in the refrigerator. You'll just need to pop it in the oven for a quick meal on the busiest weeknight. Better yet double the recipe and freeze one for another time - it's a great freezer meal.
It's even better the next day.
Manufacturers have downsized! I've had to downsize the size of the pans - if you've been making this recipe for awhile you may notice that the pan is smaller.