King Ranch Casserole

Cook 45 min · Serves 8 · Original recipe

🧾 Ingredients

Produce

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 #poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 small #jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Proteins

• 3 cups cooked, shredded #chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)

Dairy

• 4 tbsp (2 oz) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Pantry & Dry Goods

• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (4 oz) can #green-chiles
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 12 (6-inch) #flour-tortillas
• Cooking spray

Spices & Seasonings

• 1 tbsp Mexican-style chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Cayenne, to taste

🔪 Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and lightly grease an 11x7-inch baking dish.
2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, bell peppers, poblano, and jalapeño until soft, 8-10 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and green chiles, then the garlic, flour, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir until fragrant and starting to thicken, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the stock and cream and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring now and then, 10-15 minutes. Fold in the sour cream and chicken, then season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
5. While the sauce simmers, spray the tortillas lightly with cooking spray, spread them on two sheet pans, and toast in the oven until crisp and golden, 8-10 minutes.
6. Layer 3 tortillas in the dish, then 1/3 of the chicken mixture and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat once. Finish with a third layer of tortillas and the rest of the chicken. Save the remaining tortillas and cheese.
7. Bake until bubbling, 15-20 minutes. Crush the saved tortillas, scatter them and the remaining cheese on top, and bake until the cheese melts, about 10 more minutes. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

📝 Notes

• Make ahead: assemble completely (hold back the crushed tortillas and cheese topping), cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before baking, or add 10-15 minutes to the bake.
• Freezer: the unbaked casserole freezes up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
• The source doesn't list a prep time. Cook time is the step times added up.