King Ranch Hen | Cookies and Cups

This creamy, tacky King Ranch rooster casserole is brimming with juicy shredded rooster layered with corn tortillas, peppers, and melted cheese. It’s the proper consolation meals for weeknights and potlucks!

Love Tex-Mex-inspired rooster casseroles? Attempt my fiesta rooster casserole, too!

Why You’ll Love This King Ranch Hen Recipe

At this time, we’re making the unofficial, official state casserole of Texas: King Ranch rooster. Each creamy, tacky chunk is bursting with zesty Tex-Mex flavors! This recipe has shredded rooster, corn tortillas, veggies, and cheese, all layered in a 9×13” casserole dish and baked till gooey and bubbly. Right here’s why you’ll find it irresistible:

• Hearty. Craving consolation meals? King Ranch rooster is a Southern favourite. It’s good for busy weeknights, household dinners, and potlucks, with tacky layers packed filled with juicy seasoned rooster.
• Adaptable. My King Ranch rooster recipe is gentle, but it surely’s simple to adapt the substances to present this Tex-Mex casserole extra kick. Take the warmth up a notch with spicy chilies and further seasoning.
• Make-ahead pleasant. This simple rooster casserole may be assembled and/or baked prematurely and stored within the fridge or freezer. Cook dinner as soon as, eat it twice!

What Is a King Ranch Hen Casserole?

King Ranch rooster is a savory Tex-Mex casserole made with seasoned pulled rooster layered with veggies, cheese, and corn tortillas, a bit like Mexican chilaquiles. Like different retro casserole recipes from the Nineteen Fifties, it’s made with canned soup.

It’s a little bit of a thriller as to the place the identify “King Ranch Hen” comes from. Some say it’s named after the most important ranch within the US, King Ranch, in Texas. There are such a lot of variations on the market. And, I may be biased, however I feel this one’s the very best!

Substances You’ll Want

Right here’s what you’ll must make this flavor-packed King Ranch rooster. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable listing of substances.

• Olive Oil and Butter – For sauteeing. I like to recommend a great high quality olive oil and unsalted butter, this manner you’ll be able to higher management the general flavors.
• Onion and Bell Pepper – Yellow onion works nice right here, as does any coloration of pepper. I go for chopped pink bell peppers for the sweetness, however yellow, inexperienced, or orange peppers all add scrumptious crunch.
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic makes all the pieces higher.
• Cream of Hen Soup – Wouldn’t it be a retro casserole with no can (or two) of condensed soup? You should utilize cream of rooster or cream of mushroom soup out of your favourite canned model. 
• Hen Inventory – Low-sodium rooster inventory or broth is finest. Even higher, use do-it-yourself rooster inventory in case you have a batch readily available. You can too use vegetable inventory.
• Shredded Hen – I like to make use of rotisserie rooster, however any cooked, shredded rooster does the trick, whether or not it’s cooked at residence or store-bought. See under.
• Seasonings – This recipe makes use of a Tex-Mex mix of chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. You possibly can substitute the person spices with taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.
• Corn Tortillas – You’ll want about 12 corn tortillas for this casserole. Corn tortillas are sturdier than flour tortillas and received’t flip soggy as shortly.
• Cheese – Grated cheddar, or a Mexican cheese mix. Different good choices are Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Asiago cheese. For the meltiest outcomes, grate the cheese from the block (fairly than shopping for pre-shredded cheese).

What Form of Hen Ought to I Use?

King Ranch rooster historically requires shredded roasted rooster, however on the subject of the rooster you employ for this casserole recipe, there are a couple of choices:

• Rotisserie Hen – My fave! Choose up a rotisserie rooster out of your native deli or grocery store. This feature is nice should you’re brief on time. All it’s important to do is carve it and shred it.
• DIY Hen – Boiled rooster is a fast and straightforward strategy to prepare dinner rooster for shredding. Alternatively, you’ll be able to prepare dinner rooster breasts, rooster thighs, or an entire rooster within the oven or on the grill to make use of on this recipe.
• Leftover Hen – I like utilizing leftovers in rooster casseroles. You probably have leftover baked rooster or grilled rooster, go forward and shred it on your King Ranch casserole. 

Easy methods to Make King Ranch Hen 

Let’s get began! This simple casserole comes collectively in a couple of fast steps. Scroll right down to the recipe card for printable directions.

• Cook dinner the veggies. First, you’ll wish to saute the onion and bell pepper in a big skillet with olive oil and slightly butter. Afterward, stir within the garlic.
• Mix. Subsequent, stir in two cans of cream of rooster soup, about half of the inventory, after which the seasonings.

• Add the rooster. Dump in your shredded rooster. Stir to coat, and let that come to a simmer.

• Assemble the casserole. Take the pan off the warmth. To a greased 9×13” casserole dish, add the remainder of the rooster inventory. Tear the tortillas in half and prepare these over high, adopted by ⅓ of the rooster combination. Repeat, layering the tortillas between the rooster filling till all the pieces’s used up.

• End and bake. Lastly, sprinkle on the cheese, cowl the casserole tightly with foil, and bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes. Let the casserole relaxation for 10 minutes earlier than slicing.

Ideas and Variation Concepts

Listed here are some last tricks to benefit from your King Ranch rooster, plus some simple variation concepts.

• Completely different veggies. Make this casserole with broccoli, candy corn, or spicy jalapeños. Black beans, pinto beans, or chipotle in adobo would additionally style superb!
• Add a can of Rotel. To make extra of a basic King Ranch rooster casserole, toss in a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies. You should utilize sizzling or gentle.
• Assemble in two casserole dishes. As a substitute of utilizing a 9×13” casserole dish, make this casserole in two 8×8” (or 9×9”) baking dishes. Bake one now, and freeze the second for later! See under for straightforward make-ahead directions.

What To Serve With King Ranch Hen Casserole

I like to complete my King Ranch rooster with a dollop of bitter cream and a garnish of contemporary cilantro. Sliced inexperienced onions are additionally tasty. With its tacky rooster and a great deal of veggies, this casserole doesn’t want a lot else! It’s scrumptious served by itself or with a facet of cornbread, do-it-yourself garlic knots, or a easy inexperienced salad.

Can I Make This Casserole Forward?

Completely. Unbaked King Ranch rooster is nice to freeze and reheat for last-minute dinners down the street. Put together the casserole as directed, after which cowl it with plastic wrap adopted by a layer of foil. Once you’re prepared, take away the plastic wrap and bake the casserole beneath foil for 1 hour at 350ºF (if baking from frozen).

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Retailer any leftover King Ranch rooster in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
• Reheat. Heat the casserole within the oven beneath foil till it’s sizzling all through. You can too reheat particular person servings within the microwave.
• Freeze. You can too freeze leftover cooked King Ranch rooster for as much as 1 month. I like to recommend portioning the leftovers into servings to make them fast and straightforward to reheat. Freeze the casserole in freezer-safe hermetic containers or double-wrapped in plastic wrap, and defrost within the fridge earlier than reheating.

Extra Hen Dinner Concepts

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