My Favorite King Ranch Chicken

"I adopted this recipe from Recipezaar in September 2006. It was originally submitted by Moxie, but she is no longer a member of Recipezaar. I've been making Moxie's recipe for several years now and I'm proud to give it a home. The only change I make is that I use two cans of cream of chicken soup and omit the can of cream of mushroom soup, because my kids dislike mushrooms. This casserole is a church potluck staple here in Texas and there are as many versions of this dish as there are armadillos in Texas. However, this is the best King Ranch Chicken recipe that I've found! This casserole also freezes well."
 
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photo by SharonChen photo by SharonChen
photo by SharonChen
photo by Laudee photo by Laudee
photo by SharonChen photo by SharonChen
photo by SharonChen photo by SharonChen
photo by SharonChen photo by SharonChen
Ready In:
1hr 25mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
6-8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Steam or boil the chicken breasts until cooked through (I use my steamer and find it makes the chicken perfectly moist and tender).
  • When cool, dice into bite-size pieces.
  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix the soups, onion, Ro-tel tomatoes and Cheez Whiz until blended.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
  • Layer the bottom of a greased 9x12 casserole dish with crushed chips.
  • Next, layer half the chicken pieces.
  • Top with half the sauce.
  • Sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese.
  • Repeat the layers, but top with the Cheddar and Mozzarella.
  • Sprinkle paprika over the top to garnish.
  • Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

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Reviews

  1. Hi, I made this tonight for dinner... What great comfort food!!! Yum! I cut the recipe in half and still have enough for lunch tomorrow. I used crushed tostidos on the bottom of the pan. I love that it is easy, yet good. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I have been looking for a good recipe for this!
     
  2. why would you use processed canned food when your cooking as a ingredient....im sorry but this is student cooking
     
  3. Your favorite has now become one of ours! We love mexican food and this recipe was so easy and delicious! This is one of those dishes that you can put together in no time yet the results are wonderful. Great comfort food served with a side of spanish rice. Yum. Thanks DE.....ah Moxie (sigh)
     
  4. I love this dish! My aunt's mother-in-law has been making it for years and it is always a favorite with everyone who tries it! Thanks for reminding me of it! :-)
     
  5. Holy cow, this recipe was so good I had to make it two nights in a row, and the second night, I was home alone. It is soooo good!!! I halved the recipe, but silly me did not half the tomatoes and chilies. It put a little more zing in it, but I like moderately spicy food. The second night I ran out of cheesy doritoes so I just used plain, it's still good, but if at all possible put the cheesy doritoes in, it really adds to the flavor. I am definately putting this on our keeper list!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe Moxie!!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Holy Crap! This is unexpectedly amazing!!! I successfully halved the recipe and instead of using Cheez Whiz, I stirred in Monterey Jack Cheese. The result was so freaking good! It's creamy, cheesy and smokey!! Definitely a keeper!
     
  2. Very good..Here is what I did different: I used 4 boneless skinless chicken breast instead of 6-8. For any mexican dish, I shred the chicken instead of cutting into chunks. I used baked doritos instead of fried, and 2 healthy request cream of chicken soup cans. You only need to add a very small amt. of shredded cheese as it already has a very cheesy taste. I cut up cherry tomatoes to go around the dish w/small drops of ranch dressing next to them. Thanks for the great recipee!
     
  3. We've made a recipe similar to this for years in our home. It's to die for! One difference though, we just use 2lbs of velveeta cheese instead of the cheez whiz and other cheeses. I might try your version to see how they compare. Velveeta makes a nice creamy sauce. We call our version 'Chicken Ro-tel', because of the canned Ro-tel (tomatoes and green chilies) in it. yummy yummy!
     
  4. I was a bit skeptical, Moxie. Cheez Whiz and Doritos? But I just finished eating and I was pretty impressed! The only changes I made were to replace the mushroom soup *shudder* with celery soup and I used a precooked roasted chicken from the grocery store. My reasoning behind the 4 stars and not 5? Believe it or not, it was a bit too cheesy for my tastes. Next time I think I will cut it back a bit. As the food cooled off, it just got too stringy for me. Other than that, I really enjoyed my dinner and I must remember to thank mom42 for suggesting this recipe!
     
  5. This chicken was so amazing! I loved the flavor. I must admit I was a little skeptical of the combination of flavors, so I sampled the cheese sauce as it was cooking on the stove. It was delicious! Then, just to be sure, I had to sample it again. Then again. And well...one more time. You get the idea. It was so good! I also have to say that it is even better the next day. My 5 y.o. decided to make a sandwich with it and it was actually pretty good. I have never thought to steam my chicken before and it worked really well. Thank you for that suggestion! I also replaced the cream soups with reduced fat versions, and you honestly could not tell. I must admit I didn't really like the chips that much - they got kinda soggy. I was hoping it would add a nice crunch to the chicken. Maybe next time I will sprinkle some chips on top. I cannot wait to make this again. Thank you!!!!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p><br /><br />The picture is of me and my husband at the Grand Canyon - November 2008. <br /><br />I've just started a food blog and would love for those interested in cooking and recipes to check it out. You can follow my food journey at <a href=http://onecookbookatathyme.wordpress.com/>http://onecookbookatathyme.wordpress.com/</a></p> <p>Cooking for family and friends is one of my favorite things to do. I spend most of my free time in the kitchen, either checking out Recipezaar or experimenting with a newly found recipe. <br /><br />My DH and I are both from Texas and we both come from Italian families. Anyone who stops by my house should be prepared to eat!!! I'm always forcing friends and family to try whatever it is that just came out of the oven. I know that is a horrible habit but I can't break it... I think it must be the Italian in me! LOL :) <br /><br />My sister (<a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/browse/getchef.zsp?id=85654>Cookin_Kit</a>) and I used to help my Mom (<a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/browse/getchef.zsp?id=124343>JudaThann</a>) in the kitchen a lot growing up. I guess that is where my love for cooking began. I also enjoy sharing the kitchen with my DH (<a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/browse/getchef.zsp?id=202688>Sgt. Pepper</a>). He doesn't cook as often as he did when we first got married, but he makes an awesome pizza and still makes them at least twice a month. He keeps his recipes for the dough and the sauce top secret, even from me. LOL <br /><br />I have two step-children. The oldest graduated from college and the youngest is a sophomore at Texas Tech. I also have two cats and a dog. When I?m not cooking or hanging out here at Zaar, I like to knit, garden, read, watch old movies, travel, take photos, scrapbook, volunteer at a non-kill animal shelter, and spend time with my family and friends. <br /><br /><img src=http://images.snapfish.com/34359%3C8323232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E232%3A%3D8%3A3%3D429%3DXROQDF%3E23237%3C2733%3B9%3Bot1lsi alt= /> <br /><br />I'm a co-host with <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/browse/getchef.zsp?id=21399>Karen From Colorado</a> in the <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum?f=37>Mexican/Tex-Mex/Southern United States Cooking Forum</a>. 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