King Ranch Chicken (Texas Layered Enchilada Casserole)
Layers of oven-crisped corn tortillas and a creamy sauce of chicken, onions, jalapeños, cumin and canned tomatoes with green chiles, bound with Colby Jack and topped with crushed corn chips.
This is the enchilada turned into a casserole. Wikipedia describes King Ranch chicken as a Tex-Mex casserole of chicken, canned soup, canned tomatoes with chiles, cheese and tortillas, thought to date from after World War II, when canned-food casseroles took off, and popular with women's clubs in South and West Texas in the 1950s. It resembles Mexican chilaquiles, and Wikipedia says Ro-Tel tomatoes are commonly used.
The name points to the King Ranch in South Texas, but Wikipedia says the dish has no known direct connection to it. NPR's 2014 story "A Taste Of South Texas In A 9x13 Dish" quotes the Casserole Queens, Sandy Pollock and Crystal Cook: Pollock says nobody really knows where it came from, and Cook tells of the ranch owner's wife being upset to be served it, because the ranch had nothing to do with it. America's Test Kitchen's version, used here, drops the canned soups for a scratch sauce.
Why it works the kitchen science
Crisped tortillas
Baking the tortillas until slightly crisp keeps them from dissolving into the sauce, so the casserole stays layered instead of turning to mush.
A scratch sauce from the canned tomatoes
Reducing the Ro-Tel concentrates its flavor, and flour, cream and broth give the creamy body that canned soup used to supply.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 450°F with racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Spray both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil, spread them on two baking sheets and bake about 12 minutes, until slightly crisp and browned. Cool and break into bite-size pieces. Move one rack to the middle.
- Step 2
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, jalapeños and cumin about 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and cook about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Step 3
Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Add the cream and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened.
- Step 4
Stir in the chicken and cook about 4 minutes, until no pink remains and a thick piece reads 165°F. Off the heat, stir in the cilantro and cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Set a 13 by 9-inch baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the dish, spoon half the filling over them, then repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Step 6
Bake on the middle rack about 15 minutes, until bubbling and the center reads 165°F. Sprinkle the Fritos over the top and bake about 10 minutes more, until lightly browned.
- Step 7
Cool 10 minutes before serving.
King Ranch Chicken (Texas Layered Enchilada Casserole)
Serves 8 · one 13 by 9-inch casserole · 1 hr 30 min total
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions, chopped fine
- 2 jalapeños, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 (10-oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel)
- 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
- 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 lb Colby Jack cheese, shredded (4 cups)
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 1/4 cups Fritos corn chips, crushed
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F with racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Spray both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil, spread them on two baking sheets and bake about 12 minutes, until slightly crisp and browned. Cool and break into bite-size pieces. Move one rack to the middle.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, jalapeños and cumin about 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and cook about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Add the cream and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened.
- Stir in the chicken and cook about 4 minutes, until no pink remains and a thick piece reads 165°F. Off the heat, stir in the cilantro and cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Set a 13 by 9-inch baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the dish, spoon half the filling over them, then repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Bake on the middle rack about 15 minutes, until bubbling and the center reads 165°F. Sprinkle the Fritos over the top and bake about 10 minutes more, until lightly browned.
- Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "King Ranch Casserole" (published November 7, 2011), serves 6 to 8. We follow its amounts and method: 12 tortillas sprayed and baked at 450°F about 12 minutes; onions, jalapeños and cumin browned in butter about 8 minutes; 2 cans Ro-Tel reduced about 10 minutes; 5 tbsp flour, 1 cup cream and 3 cups broth; 1 1/2 lb sliced chicken breast cooked in the sauce about 4 minutes; 1 lb Colby Jack; two layers; 15 minutes at 450°F, then 2 1/4 cups crushed Fritos for 10 minutes more and a 10-minute rest. The 165°F checks are ours. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- ATK's make-ahead: assemble through the layering, refrigerate up to 1 day, then bake covered with foil about 30 minutes until bubbling before adding the Fritos.
- For the old-school version, many family recipes use condensed cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups in place of the cream, broth and flour (Wikipedia; NPR's recipe).
- Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet; it bubbles over.
- Leftovers reheat well covered at 350°F to 165°F; add fresh corn chips after reheating.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- It was invented at the King Ranch. Folklore: Wikipedia says the dish has no known direct connection to the ranch, and NPR quotes the Casserole Queens' story that the ranch disowned it.
- It needs canned soup. Disputed: Wikipedia and NPR's classic recipe use cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups; America's Test Kitchen builds the sauce from scratch.
- It dates from the 1950s. Disputed: Wikipedia says it is thought to date from after World War II and was popular in the 1950s; its origin is unknown.
- It is Texas chilaquiles. Documented as Wikipedia's comparison: it resembles chilaquiles.
Every other enchilada
Enchiladas Rojas (Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas)
Corn tortillas rolled around shredded chicken and baked in a smooth red sauce of toasted guajillo chiles and tomatoes, finished with melted Chihuahua cheese, raw onion rings and cilantro.
Enchiladas Verdes (Green Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas)
Corn tortillas passed through hot oil, rolled around shredded chicken and baked under a tart green sauce of simmered tomatillos, serranos and cilantro, then finished with crema, queso fresco and raw onion.
Enchiladas Suizas (Creamy Green Chicken Enchiladas)
Chicken enchiladas baked in a broiled tomatillo and serrano sauce enriched with cream, under a blanket of melted cheese, Mexico City's famous "Swiss" enchiladas.
Enchiladas Potosinas (Red Chile Masa Enchiladas from San Luis Potosí)
Small tortillas made from masa dyed red with ancho chile, folded around a cheesy tomatillo and chile filling, rested overnight, then fried crisp and served with crema, onion and guacamole.
Enchiladas Mineras (Guanajuato Miners' Enchiladas)
Tortillas dipped in guajillo chile sauce and fried, rolled around fresh cheese and onion, then buried under fried potatoes and carrots, lettuce and pickled jalapeños, with chicken and a tomato salsa on the side.
Enfrijoladas (Tortillas in Black Bean Sauce with Chorizo)
Warm corn tortillas dipped in a smooth black bean sauce, folded into quarters and topped with crumbled chorizo, salsa verde, fresh cheese, parsley and onion: Mexico's fast, comforting bean enchilada.
Enmoladas with Mole Coloradito (Mole Chicken Enchiladas)
Corn tortillas dipped in a brick-red Oaxacan mole of ancho chiles, roasted tomatoes, sesame, almonds, raisins, spices and Mexican chocolate, rolled around shredded chicken and sauced at the table.
Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Gravy
Corn tortillas rolled around Monterey Jack, cheddar and raw onion, baked under a smooth brown chili gravy of toasted ancho, cumin, garlic and oregano thickened with a roux: the classic Texas enchilada.
New Mexico Stacked Red Chile Enchiladas with a Fried Egg
Blue corn tortillas fried soft and stacked flat with longhorn cheese, minced onion and a deep red New Mexico chile sauce, melted in the oven and crowned with a fried egg.
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile
Chicken enchiladas rolled with green chile sauce, smothered in Monterey Jack and more green chile, baked, then blanketed with a pint of sour cream and baked again until bubbling.
30-Minute Skillet Beef Enchiladas
Fried corn tortilla strips simmered in one skillet with ground beef, onion and red enchilada sauce, then topped with Colby Jack, black olives and scallions and served with sour cream, on the table in 30 minutes.
Tex-Mex Restaurant-Style Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Con Carne Gravy
Restaurant style, not any one restaurant's recipe: fried corn tortillas dipped in a beefy red chile gravy of ancho, guajillo and arbol chiles, rolled around cheddar and onion and baked under more gravy and cheese, the way Texas combination plates serve them.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.