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King Ranch Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

How to make it

  • Boil chicken with celery, 1 onion, carrot and bay leaf. Remeove when tender and reserve stock. Cut into bite size pieces
  • Have at ready a buttered 9 x 12 baking dish.
  • Mix soups, tomatoes, set aside
  • Soften tortillas in boiling chicken stock
  • Place six tortillas in bottom of baking dish, overlapping
  • Top with layer of chicken, then onion,, bell pepper.
  • OPTIONAL - sprinkle with chili powder, granulated garlic
  • Layer soup, tomatoes and top with cheese
  • You should have used half of the ingredients. This is a two-layer casserole.
  • Repeat layering starting with tortillas
  • Juices in casserole should be about half the depth of the dish, if not add chicken stock.
  • Bake uncovered at 375 for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly.
  • Top with addional cheese about 5 minutes before removing from oven, if desired.
  • Note: This may be made ahead and frozen..
  • Note: This is not a part of any classic recipe, but we also top with the extra cheese and Frito Corn Chips.

Reviews & Comments 11

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    " It was excellent "
    starnina ate it and said...
    I've lived in Texas for 41 years and have made this recipe many times...the flavors meld together beautifully.
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    " It was excellent "
    janabeth ate it and said...
    Hey there. Just a big Gracias for this recipe! I made it last night and it was Superb! The one alteration I made to it, and it may be worth noting for people who don't like spicy food, is that instead of using Rotel tomatoes, I just used a can of stewed tomatoes and seasoned it with the chili powder and garlic. OUT OF THIS WORLD! Thanks again!
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  • cathyp 16 years ago
    I have a King Ranch recipe, but is different than this one. I'm going to try it and the chili powder and garlic sound great.

    Thanks,
    Cathy
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    " It was excellent "
    lunasea ate it and said...
    Oh. My. Goodness. I love this classic recipe and haven't had it in ages. Thank you for reminding me of how good it is...am bookmarking to make soon. Great post. =)
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  • dixiediner 16 years ago
    Another one of my cravings :-)
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  • linebb956 16 years ago
    Just saw this Jeb... It is a staple here in the winter. Every cookbook that is local has it in it and it is good... And you right, you have to stick to the original recipe.. The only diffrence is we tear our tortills up...
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  • trackwidow 16 years ago
    I've been making this for years, your version is slightly different from mine. I couldn't find mine and just winged it, but all of the same elements are there. I do vary the ingredients depending on what is in the house, but the basics are still in place. Thanks for posting it.
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  • chefjeb 16 years ago
    This is a classic recipe, with an unknown origin. There are very few variations. If you varied this recipe, it wouldn't be the classic King Ranch Chicken. The chili powder and/or garlic is one. The other ingredients are set in stone if you want it to be authentic. The King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States and covers more than 800,000 acres in South Texas and has additonal holdings in Brazil and three states. But, again, nobody knows how this dish got its name or who created it.
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  • calel 16 years ago
    Looks great! Sounds very similar to my granny's version.
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  • chefmeow 16 years ago
    OMG. I was just looking for my King Ranch Chicken last weeend and couldn't find it. I have been eating variations of this for year and this one sounds really good with the addition of corn chips and extra cheese. You made my week. Thanks for posting.
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    " It was excellent "
    ramlynrose ate it and said...
    This is an all-time favorite recipe. I'm not a fan of the optional chil powder, but I am going to try it with the corn chip topping and extra cheese. For anyone who hasn't tried this, this is yummy. I prepare it, the night before and refrigeate it for a quick reheat after work.
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chefjeb Carthage, MS

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