I put this recipe in the slow cooker on a Sunday morning before church. I’m always happy when the crockpot is filled and I know we’ve got something to eat when we get in from church. For more after church dinner ideas, see this post.
I think I mentioned in yesterday’s post that we have a new Costco in town. The last time I was in there, I bought a 20 pound bag of baking potatoes. Yep. That’s a lot of potatoes. It was a great price though!
Needless to say, I’ve been trying to use up some of those potatoes. My boys prefer meals with some meat, versus just having baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese. So I came up with this King Ranch Chicken idea.
King Ranch Chicken is a casserole. There are a million ways to make it, but this slow cooker recipe gets the gist of it. The only thing missing is corn tortillas. The potatoes are filling in for the tortillas.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken over Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken tenders or boneless breast
- 2 cans any type cream soup
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- baked potatoes 1 for each person
Instructions
- Put all ingredients, except potatoes and cheese in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7-8 hours.
- Remove chicken and chop or shred.
- Put chicken back in crockpot.
- Stir in 1 cup cheese.
- Serve King Ranch Chicken over baked potatoes, topped with cheese.
So, there is no ranch in king ranch chicken?
Erin, nope. No ranch in there. A packet of Hidden Valley might be a good add though.
OK thanks!
Erin, there is an old myth that says that this casserole originated on the King Ranch, a huge ranch in south Texas that is larger than the state of Rhode Island. While there may or may not be truth to that story, this casserole could be the official casserole of Texas :).
Interesting story! I love hearing how recipes originated. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! This recipe is very high on my list of priorities! I’ve been eating the original King Ranch Casserole for years, and love it. It was indeed, as far as I know, named after King Ranch in Texas. It’s very very popular in Texas, so there must be truth to it. lol….anyway, I never thought about making it without the tortillas to use as a topping – awesome idea! Actually, King Ranch Casserole and Texas Sheet Cake are the first two things I made for my now hubby when he came to Texas from NJ to meet me for the first time. Special memory! We’ve been married for 6 years now!
Hi, I’d love to try this this week. Do you out the chicken in frozen? Thank you.
I do use frozen chicken in this. Start it on high if you do.
Thank you, will try it today.
I am in NZ and Summer is just starting here, so I am a little behind in the recipes, but when you say “any type of cream soup” does that mean Cream of something? i.e.. cream of mushroom, cream of chicken??? etc do you recommend one over another?
Yes, any type will work. I like cream of chicken best.
Do you cook the baked potatoes in a separate crockpot or can you cook it all together? Thanks!
A separate crockpot works best. Or bake them in the oven.
How do you cook your potatoes in the slow cooker? And do you put them in with the casserole or a separate one?
Use a separate slow cooker. Wrap them in foil and cook them on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours.