Instant Pot King Ranch Chicken—this cheesy and creamy chicken casserole with tortillas and Rotel has its roots in Texas but that doesn’t mean us non-Texans can’t enjoy it too! Whip up my version in just a few minutes using your Instant Pot and NO cream of soups!
Get the SLOW COOKER King Ranch Chicken recipe here
Instant Pot King Ranch Chicken
From what I’ve read King Ranch Chicken is one of those casseroles that is at every potluck in Texas. I’m not sure about that but what I do know is that my version is super yummy and has no cream of soups and makes an excellent weeknight dinner. My version has Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles), corn tortillas, a few spices, chicken and lots of cheese.
The corn tortillas are added in right at the end so they don’t get mushy. Usually I’m not a fan of corn tortillas but for this recipe they are a must. If you use flour tortillas they get gummy. Plus if you’re serving someone who needs to eat gluten free the corn tortillas make that easy.
I know this isn’t the prettiest thing to look at but it sure tastes good. And the leftovers taste great too. Try out this Instant Pot King Ranch Chicken this week!
More Instant Pot Recipes…
Instant Pot Creamy Salsa Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken Sausage Jambalaya
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot King Ranch Chicken I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
Instant Pot King Ranch Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This cheesy and creamy chicken casserole with tortillas and Rotel has its roots in Texas but that doesn’t mean us non-Texans can’t enjoy it too! Whip up my version in just a few minutes using your Instant Pot and NO cream of soups!
Ingredients
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 (10 oz) can rotel (I used mild)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 11 (6 inch) soft corn tortillas, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups grated medium or sharp cheddar cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- Sour cream, for topping
Instructions
- Add broth, onions and chicken into the Instant Pot. Dump the rotel on top of the chicken. Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano and salt over the chicken.
- Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes for small chicken breasts, 15 minutes for large chicken breasts (if frozen add 3 minutes to each of the times). When the time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Place chicken on a cutting board. Shred or dice into pieces. Add the chicken back into the Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting. In a bowl stir together the half and half and the cornstarch together until smooth. Stir the mixture into the Instant Pot. It should thicken up shortly.
- Add in the tortillas and the cheese. Stir. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Scoop onto serving dishes and top with cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Great recipe! I made the following changes and we will definitely be having this for dinner again!
Decreased the cheese to 1 1/2 cups
Used fat free evaporated milk instead of half and half.
Loved it!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your changes and experience Cathy!
Can I double this recipe and do I change anything if I can double it?
Yes you can. Double the ingredients and keep the same cooking time. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
Can you use tortilla chips instead of corn tortilla?
I haven’t tried that myself but you could try it. I bet it would be tasty.
How much broth should I use for my 8 quart pot with this recipe?
I’d use a cup.
we eat low carb. How do you think this would be if we only used half the amount of corn tortillas?
It wouldn’t be quite as thick but it would still taste good!
Love it! Will make this again and again!
★★★★★
Nice Gail! So glad you liked it 🙂
Can you use flour instead of corn tortillas? My son HATES corn tortillas 🙁
I’m heard mixed things about using flour tortillas. You could try it and see. My guess is that it would be okay the first night and then the leftovers would be mushy.
I think, maybe heating the flour tortillas in a skillet on low without burning them and making them too dark will harden the flour tortillas some almost close to corn tortilla feeling like a crunchyness may not be that soggy if left its going to be leftovers or just add enough to your bowl at the time and not add anymore until the next day and mix it at the time of reheating. Just a couple of options I was just thinking about for those that don’t like corn tortillas. 😊 You know we have to figure things out for our picky kids. All 3of mine are picky and eat like birds.
Yes this is a great solution. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge Cassandra!
What about using nacho chips and adding just before you eat it?
Great idea!
How long would you cook it using frozen thighs? Thanks!
I would do 18 minutes.
If I don’t have half and half what could I substitute?
do you have milk or heavy cream? you could use half milk and half cream.
Karen, wishing and praying for your husband. Modern medicine is amazingly wonderful. These things are often more traumatic on the family than on the patient.. Please take care of yourself, and keep us informed.
Thanks so much Edward!
Could flour be used in place of cornstarch? Or us cornstarch best?
You could try it without cornstarch and see how it does. The corn tortillas thicken things up pretty well.
I don’t have an instant pot. Cani make in oven?
Sure! I would follow directions for a traditional king ranch chicken recipe. I would just google it.
Thanks for the recipe just one question- the soft corn tortillas just go in their cut without anything being done to them?
yes that’s correct.
Yum!!! Clean platers all around. I use and recommend your site religiously!! I’m not sure I’ve ever made anything I don’t enjoy 🙂 I have found that dicing chicken before cooking yields better results for me, I’m at high altitude so I have to adjust lots of cooking and baking recipes. We also served it over rice as we are a rice loving family. Thanks again for all the amazing recipes you put together!!!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Very helpful!
can you tell me what rotel is we live in windsor ontario we have never heard of it thank you Sandy
It’s a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles.
yep 🙂
I live near Midland ON and my local Foodland carries Rotel. Hope yours does too!