King of the Mountain Casserole–a slightly spicy, creamy chicken skillet layered with tortillas and melty bubbling cheese.
King of the Mountain Casserole
Get out of the way king ranch chicken because king of the mountain casserole has just received it’s crown on the dinner playground. This is my more homemade take on king ranch chicken (no cream soups). It’s also got a bit of a kick from the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. With tortillas, chicken, corn, green chiles and tomatoes it’s a great one skillet meal. Enjoy!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Butter–or oil
- Chicken tenderloins, chicken breasts or chicken thighs–cut into bite size pieces
- Onion–or shallot
- Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce–I freeze the leftovers in a ziplock bag and press flat. This makes it easy to break off a piece to use for a future recipe.
- Flour
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon chicken base
- Half and half–or half cream and half milk
- Chili powder
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Baja roasted corn blend–find in the frozen vegetable aisle
- Diced green chiles–I used mild
- Petite diced tomatoes
- Corn tortillas–or flour tortillas
- Sharp cheddar cheese–or mexican blend
Steps
Heat oven to 350° F.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cut the chicken into half inch cubes. Add butter into skillet and swirl around until melted. Add in the chicken and onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chipotle pepper.
Sprinkle in the flour a little at a time, whisking as you go. Cook for about 2 minutes. Then slowly whisk in the broth and half and half creating a sauce. Once sauce has thickened turn heat to low.
Stir in the chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder.
Stir in the corn blend, green chiles, tomatoes and tortillas. Turn off the heat.
Sprinkle the cheddar on top.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a side of black beans, shredded lettuce, a dollop or sour cream and some guacamole.
- This is slightly spicy because of the chipotle in adobo sauce. So if you don’t love spice then I would suggest only using half of a chipotle. Chipotle in adobo sauce are smoked, dried jalapeño peppers that have been rehydrated and canned in a rich, tangy, slightly sweet vinegar-tomato-based sauce with spices like garlic, onion, and oregano. Usually, you just need one pepper (finely diced) to liven up a whole recipe. They keep well in the freezer after opening.
- I used my 12 inch cast iron skillet*. If you don’t have an oven safe skillet you can transfer the mixture from the pan into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with corn tortillas are Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Beef Enchiladas Casserole and Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas Casserole.
- If you don’t like tortillas you can stir in 1 to 1.5 cups of cooked rice instead.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
King of the Mountain Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A slightly spicy, creamy chicken skillet layered with tortillas and melty bubbling cheese.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins, chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, diced
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup baja roasted corn blend (frozen vegetable aisle)
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 4 (5 inch) corn tortillas or 2 (9 inch) flour tortillas, cut or torn into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cut the chicken into half inch cubes. Add butter into skillet and swirl around until melted. Add in the chicken and onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chipotle pepper.
- Sprinkle in the flour a little at a time, whisking as you go. Cook for about 2 minutes. Then slowly whisk in the broth and half and half creating a sauce. Once sauce has thickened turn heat to low.
- Stir in the chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder. Stir in the corn blend, green chiles, tomatoes and tortillas. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the cheddar on top.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Stove and Oven
More chicken casseroles to try…
Relax Dude Casserole
An Instant Pot recipe with mashed potatoes, a creamy chicken and mushroom sauce topped with cheddar and bacon crumbles.
Hot Cowgirl Casserole
An easy chicken casserole with a tex-mex vibe. It’s got black beans, corn, green chiles, picante sauce, tortilla strips, monterey jack cheese and loads of flavor.
Suzie’s Casserole
An easy Instant Pot dump and go dinner with chicken, rice, Rotel, sour cream and cheese.
Boomerang Chicken
Instant Pot (or slow cooker) chicken in a creamy sauce with Rotel tomatoes that’s spooned over chili cheese Fritos and topped with cheese, cilantro and tomatoes.
*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.
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