King Ranch Chicken Soup

Ok y’all, I think this is it.

I think this is my last soup recipe of the year.

I’ve made a TON of soup recipes this year because of how cold it’s been. It’s officially the first meteorological day of Spring (spring equinox is in 20 days) and it’s March 1st, so I think that about wraps up soup season.

The grand finale of soup season couldn’t be better, either. Ever heard of King Ranch casserole?

It’s a mid-century classic in Texas. You can find dozens of different versions of the casserole in Junior League cookbooks everywhere. It’s a simple casserole with so much flavor, grit, and heart.

Kind of like the King Ranch itself. The King Ranch was the largest in the USA and appropriately named, in my opinion.

This soup combines all the best things about the casserole into one slow-cooker soup form. It’s very filling and fit for a king…pardon my pun.

Serve the soup over crushed tortilla chips and topped with cheese and you’ve got one heck of a good soup to sip on by the fire.

Enjoy!

King Ranch Chicken Soup

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 4.5 hrs
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A simple and flavorful King Ranch casserole inspired soup served with tortilla chips and cheese.

Ingredients

• 8 TBS. butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 TBS. cumin
• 1 TBS. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• salt & pepper
• 1 lb. chicken breast
• 1 (10 oz) can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)
• Tortilla chips and shredded cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in garlic and jalapeno and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Slowly whisk in the flour and whisk for another 1-2 minutes.
2. Gradually stir in chicken broth and stir, cooking over high heat, for 7-8 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Place chicken in a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Pour Rotel on top of chicken. Pour garlic sauce mixture on top of that.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a plate and shred. Place shredded chicken back into slow cooker and stir.
5. To make a bowl of soup: place crushed tortilla chips on the bottom of a bowl. Top with soup. Top soup with shredded cheese.