If you’ve never heard of King Ranch Casserole before, you’re in for a big treat! This Keto King Ranch Casserole is the perfect introduction to this deliciously cheesy, flavorful casserole dish.
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You are going to love this keto casserole recipe! It’s a ketofied version of King Ranch Casserole, which is a casserole dish made from creamy chicken, cheese, salsa, and tortillas (this recipe uses a keto-friendly tortilla, of course). It’s been called “Texan lasagna,” and I guarantee you’re going to love it!
Why You’ll Love This Keto King Ranch Casserole Recipe
- With the inclusion of keto-friendly tortillas, it has a texture unlike many keto casseroles out there.
- It has a wonderful Tex-Mex flavor.
- It will be ready in under an hour.
Ingredients Needed to Make This Easy King Ranch Chicken Recipe
Ingredient quantities are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Butter
- Onion
- Almond flour
- Chicken broth
- Sour cream
- Sugar-free or low-sugar salsa – use salsa with the heat (mild, medium, hot) of your preference; look for a salsa with 1g or less sugar per serving
- Cooked chicken (about 2 cups)
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- Siete Almond Flour Tortillas – these can be purchased at many grocery stores, including Walmart
- Non-stick cooking spray
How to Make Easy King Ranch Chicken
This is just a quick overview of how to make this low carb king ranch casserole. For the recipe in detail, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post.
Saute onions in butter over medium-high heat. Then add almond flour and cook until mixture thickens. Add chicken broth.
Add sour cream and salsa, then stir to combine.
Remove from heat and add chicken, 6 oz Cheddar cheese, and tortilla pieces.
Add to a casserole dish (I use an 8×8″ dish), cover with remaining cheese, and bake.
Out comes this AMAZING result! 🤤
Can I Eat King Ranch Chicken on the Keto Diet?
You can eat king ranch chicken on the keto diet when you substitute heavy carb ingredients for low carb ingredients. Also, it has plenty of fat content to help achieve your fat macros when trying to achieve ketosis.
The Forget Sugar Friday recipe for king ranch chicken is keto-friendly.
Where Did King Ranch Chicken Come From?
I won’t lie; as a northerner, when I first heard the term “King Ranch Casserole,” I thought it was a recipe with ranch dressing. 😉
The truth is, no one really knows how the recipe, popular in Texas, came to be called King Ranch Casserole, or where it originated. An easy assumption is that it was named after the King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas, but that theory has been debunked. It has been made especially popular by The Pioneer Woman, but she didn’t have anything to do with the creation of the recipe either. We may never know!
More of Our Best Keto Casseroles
When it comes to making the best easy keto casseroles you are in the right place! Our casserole recipes are some of the best easy keto meals for the whole family.
- Make cheeseburger casserole keto-friendly by substituting high carb ingredients with our proven low carb ingredients!
- Learn how to make breakfast casserole on the keto diet by following our simple recipe.
- You can eat pizza casserole on the keto diet by using this substitute crust made of the very versatile cauliflower! This is one of our most popular easy keto cauliflower recipes.
- Our keto recipes with ham are excellent, especially this casserole.
- Make keto broccoli chicken casserole easy using this recipe!
- You can enjoy this easy low carb tuna casserole and stay in ketosis.
Nutrition Facts for Keto King Ranch Casserole
Per serving (6 servings):
- 323 calories
- 24g fat
- 19g protein
- 6g net carbs
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I hope you love this easy tex-mex keto casserole! If you liked this post, I would so appreciate you giving it a share by using the social sharing icons. THANK YOU!
Keto King Ranch Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 medium onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 4 oz sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar-free or low-sugar salsa
- 8 oz chopped, cooked chicken (about 2 cups)
- 8 oz shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- 2 Siete Almond Flour Tortillas cut into 1/4- x 1/2-inch pieces
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
- Stir almond flour into onion mixture and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until onions thicken slightly. Stir in chicken broth and combine well. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Stir sour cream and salsa into sauce to combine. Remove skillet from heat and stir in chicken, 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese, and tortilla pieces.
- Transfer mixture to 8- x 8-inch dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle top of mixture with remaining 2 oz shredded Cheddar cheese.
- Cover and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Siete Almond Flour Tortillas are found at most US grocery stores, including Walmart.
- Use a salsa with the heat (mild, medium, hot) of your preference and 1g or less sugar per serving.
- Good sugar-free salsa brands include Frontera and Clint’s
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition facts are included as a courtesy only. They are accurate to the best of our knowledge based on the ingredients and brands used, but their accuracy is not guaranteed. If applicable, sugar alcohols have already been removed from the total carb count.
Keto Dinner Ideas for the Whole Family
Try any of these low carb dinner ideas for the family. You will be shocked how quickly these meals get devoured!
- You can eat pizza on the keto diet by following our recipes.
- Learn how to make pork chops on the keto diet. This recipe is sensational!
- You can make low carb chicken Alfredo keto-friendly by following our easy step-by-step recipe.
- This very filling easy low carb cheeseburger soup is delicious!
- Like ribs? Learn how to make easy keto pork ribs with this simple recipe and keto sugar free pork rub recipe.
- You can make keto chicken stir fry for the whole family with this simple recipe!
- Lastly, enjoy any number of our amazing low carb ground beef recipes like this hamburger casserole.
On this site, you will find keto, low carb, gluten-free, and healthy recipes that don’t sacrifice flavor. 🍰 Thanks for visiting!
This looks good! Do you have a suggestion on low-sugar salsa?
Hi Debbie! I recommend anything with 1g sugar or less per serving. That is most salsas on the market, but not all. For a completely sugar-free option, I recommend Frontera and Clint’s brands.
Guess what we’re having for dinner tonight now?! I can not wait! The Siete corn tortillas are missing in action in my area. I plan to use my Joseph’s Lavash Bread that I normally make my keto friendly chips out of instead. Pre-keto, my King Ranch Casserole used an entire bag of Doritos…..and I wondered why I could never lose any weight 🤣. I’m sure I’ll be back to rate this a “5 Star Keeper” recipe. You always share such fantastic recipes. Thank you!!
Hi Tracy, Thank you so much for the kind comment! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe, and thank you in advance for committing to coming back and leaving a rating. Those ratings really help out my blog and fellow readers! The recipe may not compare 100% to the Doritos version, but hopefully it will come close! 😉
As predicted, it was soooo good! Even my non-keto Husband approved. I did add my own homemade salsa with extra roasted green chiles for a little kick. All the ingredient portions were spot on for a fast keto dinner. Thanks again!
I made this for my husband and I . We loved it and we had no leftovers. Thank you for the recipe. Easy to make.
I’m so happy to hear that, Lupe! Thank you for the comment! 🙂
I have been on a low carb diet for 7 months and have lost 40 pounds. My husband is not on this with me. But he will eat what i make. I either get, ‘loose this recipe’, or ‘better save this one’. I made this casserole today and he said, ‘are you not doing low carb any more’? He really liked this one. I thought it was delicious.
Hi Jan! First – CONGRATS on the 40lb weight loss! 🎉 That is fantastic! And second, thank you so much for sharing! I’m thrilled that you liked the recipe *and* it’s husband-approved. 😁
Your instructions call out cream cheese, but the actual recipe to print calls for sour cream. Are they interchangeable?
Hi Kathy, My apologies for missing your comment and for the error! You should use sour cream as in the recipe card; I will update the post to reflect that. Thank you!
My husband and I just tried this tonight for dinner. So delicious!!! I’ve got a 2nd batch in the oven so we can have it for lunches this week. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
Hi Bobbie, Thank you so much for the great review! I’m so happy you and your husband love it! 🙂
Keto King Ranch Casserole makes a great meal. It is super easy to put together and the flavors are fantastic! I served it to my family this past weekend and they all loved it. I like Keto friendly recipes that I can eat and also serve to my family who are not on a Keto diet.
This recipe is Amazing!! I loved it very much. I put the leftovers in single serving freezer bags for later! I will definitely make it again!!
Didn’t have chicken. So I used ground beef and beef broth! This was amazing. Will make again.
Thank you, Tammy! I’m so glad you liked it!
Hi wondering if my mission low carb tortillas would in this?
Hi Ashli! I have been meaning to try this recipe with the Mission low carb tortillas but haven’t had a chance yet. I think they will work, but they’re softer than the Siete tortilla, so I recommend crisping them up on a dry, heated skillet first.
I am from Texas and all my life ate King Ranch casserole. Instead of salsa we always used a can of Rotel. I am thinking that may be a Texas thing. so if you don’t have Rotel you can sub a can of diced tomatoes and a can or jar of hatch green chili peppers.
This recipe was incredibly amazing and we loved it. Six servings would be child sized servings. Three adults ate the whole thing and relished every bite.
So so good! I did not put the tortillas in it but added a sprinkle of dry ranch and served on string beans.
Yum
Thank you Cathy! I’m so glad you liked it.
Easy to make and very tasty. I added a can of green chilies to it. I also doubled the recipe for my 4, they are big eaters and there was nothing left! They had no clue it was low carb.
Thanks, Leah! I’m so glad you and your family liked the recipe!
I made this tonight and it was delicious!! My whole family loved it! It was easy to make & had so much flavor!! I have type 2 diabetes & I’m always looking for a low carb meals that will satisfy the whole fam. This is going on my favorites folder!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for the review! I’m thrilled to hear that you and your family loved it! 😊
We loved it!!! My husband said its a keeper.
Thanks so much, Grace (and your husband!)
This is delicious. My husband and I are both diabetic so try to do low carb when we can but the whole family loved this. I have it in my favorites. I double the recipe and have 5 people and we never have leftovers.
My whole family really enjoyed it and that is saying a lot with how picky we can be. I’m doubling the portions next time to have left overs. 😊
Thank you so much for the review, Christie! I’m thrilled to hear that your whole family enjoyed the recipe! 😊
This was excellent! Made homemade tortilla chips from Mission Carb Balanced tortillas, and added some garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to taste (didn’t measure). Served with chopped lettuce, guacamole & salsa. Made a really great low carb meal. A winner in our house!
That sounds amazing, Toni! Thank you for the review!
Would this be okay to assemble and freeze for a later day?
Hi Jennifer, my apologies for the delayed response! Because this casserole is so dairy-heavy, the texture will change (grainy) quite a bit when it’s frozen and reheated, so I don’t recommend it.
Came out very tasty but doesn’t set up like a casserole, like I assumed it would. It’s very runny. I would use it more as a dip with low carb chips next time. because it’s not solid, portions do seem small. still good tho!!
Hi Rhonda, Thank you for the feedback! I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t set up for you. I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it!
This was really delicious. I couldn’t find the almond flour tortillas so just used my low-carb Don Poncho ones. I did add 1tsp of ranch seasoning but everything else was the same. My husband and daughter loved it too! Served it with fresh avocado slices. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Ang, thank you so much for your review! I love the idea of adding ranch seasoning – I’ll definitely have to try that!
Excellent gluten free king ranch casserole!