El Rancho de la Reina Casserole
My mom was a veteran entertainer, and the Mexican décor of her home often influenced the menu. She insisted on doing things ahead and served a favorite casserole she called “sopa” at informal dinner parties. I never understood why she used the Spanish word for soup as the name of her casserole, but after browsing through several Texas community cookbooks, I discovered that a commonly used ingredient in a similar chicken tortilla casserole was condensed soup—cream of chicken, celery, or mushroom. Frankly, my inner chef’s code of conduct means I’d sooner come face to face with an ornery Texas longhorn than serve a casserole with a condensed soup base to my guests. But I remember loving my mom’s party sopa, and since she didn’t leave me her recipe, I created this meal-in-a-dish in her honor. I’ve nixed the soup shortcut, but I’m all for picking up a rotisserie chicken from the local market to ease the workload. Best of all, the casserole can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen—on party day, just slide it in the oven.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in large skillet set on medium heat. Sauté the onions, Anaheim chiles, and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos; wash and quarter them. Stir the tomatillos, Roma tomatoes, and 2 teaspoons of salt into the onion mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the tomatillos are soft, about 30 minutes. Puree the mixture in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the sour cream and pulse until the ingredients are combined. Set aside.
Step 3
Remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken, skin it, and cut or shred it into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, canned tomatoes, chili and chile powders, the remaining teaspoon of salt, and Tabasco.
Step 4
Arrange 6 tortillas evenly to cover the bottom of the prepared pan. (They will overlap on the edges.) Layer half the tomatillo sauce, half the chicken-tomato mixture, and 3 cups of the shredded cheese. Repeat another layer, but don’t add more cheese. Layer the final 6 tortillas on top of the casserole, and evenly spread the remaining 2 cups cheese on top. Bake uncovered until the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately
variation
Step 5
For an extra blast of flavor, try a white Cheddar spiked with chiles- habanero, chipotle, or any that you prefer. I’ve also combined equal amounts of chile-flavored Cheddar and pepper Jack cheese with great results.
do it early
Step 6
This casserole can be made 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated before baking. Or it can be frozen for up to 3 weeks. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before baking. The refrigerated casserole will need up to 10 minutes more baking time.
