At the risk of drawing a snicker or two, and perhaps traveling a a bridge too far down the retro-road, here’s a recipe from childhood days that we found ourselves reaching for this past week when lining up dinner for some impromptu entertaining late one afternoon.
Growing up in West Texas it seems everybody’s mother or grandmother had their own version of what we’ve come to call Green Chile Chicken Pie, built on the near-eternal foundation of cooked chicken, corn tortillas, trusty green chiles and (gasp!) Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup – at least since 1934 when Campbell introduced that seemingly ubiquitous can which became the anchor ingredient of just about every casserole back in the day.
A decade ago we gave up the cream of mushroom in favor of making more elemental sauces with butter, flour, broth or milk; the culinary sophisticates among us would argue that’s the only way to go, though sometimes it’s fun (and a damned sight easier) to be a bit naughty lazy retro classical and crank open a can or two and go to it.
This recipe has evolved (in our hands) from one that was handed down from my grandmother years ago – we’ve upped the types and amounts of chiles, added more spice, a bit of tomato and played with different cheeses, though it’s still probably damned close to the recipe you already have on file (or the one that your grandmother had…).
Hang on to this one for that night coming in the next week or two when you need something that’s hot, packed with flavor and stick-to-your-ribs-cheesy-goodness, quick, easy and cheap.
3 lb. boneless chicken, poached, grilled or roasted, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, diced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced (or more)
1/2 to 2 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced (or more)
2 garlic cloves, minced (or more)
3 tbsp butter, divided
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (not diluted)
2 cans cream of celery soup (not diluted)
1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
2 to 3 4-ounce cans diced green chiles (we use more…)
1 tbsp cumin (ground)
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste1 lb. sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese, grated; we use a mix of both
24-30 corn tortillas, each torn into 4 or 5 piecesGarnish: Green onions, cut into thin slices; cilantro leaves, chopped; pickled red onion, etc.
Prep time. Cut up the poached chicken; wash and chop / dice the vegetables.
Sauce it up. Using half the butter, sauté the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic until soft. Add all the soup, the Rotel tomatoes, the green chiles and cumin and bring to a simmer. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Hold over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Grate the cheese and tear (or cut) the tortillas.
Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a 9×13 baking dish with the rest of the butter.
Layer it in. Spoon a thin layer of the soup mixture into the dish, then build layers of tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese, ending with tortillas, sauce, then cheese.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until bubbling and browned to your liking.
Serve hot, sprinkle those toppings on, and go to it. Reheats like a dream (use the oven and crisp it up again) and makes a killer river lunch right out of the cooler on a hot summer day.
Enjoy.
