This is true Mexican comfort food, what your mom made you for breakfast when she had some stale tortillas that needed to get used up.
What Are Chilaquiles?
Chilaquiles are basically corn tortilla pieces that are fried, cooked in salsa, and sprinkled with cheese. They are often served for breakfast with eggs and a side of beans or nopalitos. My mother grew up with her mother making them with green chile tomato salsa and grated longhorn cheese, a Tex Mex version.
Red or Green Sauce for Chilaquiles?
I recently brought some homemade salsa verde over to my friend Arturo’s house and he made two traditional Mexican versions for me, one with the salsa verde, and one with a red chile sauce made with dried ancho chiles. Recipes for both follow. Do you like enchiladas? Chilaquiles are basically the same ingredients, but with a lot less work. No rolling.
Simple Cooked Tomato Salsa Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Ways to Top Chilaquiles
Make your chilaquiles your own — here are some popular toppings:
Eggs, fried or scrambled Shredded chicken, pork, or beef Refried beans Nopalitos Guacamole
Finish your dish with some of these tasty garnishes:
Crumbled cheese, such as cotija or queso frescoCrema Mexicana or crème fraîche Chopped cilantroChopped red onionSliced avocado
5 More Ways to Use Salsa
If you enjoy cooking with bright, flavorful salsas, here are more dishes to try:
Chile Verde Chipotle Salsa Baked Chicken Huevos Rancheros Green Chile Enchiladas Red Chili Chicken Enchiladas
For easy homemade salsa verde and red chile sauce recipes, look at the bottom of the page.
Cotija cheese or queso fresco Crema Mexicana or creme fraiche Cilantro, chopped 1 red onion, chopped Avocado, sliced or roughly chopped
Remove tortillas to a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Sprinkle a little salt on the tortillas. Wipe pan clean of any browned bits of tortillas. Remove from heat. Serve chilaquiles with garnishes and fried eggs and beans or nopalitos. Take 4 dried ancho chiles, remove seeds, stems, and veins. Heat chiles lightly on a skillet on medium heat to draw out their flavor. Put chilies in a saucepan, pour boiling hot water over to cover. Let sit for 15 minutes. Add chiles, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 1/2 cups of chile soaking liquid to a blender. Hold down lid of blender tightly while blending, blend until completely puréed. Strain through a mesh sieve into a frying pan to make the chilaquiles. Salsa verde Put 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed, into a saucepan, cover with water by an inch. Add 1 jalapeno, stems and seeds removed. Add 2 cloves garlic. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes until tomatillos have changed color and are cooked through. Use slotted spoon to remove tomatillos, jalapeno and garlic to a blender. Add a cup of the cooking liquid. Blend until completely puréed. Add salt to taste.
