Chilaquiles Verde

If you’re looking for the ultimate breakfast, you’ve gotta try chilaquiles. With crisped up tortillas, fresh (or store-bought!) salsa, runny eggs, and creamy cotija, it’s the ultimate brunch dish when you just can’t decide between breakfast and lunch. Rather than fried eggs (a traditional topping for chilaquiles), I skipped the extra skillet and baked them right into the dish, lending more of a breakfast casserole feel than a saucy chip concoction (plus it’s one less pan to clean…it’s a win-win all around).

What Are Chilaquiles?

A traditional Mexican dish, chilaquiles consist of lightly fried corn tortillas tossed in salsa (I used salsa verde here) or a red chile sauce, then topped with queso fresco, Mexican crema, and often fried eggs. They have a unique texture that's both soggy (in the best way) and crispy texture, and they come together with minimal effort. Trust me, make these once and I know you'll add them into your forever rotation.

How To Make Chilaquiles

INGREDIENTS

• Yellow Corn Tortillas: While traditional chilaquiles use homemade fried tortilla chips, I’ve opted to bake our own to make this recipe lighter and easier to execute. If you’re pressed for time, you’re also welcome to skip making your own and use 8 ounces of thick cut, store-bought chips.
• Canola Oil: You can also feel free to use olive oil here, or any other neutral oil.
• Salsa: We went with a store-bought mild green salsa, but feel free to mix it up here! Like things even spicier? Use a medium or spicy salsa rather than mild, or just top the finished dish with sliced chiles, such as jalapeño or serrano, or a nice dash of hot sauce.
• Chicken Broth: This helps guarantee the chips in your chilaquiles don’t completely dry out in the oven. I like to use low-sodium so I don’t accidentally over-season my dish, but you can use regular if you are mindful when you season with salt.
• Eggs: We use large eggs in the Delish kitchens, but since these just get cracked on top, you do you!
• Garnishes: The remaining ingredients are my preferred garnishes, but you can feel free to mix it up.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

To make chilaquiles, you’ll start by baking your homemade tortilla chips. If you are choosing to use store-bought, skip to step 2. To make your own, cut your 5-inch corn tortillas into eights—cut them in half, then in half again, then in half one more time to get 8 little triangles. You should be able to do a stack of these at a time, but you can also do them individually. I like to brush them with oil once they are already cut so my hands don’t get so greasy, but you can also brush them beforehand.

Toss them into even layers on two sheet pans, then toss them into your 400° preheated oven for about 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. While they’re baking, get started on your sauce.

Make sure you choose an oven-safe skillet (I like cast-iron), then heat your oil in it. Add your garlic, and let it cook until it turns lightly brown, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Add your salsa and broth, and bring the whole thing to a boil, then let it simmer for a few minutes until it’s just a little less liquidy.

Remove it from the heat while you wait for your chips to be done in the oven. Once they’re done, pull them from the oven (don’t turn your oven off yet!), sprinkle them with a little salt, and let them cool for a minute. Once they’ve cooled a bit, toss them into the pan with the salsa. Fold them in, taking care that each chip gets coated in salsa. Once they’re all covered, I like to make sure there are a few still sticking up on the edges so that when they bake, some get nice and crispy. This helps give the whole dish the delicious combination of textures it’s known for.

Next up, we’re going to crack our eggs into the dish. To make sure they stay whole, use the back of a spoon to create little wells for you to pour them into. You could just crack your eggs straight into the wells, but I like to crack them into a small bowl first to guarantee no errant shells make it into my final dish. Season them with a little salt and pepper, and you’re ready to put your dish into the oven. Bake it at 400° for about 13 minutes, or until your eggs are just barely set.

While your chilaquiles are baking, you can get your toppings ready. Thin your sour cream, chop your red onion and cilantro, crumble your cheese, etc. Once your chilaquiles are done baking, top with all your garnishes, and serve. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• This recipe is super versatile: Switch up the kind of chips you make/buy, the kind of salsa, and the toppings… you could make this again and again and never have the same dish twice.
• What’s the difference between chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and migas? It’s true, these Mexican breakfasts do have a lot in common, but the differences largely lie in how the tortillas are prepared. In chilaquiles, they are fried into crispy chips; in huevos rancheros they are also fried, but kept whole (like a tostada); and in migas they are torn into strips and then fried. Migas usually feature scrambled, versus fried eggs, as well.

Storage & Make Ahead

Chilaquiles are the kind of recipe you really should make and enjoy the same day, but there are a few options. You could definitely make your tortilla chips a day or two ahead of time—just make sure to store them in an airtight container. I haven’t tried it, but if you do have leftovers, you could try reheating them with a few fresh tortilla chips (homemade or store-bought) mixed in, so you still get that crunch! If you try this, please let me know how it goes.