Chilaquiles is a Mexican dish of fried tortillas, simmered in a red or green sauce and topped with avocados, crema, queso fresco, or fried eggs. Not to be confused with the Tex-Mex dish migas, chilaquilies have many regional variations. Some like the tortillas crispy, others soft. Chilaquiles can be served with refried beans, eggs (scrambled or fried), beef or chicken. Chilaquiles can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner as a way of utilizing leftover chips or salsa. They can be as easy to make or as time-consuming as you like. Since we have been homebound for two days due to forest fire smoke, I went the hard way. I made both green and red sauces from scratch and deep-fried the tortillas.
Yesterday morning I made a green salsa with whole tomatillos, roasted poblano peppers, onion, and cilantro. I ate a good bit of this right out of the jar with a plastic spoon. Just sayin' it's good.
Then I turned these tomatoes and peppers from my garden into a beautiful red salsa. With ten pounds of ripe tomatoes, I had enough salsa to freeze for later use.
I have a feeling some of that salsa will be used to make chilaquiles again!
I used both of my salsas as toppings for the chilaquiles and a canned red chile sauce for simmering the chips. You can buy this ready-made or you can make it yourself. I used ready-made because by the time I needed it, I had already trashed my kitchen. I'll post the salsa recipes separately in case you get ambitious. If you are looking for a quick meal you can whip this up with jarred sauces and pulled pork, chicken, beef, or eggs, make chilaquiles!
Rumor has it chilaquiles are good to eat if you have a hangover but I wouldn't know about that. All I know is they are just plain good!
Chilaquiles!
Equipment
- Large skillet.
- Candy Thermometer optional but recommended
- Broiler-proof platter or in a cast iron skillet.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 6 corn tortillas cut into sixths, or 24 large tortilla chips
- 1 tbs Salt
- 1 cup canned or homemade red chili sauce
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 4 TBS Finely chopped white onion
- 4 Thinly sliced radishes
- ½ cup Chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 1 Lime wedges
- 1 cup Salsa
Instructions
- Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1 ½". Heat oil over medium-high heat until candy thermometer registers 350°F.
- Working in batches, fry tortillas, occasionally turning with wire spider, until crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Drain chips on paper towels and season with salt to taste.
- Preheat broiler. Toss chips and ½ cup red sauce in a large bowl. Place half of chips on a large broiler-proof platter or in a cast iron skillet.
- Sprinkle half of cheeses over chips. Top with remaining chips and cheeses, along with ½ cup more sauce. Broil until cheese is golden and melted, about 4-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, 2 TBS pour oil into a nonstick skillet. Heat over medium heat. Add eggs and fry until whites are set, but yolks are still runny.
- Remove the tortillas from the broiler. Top with chopped onion, radishes, cilantro, avocado, and lime wedges. Top with fried eggs and serve with remaining sauce or salsa alongside.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
Absolutely beautiful dish. And such festive colors.