Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (2024)

  • Recipes
  • Recipes By World Cuisine
  • Mexican
  • Vegetarian Mexican

Comforting and satisfying, chilaquiles make for an easy, hearty breakfast or lunch.

By

Elise Bauer

Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (1)

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated July 02, 2024

16 Ratings

Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (2)

Chilaquiles. Chee-lah-KEE-less! I mentioned I wanted to make chilaquiles to a Mexican friend the other day and you should have seen the smile and look of rapture that came over his face.

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.

Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (3)

Chilaquiles With Red or Green Sauce

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.

Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (4)

More Salsas for Chilaquiles

Feel free to use store-bought salsa in this recipe, but if you're inclined to make your own from scratch we've included recipes for homemade salsas at the end of our recipe. Here are a few more options:

  • 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 fresco
  • Crema Mexicana or crème fraîche
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Chopped red onion
  • Sliced avocado

More Tex-Mex Favorites

  • Mexican Lasagna
  • Tex-Mex Chopped Chicken Salad
  • Huevos Rancheros
  • Mexican Street Corn Nachos
  • Tamale Pie

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Easy Chilaquiles

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Servings4 servings

It will help with the frying if your tortillas are a little dry. If they're fresh, cut them first, put them in a warm oven for a few minutes first to dry them out a bit, then proceed.

For easy homemade salsa verde and red chile sauce recipes, look at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients

  • 12 corn tortillas, preferably stale, or left out overnight to dry out a bit, quartered or cut into 6 wedges

  • Corn oil, or other neutral oil for frying

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups red chile sauce or salsa verde, store-bought or homemade (see end of recipe for homemade versions)

  • Sprigs ofepazote, optional

Garnishes

  • Cotija cheeseorqueso fresco

  • Crema Mexicana or creme fraiche

  • Cilantro, chopped

  • 1 red onion, chopped

  • Avocado, sliced or roughly chopped

Method

  1. Fry the tortillas:

    In a large sauté pan, coat pan generously with corn oil, (1/8 inch), heat on medium high to high. When the oil is quite hot, add the tortillas, fry until golden brown.

    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.

    Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (5)

  2. Heat the salsa:

    Add 2 tablespoons of oil to pan, bring to high heat again. Add the salsa and let salsa cook for several minutes. If you have a few sprigs of epazote, add them to the salsa.

    Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (6)

  3. Add fried tortillas to the salsa:

    Add the fried tortilla quarters to the salsa. Gently turn over the pieces of tortilla until they are all well coated with salsa. Let cook for a few minutes more.

    Remove from heat. Serve chilaquiles with garnishes and fried eggs and beans or nopalitos.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

    Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (7)

Red chile sauce

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.

  • Vegetarian Mexican
  • Brunch
  • Gluten-Free Breakfast
  • Easy Breakfast
  • Vegetarian
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
264Calories
10g Fat
40g Carbs
5g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories264
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g13%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 898mg39%
Total Carbohydrate 40g14%
Dietary Fiber 7g24%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 15mg74%
Calcium 69mg5%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 445mg9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Make Easy Chilaquiles With Just Tortillas, Eggs, and Salsa (2024)

FAQs

What is chilaquiles sauce made of? ›

Chilaquiles verdes are made with a salsa made from tomatillos, onions, jalapeños, and cilantro (hence the “greens” in the translation). Chilaquiles rojos are made with a salsa made from tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, garlic, and broth.

Should chilaquiles be crunchy or soft? ›

The best chilaquiles (the kind we're after) aren't so much wet as moist, and aren't so much limp as "gently softened until the chips retain just a bit of crunch but dissolve in your mouth into a mix of comforting starch and hot salsa." But still, when it comes down to it, chilaquiles are essentially soggy nachos—an ...

How to keep chilaquiles from getting soggy? ›

But you can prevent them being TOO soggy by just adding a bit of salsa at a time until every chip is just lightly coated!

Is chilaquiles sauce the same as enchilada sauce? ›

Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-lah-key-less) are a traditional Mexican breakfast made with tortilla chips simmered in sauce. Typically, they're made with green salsa (in Spanish, salsa verde, which yields chilaquiles verdes) or red enchilada sauce (chilaquiles rojos).

What is chilaquiles called in English? ›

chi·​la·​qui·​les ˌchē-lä-ˈkē-lās. : a Mexican dish of fried corn tortilla pieces simmered with salsa or mole and typically topped with cheese and other accompaniments (such as sliced onions, shredded chicken, and fried or scrambled eggs)

What's the difference between migas and chilaquiles? ›

One difference is, in Migas, the eggs are scrambled and cooked with the tortilla chips and salsa. Whereas, when you have eggs with Chilaquiles, they tend to sit on top. These are Guajillo Migas & they have the best possible name: Baila con tu Mujer, which translates to dance with your wife.

Why do Mexicans eat chilaquiles? ›

Chilaquiles have deep historical roots, with origins dating back to the Aztec civilization. It's believed that the dish was developed as a practical way to use leftover tortillas and salsas, demonstrating the traditional Mexican ethos of minimizing waste and utilizing available resources.

Does chilaquiles contain eggs? ›

This chilaquiles recipe is an easy Mexican dish my mom taught me. It's a casserole of tortilla chips mixed with eggs and salsa, then topped with cheese. Serve with refried beans.

What to eat with chilaquiles? ›

Stick to a tried and true favorite by serving a generous helping of refried beans with your chilaquiles. Refried beans are a popular Tex-Mex dish, but they're sure to please in any setting. Despite the name, refried beans aren't actually fried twice.

Are chilaquiles good for you? ›

By using lower-fat and calorie ingredients like baked tortilla chips, a light tomato-based sauce, and fresh cheese and eggs instead of heavy cream, chilaquiles can be a delicious and healthy option. They are perfect for sharing with friends as a tasty and satisfying snack or as an ideal brunch dish.

How to keep flour tortilla from getting soggy? ›

Tips for keeping your flour tortillas from getting soggy in enchiladas
  1. Preheat your pan. Try preheating your enchilada pan in the oven before you start cooking. ...
  2. Pre-fry your tortillas. ...
  3. Put the sauce on top, not on the bottom. ...
  4. Bake the enchiladas before adding sauce. ...
  5. Put your enchiladas under the broiler.
Jun 25, 2021

At what time of the day would you eat chilaquiles? ›

While chilaquiles are most commonly served for breakfast in Mexico, it's not considered exclusively a breakfast dish. In fact, one of the reasons Mexicans love chilaquiles so much is that it's an all-day dish: You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

What is the best store-bought sauce for chilaquiles? ›

If you decide to go store-bought, then I suggest Herdez mild salsa verde. Quality enchilada sauce is harder to come by but Frontera enchilada sauce is decent but you still may want to doctor it up a bit or for those who like a little deeper, spicier sauce, I prefer Frontera's Adobo Sauce.

Can I use salsa instead of enchilada sauce? ›

Traditionally, homemade enchilada sauce is made with tomato sauce. What is this? However, I got the brilliant idea to substitute in some salsa to bring another level of flavor to the sauce. I used a homestyle salsa, but you can pretty much use any flavor you want, including roasted garlic and pico de gallo.

What is the red sauce called at Mexican restaurants? ›

Salsa Roja

As you could probably guess from the first bite, the primary ingredient in this salsa is tomatoes, but there is also cilantro, garlic, and a number of other spices that help make each bite better than the last. By far, salsa roja is the most popular Mexican salsa, and after a bite, it is not hard to see why.

Which of these ingredients forms the base of Mexican chilaquiles? ›

Typically, left over tortillas are the basis of the dish. Green or red salsa is poured over the crisp tortilla triangles. The mixture is simmered until the tortilla starts softening. Pulled chicken is sometimes added to the mix.

How were chilaquiles made? ›

In its most basic form, Chilaquiles consist of fried tortilla strips that are simmered in salsa or mole to soften them up. It is a very versatile dish but it is most commonly served for breakfast or brunch.

What does chilaquiles taste like? ›

Chilaquiles Verdes is made with a tomatillo salsa that's usually known as salsa verde. It's deliciously tart and tangy. Salsa roja consists of dried chiles, cooked with tomatoes.

Why are chilaquiles so delicious? ›

Versatility. One of the reasons chilaquiles have captured the hearts of many is their remarkable versatility. They can be served with a plethora of toppings, including pulled chicken, beef, eggs, avocados, cheese, cream, and onions.

References

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