Homemade Chilaquiles Recipe
What's not to love about chilaquiles? Traditional breakfast foods like bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns are great, but it's nice to spice things up with a little Mexican flare every once in a while. These chilaquiles are the complete meal. From the homemade tortilla chips smothered in homemade salsa to the toppings like Mexican crema, cotija cheese, avocado, and radish, this recipe will undoubtedly impress your brunch guests.
Recipe developer Michell McGlinn came up with this wonderful spin on chilaquiles that will be a new fave in your household. "I love that this is actually very simple to pull together from near-scratch," McGlinn shares, adding you can make it with store-bought chips and salsa, but homemade is just better. "I like that it is very flavorful — a bit spicy, a little tangy, and super fresh tasting from the cilantro. When you break the yolk over the chips — oh, it is so creamy and delicious!" she shares. Another plus? The fact that you can go crazy with the toppings, customizing it to your exact taste buds.
Gather the ingredients for homemade chilaquiles
Once you're ready to begin, you will need to make a list and head to the store. Pick up four tomatillos, a jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime, salt, tortillas, neutral oil (McGlinn uses vegetable), eggs, Dollop Mexican crema, cotija cheese, avocado, radish, and lime wedges.
Cut the tortillas into triangles
The first ingredient that you will need to get out is the tortillas. Cut each one in half lengthwise and then again crosswise, to make four triangular chips per tortilla. This means that ten tortillas will yield 40 chips.
"You can use either," McGlinn says of using flour or corn tortillas. "I much prefer corn though! It's truly personal preference as either will fry into a chip, but corn has a really nice salty flavor that I think works well with salsas and moles. I know a lot of people prefer flour, though!"
Heat the oil and fry the tortillas
Grab a cast-iron skillet and place it on your stove. Add a thin layer of oil and turn the heat to medium. The oil should cover the bottom of the skillet pretty well, but it shouldn't be deep enough to submerge the tortillas.
Working in batches, add the tortilla chips to the skillet and fry until they're crisp on both sides. Avoid crowding the pan and allow each chip to lay flat in the skillet. Fry the tortillas until fluffy and golden, and then flip. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden and crispy. In between batches, add more oil as needed. Finally, place the tortilla chips on a paper towel-lined plate to remove the excess oil.
Broil the veggies
While you fry the chips, preheat the broiler on a high setting and add the peeled tomatillos, jalapeño, and onion on a foil-lined sheet pan. Once the oven preheats, broil the veggies for 5 minutes, before flipping them and adding garlic to the pan. Broil for an additional 5 minutes, or until the veggies begin to char. "You can core and de-seed the tomatillos and peppers before broiling," McGlinn shares. "You may just want to adjust cooking time by a few minutes so that the smaller pieces don't burn."
"The method of broiling the vegetables before blending them is a technique worth trying," McGlinn says of the unique method. "This method is faster than roasting the vegetables and gives a nice, smokey char."
Make the salsa
Once you finish charring the veggies, it's time to make the salsa. Remove the stems from the tomatillos and then remove the seeds from the jalapeño. Add the tomatillos, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and onion to a food processor and blend until well combined. If you find the mixture is too thick, you can add 2 tablespoons of water. For a milder salsa, just use half the jalapeño instead.
Layer the salsa onto the chips
You will need the skillet for this step, so go ahead and wipe it clean to remove any excess oil. Toss the tortilla chips back into the skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Next, add the salsa and stir gently to combine until heated through. This should only take about two minutes or so.
Plate your homemade chilaquiles and serve
Grab a plate and load the chips and salsa on the bottom. Top with chips a fried egg, a dollop of crema, a sprinkle of cotija cheese, avocado slices, cilantro, and radish. You can add a little more citrus and serve with a lime wedge if you wish. McGlinn also provides a few additional serving suggestions. "We also add shredded chicken to our chilaquiles for extra protein. It's so good — just use leftover chicken, rotisserie, or even canned chicken and heat it with the salsa," she shares. You could also add pork or beans.
Another good idea? "I also had a friend who made his chilaquiles with scrambled eggs mixed in — it was actually so delicious and one of my favorite variations, so don't be afraid to switch up the eggs too," McGlinn notes.
- 10 tortillas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large tomatillos, peeled and rinsed
- 1 jalapeño
- ½ onion, peeled and cut in half
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ cup cilantro, packed, plus a few leaves for serving
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 eggs, fried
- 2 dollops Mexican crema
- sprinkle cotija cheese
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 radish, thinly sliced
- lime wedges, for serving
- Working with up to 4 tortillas at a time, cut each tortilla in half lengthwise and then again crosswise to get 4 triangular chips per tortilla. 10 tortillas will yield 40 tortilla chips.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat; the oil should cover the bottom of the skillet generously, but should not be deep enough that chips are submerged.
- Working in batches, fry the tortilla chips until crispy on both sides. Do not crowd the pan — allow each chip full contact with the skillet. Fry each tortilla piece until puffy and golden, then flip, and fry 1 to 2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove the chips and drain them on a paper-towel lined plate. With each batch, add a drizzle of oil to the skillet.
- Meanwhile, preheat the broiler to high and arrange the peeled tomatillos, jalapeño, and onion on a foil-lined sheet pan. Broil for 5 minutes, then flip and add the garlic to the pan. Broil for another 5 minutes, or until vegetables are charred and softened.
- Once chips are fried and vegetables are charred, make the salsa. Carefully remove the stems from the tomatillos and de-seed the jalapeño. Add the tomatillos, jalapeño, garlic, and onion to a food processor with the cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Blend until well combined. If too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water. If mild salsa is preferred, use half the jalapeño.
- Once the salsa is prepared, combine with the chips. If the skillet has oil left over, drain and wipe clean. Add the tortilla chips back to the skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Add the salsa and stir gently to combine until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- To serve, plate the salsa-coated chips and top with a fried egg, a dollop of crema, a sprinkle of cotija cheese, avocado slices, and sliced radish. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro, if desired.