While delicious any time of day, chilaquiles is traditionally enjoyed at breakfast or brunch. Whether you decide to serve it with refried beans or top it with a sunny side up egg, just don’t forget the strong coffee.
A traditional Mexican breakfast recipe, I recently rediscovered my love of chilaquiles verdes during a romantic getaway to Cabo San Lucas with my husband.
The method is quite simple: you fry white corn tortillas in oil then soak with either red (salsa roja) or green salsa. Either can be prepared spicy or mild, depending on the salsa you use.
Typically I prefer salsa verde which is a bit more tangy than salsa roja. I have an easy 5-ingredient salsa verde recipe that I love but storebought is fine too. Leftovers are great for chicken enchiladas verdes, slow cooker tacos, breakfast tacos and more.
To serve, garnish with crumbled queso fresco, minced cilantro and maybe even a wedge of lime. I love to put a fried egg on top but scrambled work well too.
Always a total showstopper, chilaquiles verdes make an ideal breakfast, brunch of “brinner” recipe anytime of year.
Your fork is waiting.
Chilaquiles Verdes
Ingredients
- 15 white corn tortillas
- 1 cup canola oil (for frying)
- salt (to taste)
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- salsa verde (homemade or storebought )
- queso fresco (crumbled, to garnish)
- minced cilantro (to garnish)
- minced onion (to garnish)
- fried egg (optional, to serve)
Instructions
- Cut tortillas into small squares or triangles. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat and fry tortillas pieces until crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Strain fried tortillas from the pot on to a plate lined with paper towel. Season fried tortillas with salt to taste; set aside.
- Add sliced onions to the hot pan along with the reserved fried tortillas. Fry an additional 5-6 minutes or until onions are softened. Stir in around 3 cups of salsa or enough to completely soak the tortillas. Saute for an additional five minutes then remove from the heat.
- You may wish to add more salsa as it cooks – the goal is to keep the tortillas drenched. Garnish pan with crumbled cheese, minced cilantro and onion. Serve with eggs if you wish.