Today we are sharing with you one of my favorite recipes ever, Easy Chilaquiles. The first time I tried it was in Mexico years ago. I remember sitting at breakfast with my family and seeing a server walk past me with a big plate of saucy tortilla chips with a fried egg on top.
I thought chips for breakfast was pretty incredible, so I ordered it and whoa! The freshly fried chips were slathered in a smoky red sauce, topped with salty queso fresco and finished with a perfectly fried egg. It was so simple, but unforgettable.
Our recipe is very similar to that first experience, with a very flavorful, smooth and smoky red sauce. The sauce simmered chips are soft, but with a pleasantly crisp edge. The runny yolk and crumbled queso fresco add a creamy and salty bite to the chips, while the radishes and cilantro provide a much needed pop of freshness that. balances the dish out.
How to make our Easy Chilaquiles
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- ½ sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ½ cups crushed tomatoes
- 4 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- tortilla chips
Ingredients for the Fried Eggs
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnishes
- ½ cup queso fresco, crumbled
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- hot sauce optional
Process
- Let’s make the red sauce.
Saute diced onion and minced garlic for 2 to 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into a blender and add crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobe and stock. Blend until smooth.
Pour sauce back into skillet and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. - Make the fried eggs.
Place a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Swirl oil around pan and crack eggs into pan. Fry eggs for 3 to 4 minutes until edges are crispy, whites have set but yolks are still runny. Remove from heat and set aside. - Make Chilaquiles.
Raise heat of sauce to medium-high and bring to a boil, about 3 minutes. Add tortilla chips, a handful at a time, folding gently to coat every chip before adding more.
Repeat until all chips have been added and evenly coated, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and gently fold together. Remove from heat. - Assemble and eat.
Top with fried eggs and queso fresco, radishes, cilantro, and hot sauce. Serve immediately.
Fried Egg Process
Eggs + Oil + Salt and Pepper.
Red Sauce Process
Chilaquiles Process
FAQs
Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican breakfast. It consists of fried tortilla chips lightly simmered in a red (roja) or green (verde) sauce.
Chilaquiles rojas is traditionally made by sautéing and blending together diced onion, garlic, tomatoes, and dried guajillo chiles to create a smoky red sauce. Chilaquiles verdes is made with tomatillo salsa, providing a brighter and slightly tangy flavor.
Once the sauce is made, its simmered in a skillet. Tortilla chips are then folded into the sauce until evenly coated. Our version today is chilaquiles rojas and we’ve simplified it by using canned tomatoes and chipotles in adobe sauce.
This allows you to skip out on rehydrating, seeding and toasting dried chiles, but the dish still has maximum flavor.
Chilaquiles are typically served on their own with some crumbled queso fresco. They can also be found topped with fried eggs, like our version today.
Overall Chilaquiles is really versatile and there are many variations for them – they can be served with shredded chicken, refried beans and topped with a as many or few garnishes like sliced radishes, cilantro leaves, diced avocado to name a few.
I like to simmer the chips in the sauce for a few minutes because I like the slightly softer results. If you want your chips to have a crispier texture, remove the sauce from the heat and toss together with your chips. Either version is delicious and totally based on personal preference.
Our chilaquiles recipe is a little nontraditional by using chipotle peppers in adobe instead of dried chiles and canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones. I like the smoky and spicy flavors that chipotles in adobe sauce have and the more intensely concentrated tomato flavor you get from crushed tomatoes from a can.
You can always make this recipe even more simple by buying and using ready-made red sauce from the store. I personally love this one.
Chilaquiles should be made fresh overall, but the red sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. Store sauce in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to serve, thaw sauce completely overnight in the refrigerator before reheating and simmering or tossing with chips.
If you love chilaquiles as much as I do, I recommend checking out our other versions!
You might also enjoy:
- Carne Asada
- Baby Chimichangas
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Carne Asada Torta
- Pozole Verde De Pollo
- Baked Chicken Flautas
- Michelada
- Chorizo Molotes
- Huaraches
- Cochinita Pibil
This is the cast iron skillet we use in our images. We love Lodge cast iron skillets because they are affordable and made to last forever!
Easy Chilaquiles
INGREDIENTS
red sauce
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- ½ sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ½ cups crushed tomatoes
- 4 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
fried eggs
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
chilaquiles
- 12 ounces tortilla chips
garnishes
- ½ cup queso fresco, crumbled
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- hot sauce optional
INSTRUCTIONS
red sauce
- Place oil in a heavy bottom skillet and place over medium-high heat.
- Sauté onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour mixture into a blender and add crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobe and stock. Blend until smooth.
- Pour sauce back into skillet and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
fried eggs
- Place a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Swirl oil around pan and crack eggs into pan. Fry eggs for 3 to 4 minutes until edges are crispy, whites have set but yolks are still runny. Remove from heat and set aside.
chilaquiles
- Raise heat of sauce to medium-high and bring to a boil about 3 minutes. Add tortilla chips, a handful at a time, folding gently to coat every chip before adding more.
- Repeat until all chips have been added and evenly coated, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and gently fold together. Remove from heat and top with fried eggs.
- Top with queso fresco, radishes, cilantro, and hot sauce. Serve immediately.
NOTES
- *Makes 1 12” skillet
- For a crispier texture, remove sauce from heat, add chips and gently toss together until fully and evenly coated. Top with eggs and desired toppings. Serve.
- Make and Freeze Ahead: Chilaquiles should be made fresh overall, but the red sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to serve, thaw sauce completely, in the refrigerator, before reheating and simmering or tossing with chips.