Chilaquiles… yum! For those of you unfamiliar with them, I like to call them breakfast nachos. Tortillas soaked in red chile sauce and served with an over-easy egg (or a sunny side up egg) for breakfast. Then, garnish them with whatever things you’d like – guacamole, extra cheese, chopped onions, sour cream or Mexican crema, whatever you’d like.
This recipe makes two servings, but if you served two eggs per person rather than one, it could easily serve four people. And, with extra toppings, you could have it serve up to six people.
I recommend making the sauce the day before so that it’s nice and easy to throw together in the morning. Using chips (I used Have’A Corn Chips brand) in this recipe instead of having to fry your own tortillas also makes it really easy.
Looking for more great Mexican flavors?
Check out these recipes for Traditional salsa, Mexican Avocado Cotija Dip, Southwestern Pot Pie, and all my Mexican food recipes.
I served these pretty simply, just the chilaquiles, an egg, some Monterey Jack cheese, and queso fresco. But, you can doctor them up with any fixin’s’ you’d like.
You could use poached eggs instead of fried eggs; that way you could cook up a bunch of eggs at one time and you’d save the calories of those fried eggs (but fried eggs are so tasty!).
However you serve them, and whatever you garnish them with, they’re a tasty and impressive breakfast. I made this batch for my husband’s birthday, as they’re one of his favorites!
Chilaquiles (aka… breakfast nachos!) Recipe
Chilaquiles
Ingredients
- 2 dried pasilla chiles stemmed, seeded and torn into flat pieces
- 2 dried red California chiles stemmed, seeded and torn into flat pieces
- hot tap water for rehydrating
- ½ cup of water
- 1 cup canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes in juice drained
- 2 large garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided use
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces thick homemade-style corn tortilla chips such as the ones you buy at a Mexican grocery
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup Mexican queso fresco crumbled
- Optional garnishes: Monterey Jack cheese sour cream, chopped onion, guacamole, chopped green onion
Instructions
- Toast the chile pieces a few at a time in a dry heavy skillet or on a griddle heated over medium, pressing them flat against the hot surface with a metal spatula until they are aromatic, about 19 seconds per side. Place toasted chiles in a bowl, cover with hot tap water, place a small plate on the top of the chiles to keep them submerged, and rehydrate the chiles for 20 minutes.
- Use a pair of tongs to transfer the rehydrated chiles to a blender. Add the water, tomatoes, and garlic and process to a smooth puree. Press the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the solids (or use them in something else).
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a 4 to 5-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chile puree and stir nearly constantly until reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, about 7 minutes. Add the broth, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Season with sugar and salt. You should have about a generous 2 cups of brothy sauce. The sauce can be made up to this point the day before and reheated on the morning that you’re making the chilaquiles.
- Raise the heat under the sauce to medium-high, return to a rolling boil. Stir in the chips, coating all of them well. Cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes (no longer).
- While the chips are soaking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the eggs, and cook on one side just until set, sunny-side up or flip to serve over-easy.
- Spoon the chilaquiles onto warm plates. Garnish with the toppings of your choice. Transfer an egg to each portion and serve right away.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
