Chilaquiles

Course: Breakfast / Brunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: easy verdi sauce recipe, How to make chilaquiles from scratch, Mexican brunch menu

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 30

Servings: people

Calories: 565kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Chilaquiles is a mainstay on brunch menus throughout Mexico. Homemade corn tortilla chips, baked with made-from-scratch verdi sauce with melty cheese is incredible!

Print Recipe

Equipment

Deep fryer, or sturdy skillet filled with 1 to 2-inches of vegetable oil
Blender or food processor
10" or 12" cast-iron skillet, or 9"x13" baking dish (for baking the chiaquiles)

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for frying
15 corn tortillas quartered
2 tsp Kosher salt divided
20 tomatillos husks peeled off and the stems removed (if stems are visible)
2 serrano chiles stems removed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
¾ cup Mexican crema or heavy cream, plus more for garnish
¼ cup cilantro fresh, chopped, plus more for garnish
1¼ cup Monterrey Jack cheese grated
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado peeled, pit removed, and thinly sliced, for garnish
2 limes cut into wedges, for garnish
hot sauce for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oil in deep-fryer, or oil in a sturdy skillet, to 365°F.
Working in batches, fry the corn tortilla triangles until just golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Once the chips stop sizzling in the oil, they should be done. Drain on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with Kosher salt. Set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat your broiler to HIGH.
Place the tomatillos (outer skins removed) and stemmed serranos on a large baking dish. Place under the broiler, about 4 inches from the heating element. Remove from the oven after 5 minutes, and use tongs to gently flip the vegetables over. Return to the oven and broil for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. The vegetables will be soft and charred in places.
Turn off broiler and preheat oven to 400°F.
Carefully transfer the roasted tomatillos and peppers to your blender or food processor. Blend (or process) until puréed, just a few seconds.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or saucepan. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring occasionally.
Carefully add the tomatillo/pepper purée to the onion mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken stock and 1 tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, until thickened somewhat. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and cilantro.
Meanwhile, place the chips in a cast-iron skillet, or baking dish, and gently press down. Leave a handful of chips to place around the edges of the dish just before baking.
Carefully pour the verdi sauce over the chips. Use a wooden spoon to move the chips around, trying to cover as many of the chips in the sauce as possible. Top with the cheese, and then snuggle in the remaining chips along the perimeter of the dish, allowing some of the chips to stick up above the chilaquiles.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling around the edges.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick skillet and then gently add the eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until the yolk is just starting to set, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully slide the cooked eggs onto a large plate.
Remove the chilaquiles from the oven and top with the prepared eggs.
Garnish with additional chopped cilantro, avocado slices, lime wedges, Mexican crema, and hot sauce, if desired. Serve at once.

Video

Notes

Making the corn tortilla chips from scratch is easy and so delicious, but of course, store-bought chips will work just fine. You'll need about 60 chips, close to a full bag.

If the chips are extra salty, decrease the amount of salt you add to the verdi sauce to 3/4 tsp.

You can also bake the corn tortillas, instead of frying them. Preheat your oven to 350°F and bake the quartered tortillas on a large baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp. Lightly salt them once baked.

You can substitute jalapenos for the serranos. For medium spiciness, go with 2 serranos, or 1 jalapeno. For less spice, reduce to 1 serrano and 1 jalapeno with seeds and inside ribs removed. For zero spiciness, omit the peppers.

The chips and the sauce can be made up to 1 or 2 days in advance.

Substitutes for Mexican crema are crème fraîche, heavy cream, or 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 1/4 cup milk.

Chilaquiles are still tasty once it cools off, but it definitely best-enjoyed piping hot fresh out of the oven.

Nutrition