Chilaquiles

Topped with fried eggs, these chilaquiles verdes are a delicious breakfast or brunch. Load them up with crema and fresh garnishes before digging in!

In my book, this chilaquiles recipe is the ULTIMATE Sunday brunch. Sorry pancakes, waffles, and French toast—after years of living in Austin, I wake up craving breakfast dishes that are spicy and bright. And in that respect, these chilaquiles verdes seriously deliver.

What are chilaquiles?

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish. Similar to migas, they were first made as a way to use up stale tortillas. They consist of fried tortillas cooked in a flavorful sauce, typically salsa verde or salsa roja. You can top chilaquiles with eggs and serve them for breakfast or brunch, like I do here, but the toppings can also vary. Crema, onions, and cheese are common, and some versions feature beans or a meat like shredded chicken, beef, or pork. Depending on what toppings you use, chilaquiles can easily transcend breakfast to pass for lunch or dinner.

I call for my favorite fixings in this chilaquiles verdes recipe: eggs, avocado, fresh veggies, Cotija, and a zippy cilantro lime crema. Start by making the recipe as written, but then feel free to make it your own! There’s no one right method for how to make chilaquiles.

Chilaquiles Verdes Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this chilaquiles recipe:

• Salsa verde – Use your favorite store-bought green salsa, or make homemade salsa verde with roasted tomatillos, onions, and jalapeños.
• Water or vegetable broth – It loosens the salsa so that it can evenly coat the chips.
• Thick tortilla chips – Traditionally, chilaquiles would be made with fried stale corn tortillas, but to streamline this recipe, I sub store-bought tortilla chips. Look for ones that are fairly thick. If they’re too thin, they’ll quickly get soggy in the salsa.
• Fried eggs – I LOVE how the runny yolks create a rich sauce for the chilaquiles.
• Avocado – It offers a great creamy contrast to the crispy tortilla chips.
• Sliced radishes – For crunch.
• Jalapeño – For heat. Skip them if you’re sensitive to spice.
• Fresh cilantro – It adds a burst of fresh flavor to this hearty dish.
• Cotija cheese – For salty, tangy flavor. Crumbled feta or queso fresco would be great here too!
• Cilantro lime crema – This zesty, creamy sauce perfectly balances the tangy salsa. It’s easy to make in a blender or food processor with Greek yogurt, mayo, fresh herbs, lime juice, garlic, onion powder, and salt.
• And sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Make chilaquiles rojos!

Do you prefer red salsa to green salsa? Make chilaquiles rojos instead of chilaquiles verdes! Just follow the recipe as written, but replace the salsa verde with your favorite tomato salsa or red chile sauce. My salsa roja is delicious here!

How to Make Chilaquiles

My method for how to make chilaquiles is simple! Here’s how it goes:

First, make the salsa verde. If you’re using store-bought salsa, you can skip this step. To make a homemade sauce, check out my salsa verde recipe. It’s super straightforward: roast tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeños, then blend them into salsa with lime juice, cilantro, and salt. To get ahead, you can make the salsa up to 4 days in advance.

Then, add the salsa and water to a large skillet. Bring the mixture to simmer. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until it thickens slightly.

Next, add the tortilla chips to the pan. Fold to coat them in the sauce.

Variation

Want to fry the tortilla wedges yourself? Replace the store-bought chips with my homemade fried tortilla chips.

Once the chips are coated, load them up with toppings! Quickly top the chilaquiles with eggs, drizzles of crema, Cotija, avocado, and fresh garnishes.

Season to taste, and dig in!

Tip

Wait to add the chips until right before serving! You want them to be crunchy, not soggy, when you eat. I even recommend cooking your eggs before you add the chips to the sauce so that they have as little time to soften as possible.

How to Serve Chilaquiles

The most fun part of making chilaquiles? The toppings! I’ve included my favorites in this recipe, but feel free to change them up to suit your tastes. Here are a few variations that would be delicious:

• Use guacamole instead of avocado.
• Sprinkle on some pico de gallo.
• Add diced white onion or pickled red onions.
• Use scrambled eggs instead of fried eggs, or skip the eggs entirely.
• Swap out the cilantro lime crema for regular Mexican crema or a dollop of sour cream.

Round out the meal with a side of black beans or refried beans. Enjoy!

More Favorite Mexican Recipes

If you love this yummy Mexican breakfast, try making one of these Tex Mex or Mexican recipes next:

• Austin-Style Migas
• Breakfast Burrito
• Homemade Tortillas
• Mushroom Tacos
• Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
• Homemade Taquitos
• Easy Enchiladas
• Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Chilaquiles

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) jar tomatillo salsa, or 2 cups homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde
• 1 cup water or vegetable broth
• 6 ounces thick tortilla chips, about 4 handfuls, we like the El Milagro brand
• Cilantro Lime Crema, for drizzling
• 4 fried eggs
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• ½ jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
• Cotija cheese
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Pour the salsa and water into a large skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add the chips and fold to coat in the sauce.
• Remove from the heat and top with drizzles of cilantro lime crema, the fried eggs, avocado, radishes, and jalapeños. Sprinkle with Cotija cheese and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with more crema on the side.

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