Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican breakfast that’s full of flavor and easy to customize however you’d like! This easy recipe features homemade tortilla chips all dressed up with a boldly flavored tomato based salsa and it all gets garnished with all of the fresh and filling additions your heart desires. Extra limes for me, please!

A fully garnished bowl of chilaquiles is presented on a white countertop.


Chilaquiles

Oh, Chilaquiles… I think I love this recipe so much that I could probably write a song about it. Well, maybe not, but you get the idea! This easy breakfast recipe is the ultimate hangover cure and it always hits the spot when you wake up nice and hungry.

Honestly, even though it’s traditionally a breakfast recipe, I enjoy homemade Chilaquiles pretty much all the time!

Don’t let the phrase “homemade tortilla chips” scare you off. They’re SO easy to make. Essentially, you just have to cut up some corn tortillas into wedges and toss them in hot oil.

They take just a few moments to get crispy and crunchy and they’re so much better than any store-bought chips you can get your hands on. You’ll love the flavor they lend to the whole dish.

Speaking of flavor, you’re going to fall head over heels in love with the bold, mouthwatering flavors at play here! Tomatoes are the base of the salsa and are enhanced with ingredients like a dry guajillo chili, chipotle peppers, and more.

Some of my favorite garnishes to top it all off include fried eggs, freshly sliced avocados, and extra cilantro!

The ingredients for chilaquiles are presented on a white surface.

How to Make Chilaquiles

  1. Fry the tortilla chips. Once the oil is nice and hot, add the sliced tortillas wedges to the pan. Fry them until crisp and let them drain excess oil on a paper towel lined plate or bowl. Set aside.
  2. Sauté. Heat some oil in a skillet to medium high heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, cumin and guajillo peppers until softened.
  3. Simmer. Stir in the tomato juice, chipotle, roasted tomatoes, and oregano. Simmer the sauce on medium low heat until the pepper are soft.
  4. Rest. Remove the sauce pot from the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
  5. Blend. Pour the mixture into a blender. Add the cilantro and blend, pulsing and stirring until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Simmer again. Pour the blended, smooth sauce back into the skillet and allow it to simmer over medium low heat. Stir in the tortilla chips and toss them to coat. Continue to simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
  7. Enjoy! Serve your easy Chilaquiles with all of your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Tortilla chips are being stirred into a skillet full of sauce.

Tips for the Best Chilaquiles

  • Fry the chips in batches! You do NOT want to overcrowd your pan. If you toss in too many tortilla wedges at a time, you may decrease the heat of the oil and the chips won’t cook evenly.
  • Once blended, your sauce may seem thick. That’s to be expected! Your bold sauce should resemble thick enchilada sauce. Don’t try to thin it out.
  • Have fun with the garnishes. Some classic Chilaquiles toppings include freshly chopped cilantro, sliced avocados, sliced red onions, crumbled cojita cheese, crema or sour cream, and fried eggs.

Can I use store-bought tortilla chips?

Yes, but freshly fried tortilla chips are very highly recommended for the best flavor and crunchy consistency. As soon as you try a bite of Chilaquiles made with real tortilla chips, you’ll see what I mean! You just can’t beat a true fried tortilla chip, and the store-bought stuff doesn’t really hit the spot the same way.

A fork is lifting a bite of chilaquiles from the bowl.

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A fork is lifting a bite of chilaquiles from the bowl.

Get the Recipe: Chilaquiles Recipe

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
A traditional Mexican breakfast recipe, Chilaquiles are fried tortilla chips in a savory sauce sprinkled with cheese and often served with eggs. Add avocado, sour cream and cilantro for an extra flavor packed meal.
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Ingredients

For the tortilla chips:

  • 2 cups oil for frying
  • 24 each 6”corn tortillas, cut into 6 wedges

For the Sauce:

  • 4 TBSP oil
  • 1 cup white onion, ¼” diced (about 1 medium sized white onion)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 10 each dry guajillo chili, cut in pieces and seeds removed *(the seeds will start to fall out when you cut the pieces; this dish would be very very very spicy if you left all the seeds from these chilis in to cook)
  • 4 cups tomato juice
  • 4 each chipotle peppers in sauce
  • 6 each Roma tomatoes, roasted (cut in half tossed with olive oil/salt/pepper roasted at 350 for 20 minutes)
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 5-6 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes:

  • Fresh chopped Cilantro
  • Sliced Avocado
  • Sliced Red Onion
  • Crumbled Cotija Cheese
  • Crema or sour cream, drizzled on top
  • Fried/Sunny Side Up Egg, s

Equipment

  • 1 skillet

Instructions 

Tortilla instructions: (approximately 23-25 minutes)

  • Heat oil in pan to fry the tortillas
  • Add the tortilla wedges to the hot oil and fry turn to make sure they are crisp. (This must be done in batches, with the goal being the chips being cooked to a light light brown color. This recipe was tested on both an electric stove and gas stove, and each batch took 4 minutes, where the last minute the chips developed their color.)
  • Remove to a paper towel lined bowl to help soak up excess oil and set aside.

Sauce Instructions: (approximately 30-45 minutes)

  • Heat oil in a medium skillet on medium to high heat.
  • Add onion, garlic, cumin seeds and guajillo peppers and sauté until onions are just softened, approximately 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the tomato juice, chipotle, roasted tomatoes, oregano and simmer on low/medium low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until the peppers are very soft.
  • Remove from heat and let this sit for about 10 minutes.
  • Carefully pour the mixture into a tall blender. Add the cilantro and blend on medium speed for 30 seconds; stop, and scrape down the sides. Cover and re-blend again for another 30-45 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. The sauce consistency should be similar to a thick enchilada sauce
  • The sauce consistency should be similar to a thick enchilada sauce
  • Pour the sauce back into the skillet and bring to simmer on medium low heat, then add the tortilla chips to the sauce and toss until well coated.
  • Continue simmering for 5-10 minutes to let the flavors come together.
  • Serve topped with sunny side up egg, queso and other garnish items.

Notes

  • Dried Guajillo peppers are found in the spice/baking aisle at grocery store
  • Whole Cumin seed are found in the spice/baking aisle at the grocery store
Calories: 298kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Sodium: 58mg, Potassium: 656mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 2116IU, Vitamin C: 32mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 2mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, lunch
Cuisine: Mexican