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This Chilaquiles recipe comes together in 30 minutes and is perfect for a quick weekday breakfast or a leisurely weekend brunch with friends. Itโs crispy tortilla chips swimming in the most delicious salsa roja, topped with a perfectly runny fried egg. Pair chilaquiles with Horchata Coffee or Mint Vanilla Iced Coffee for a cozy morning, or go all out with strawberry margaritas and aguas frescas for weekend brunch.
This is hands down one of my favorite Mexican breakfasts. It’s saucy, crunchy, packed with flavor, and light enough that you won’t crash afterward. The best part? Chilaquiles are endlessly versatile. This version features a bold red sauce (salsa roja), but you can easily make Chilaquiles Verdes with a tangy green sauce instead.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Chilaquiles
- Roma tomatoes. This gives the sauce a good amount of acidity and flavor.
- White onion. Of course, you could use yellow or white onion. This gives the sauce a really lovely bite.
- Garlic cloves. Another addition of flavor to the sauce. Can we make any sauce without garlic cloves? Probably not.
- Dried guajillo chiles. You could use other dried chiles like anchos!
- Tortilla chips. You could always fry your own chips or simply buy them from the store.
- Eggs. I love to top my chilaquiles with fried eggs!
- Garnishes. This can vary but I used thinly sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, diced red onion and avocado.
Homemade Tortilla Chips vs. Store-Bought Tortilla Chips
Listen, I am all about some shortcuts so I buy tortilla chips at the store and feel no qualms about it!
But if you like, you can homemade tortilla chips which I did for my chilaquiles verdes recipe. You can fry them in a few tablespoons of olive oil or neutral oil. Heat to medium high heat and then grab a couple of baking sheets full of corn tortillas cut. Fry them in batches in the shallow oil and transfer them to a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.
How to Make Chilaquiles
- Sear the tomatoes in oil until slightly softened. Remove the tomatoes and set them aside.
- Sear the dried chiles, onion, and garlic.
- Add the tomatoes back to the pot with the dried chiles and then cover them with water or chicken broth. Simmer everything until completely softened.
- Pour everything into the blender and puree until very smooth.
- Next, pour the sauce into the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Then, fry up the eggs and get all of the garnishes ready.
- To serve, toss the tortilla chips with the sauce. Top with the fried eggs and garnish with red onion, authentic pico de gallo, cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese, and lime wedges.
Tips and Tricks
- Be sure to allow the dried chiles to cook in the water mixture for the full amount of time. You really want them to be softened so they blend up easier.
- You can make the sauce up to 3 months in advance. It freezes amazingly well! It also keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week. The sauce is the most labor-intensive part of this recipe so be sure to make it ahead if you like!
- Heat up the sauce until it reaches a simmer. You want it to be super hot because when you add the tortilla chips, it brings the temperature down.
- Get all of your garnishes ready before you toss everything together. The ending of this recipe comes together very quickly.
- If you’re really in the mood, I’ll sometimes toss the chips with the sauce, sprinkle on jack cheese or Oaxacan cheese and stick them under the broiler. And then proceed with the garnishes.
- Leftover chiles? Use them for recipes like my Birria Tacos, Birria Ramen or Beef Birria.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
Desserts
Conchas (Mexican Pan Dulce)
Latin
Horchata Coffee
Breakfast
Breakfast Burritos
Dinner
Chicken Burrito Bowls
If you tried this Chilaquiles Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ๐ star rating and let me know how it went in the ๐ comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Chilaquiles Recipe
Equipment
- 1 medium Dutch oven pot
- 1 large metal bowl
Ingredients
Chilaquiles Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 6 roma tomatoes
- 1/2 white onion, peeled and stem cut off
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
Assembly and Toppings
- 1 (5-ounce) bag of tortilla chips of choice
- 2-3 large eggs, for topping
- 1 radish, thinly sliced
- 2 ounces queso fresco or cotija , crumbled
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Diced red onion, for topping
- Handful of cilantro leaves, for topping
Instructions
To Make the Chilaquiles Sauce:
- In a big saucepan or Dutch oven, set over high heat, add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the roma tomatoes and sear on first side for about 3 to 5 minutes, flip, using tongs, and sear on the opposite side for an additional 2 minutes. You may need to do this in batches. Remove the tomatoes and set them aside in a bowl or on a cutting board.
- Next, add the onion, garlic cloves and guajillo chiles, searing and toasting them for about 2 to 3 minutes. Take a peek at the onion and if it needs more time, leave it for an additional minute or two. Remove the onion and garlic cloves and set them aside. Add the tomatoes back to the pot with the chiles and add 2 cups of water. Cover the pot and cook for about 10 minutes. This will soften the tomatoes quite a bit and soften the chiles too.
- To a blender, add the mixture from the pot (the chiles, garlic cloves, onion and water). You may need to blend this sauce in batches, depending on how big your blender is (I had to do in batches). While you blend it, make sure you allow a bit of steam out of the blender, about about 1 minute, until super smooth.
- Add back to the pot and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Bring to a simmer. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking. I needed about 1 teaspoon.
To Assemble the Chilaquiles:
- Get your garnishes ready because the end of the dish happens quickly. Bring the sauce to a rapid simmer (you want it hot!). And fry up your eggs.
- Add the tortilla chips to the pot with the sauce and toss until theyโre evenly coated. It may be easier to do this in a large bowl (you can add the tortillas to a large bowl and ladle the sauce over it).
- Divide the chips amongst plates and top with the a fried egg, a handful of sliced radishes, crumbled queso fresco, cilantro leaves and avocado, if you like.
Notes
- Be sure to allow the dried chiles to cook in the water mixture for the full amount of time. You really want them to be softened so they blend up easier.
- Heat up the sauce until it reaches a simmer. You want it to be super hot because when you add the tortilla chips, it brings the temperature down.
- Get all of your garnishes ready before you toss everything together. The ending of this recipe comes together very quickly.
- If you’re really in the mood, I’ll sometimes toss the chips with the sauce, sprinkle on jack cheese or Oaxacan cheese and stick them under the broiler. And then proceed with the garnishes.
- This sauce can be made up to a week ahead and kept in the fridge.
- This sauce also freezes well. Keep in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.ย
- If you can’t find queso fresco and cotija, feta cheese is a reasonable substitution!
- If you’re feeling super lazy (it’s ok I won’t judge you), you can buy a can of enchilada sauce. I would warm it and bring it to a gentle simmer; cook for about 10 minutes. This will get rid of the can-flavor that can sometimes be present. Proceed with tossing the chips and top with eggs and garnishes.ย
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had never made chilaquiles before but wanted to give it a go and omg so good.
Wow, the sauce rocks!! Iโm glad the recipe made enough for multiple servings. Looking forward to experimenting with other types of dried chiles, such as ancho.
I was in the mood for chilaquiles but only had New Mexico chiles on hand so I gave those a shot, I reaaaaally enjoyed my chilaquiles!! I fried some Sunny side eggs and Mexican cheese blend sprinkle cheese on top because itโs all I had and truly, itโs all I needed!! Gracias!
sounds delicious, andrea!
It was so good! I recommend using a dutch oven to sear the vegetables. It was exactly 4 servings. Tasted just like the chilaquiles I had in La Paz.
amazing to hear! thanks for the feedback, sofia! ๐
Delicious. Easy to make and even easier to gobble up. This even though I had to improvise on the ingredients. I did not have guajillo chiles, and my tomatoes were not Roma. I substituted cherry tomatoes. For the chiles, I used standard, pickled jalepeรฑos and soaked them in some chipotle-tabasco (which I inherited from someone and normally don’t care for). By adding this combination to the blender, I achieved the heat I was looking for and the smokiness I would have missed by using only jalepeรฑos. So, if you are missing either of those ingredients, try those substitutes. It seemed to work, at least for me.
Also, I don’t think you need to add salt because of the saltiness of the Cojita cheese (if you’re using it.)
These turned out beautifully! A big hit with the wife and kid. I made my own tortilla chips from stale corn tortillas I had in the fridge and I have enough leftover sauce to make enchiladas later this week. A+:will make again