Mexican Chilaquiles with Green Salsa
Chilaquiles are a Mexican breakfast of fried corn tortilla triangles tossed in hot green or red salsa at the moment of serving. The secret of the dish is that this last step takes just 30 seconds — any longer and the tortillas turn to mush.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Calories
- 430
Photo: Chris Woodrich — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Chilaquiles began as a way to use up stale tortillas, and they are now Mexico’s best-known breakfast. The difference between a great version and a failed one comes down to a few seconds on the heat.
Method
-
1
Preparing the tortillas
Cut the tortillas into triangles and leave them uncovered for an hour to dry out (or use day-old tortillas to begin with). Fresh tortillas hold moisture, so they soak up a lot of oil and don’t crisp.
-
2
Frying the tortillas
Heat the oil to 170°C and fry the triangles in batches for 2 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain them on a wire rack and sprinkle them with salt straight away. (As a lighter alternative, bake them at 200°C for 15 minutes with two tablespoons of oil.)
-
3
Charring the salsa
Put the tomatillos, hot chillies, onion halves and garlic in a hot, dry pan or under the grill, and char them for 8–10 minutes, turning, until blackened in places. Charring turns the sharpness of the tomatillos into a deep sweetness.
-
4
Blending the salsa
Blend the charred vegetables with the coriander, salt and half the stock until you have a smooth salsa. Strain it if you want it smoother. Taste for heat — if it is too hot, remove the chilli seeds.
-
5
Cooking the salsa
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wide pan and pour in the salsa — it will spit and bubble up, so be careful. Cook it for 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until it darkens and thickens. Add the rest of the stock if it gets too thick.
-
6
The eggs
Fry the eggs in another pan the way you like them — Mexicans prefer them fried with a runny yolk. Have them ready before the last step so everything comes together at once.
-
7
Combining — the critical step
Turn up the heat, add the crisp tortillas to the bubbling salsa, and toss for just 30–45 seconds until coated. Transfer to the plate at once. The goal is for the tortillas to be coated but still with some bite, not soft.
-
8
Serving
Scatter over the crumbled cheese, cream, red onion, coriander and avocado, and put the egg on top. Serve at once — every minute of delay softens the tortillas further.
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Tips that actually matter
- Use day-old tortillas, or dry fresh ones for an hour before frying.
- Char the vegetables before blending — it gives the salsa great depth.
- Just 30–45 seconds in the salsa, and not a second more.
- Get all the toppings ready before the last step.
- Serve at once — this is a dish that doesn’t wait.
People also ask
What can I use instead of tomatillos?
Unripe green tomatoes with extra lime juice, or ordinary ripe tomatoes with two spoonfuls of lime juice and a little green chilli. Tomatillos have a distinctive tart flavour, and the lime closes the gap.
What is the difference between chilaquiles and nachos?
Nachos are crisp tortillas with salsa and cheese put on top, eaten with your hands. For chilaquiles, the tortillas are tossed in hot salsa so they absorb it, and they are eaten with a fork. Chilaquiles are a breakfast; nachos are a snack.
Can I use red salsa?
Yes — then they are called chilaquiles rojos. Replace the tomatillos with charred red tomatoes and add soaked guajillo chillies. The flavour is deeper and less tart, and the method is exactly the same.
Can I prepare them in advance?
Fry the tortillas and make the salsa a day ahead, and keep them separate. Combining them has to happen at the moment of serving. If you combine them early, you will end up with mush, not chilaquiles.
Cook mode
Mexican Chilaquiles with Green Salsa
-
1
Preparing the tortillas
Cut the tortillas into triangles and leave them uncovered for an hour to dry out (or use day-old tortillas to begin with). Fresh tortillas hold moisture, so they soak up a lot of oil and don’t crisp.
-
2
Frying the tortillas
Heat the oil to 170°C and fry the triangles in batches for 2 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain them on a wire rack and sprinkle them with salt straight away. (As a lighter alternative, bake them at 200°C for 15 minutes with two tablespoons of oil.)
-
3
Charring the salsa
Put the tomatillos, hot chillies, onion halves and garlic in a hot, dry pan or under the grill, and char them for 8–10 minutes, turning, until blackened in places. Charring turns the sharpness of the tomatillos into a deep sweetness.
-
4
Blending the salsa
Blend the charred vegetables with the coriander, salt and half the stock until you have a smooth salsa. Strain it if you want it smoother. Taste for heat — if it is too hot, remove the chilli seeds.
-
5
Cooking the salsa
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wide pan and pour in the salsa — it will spit and bubble up, so be careful. Cook it for 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until it darkens and thickens. Add the rest of the stock if it gets too thick.
-
6
The eggs
Fry the eggs in another pan the way you like them — Mexicans prefer them fried with a runny yolk. Have them ready before the last step so everything comes together at once.
-
7
Combining — the critical step
Turn up the heat, add the crisp tortillas to the bubbling salsa, and toss for just 30–45 seconds until coated. Transfer to the plate at once. The goal is for the tortillas to be coated but still with some bite, not soft.
-
8
Serving
Scatter over the crumbled cheese, cream, red onion, coriander and avocado, and put the egg on top. Serve at once — every minute of delay softens the tortillas further.
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