Easy Breakfast Chilaquiles Verde Recipe

My Breakfast Chilaquiles Verde is a showstopper! With tortilla chips tossed in roasted tomatillo salsa and topped with eggs - it's a quick and satisfying breakfast. Even making your own green salsa, this traditional Mexican breakfast can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!

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Despite growing up in San Antonio, the first time I ever heard of Chilaquiles was when I was watching “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Cooking Channel. Chef Marcella Vallodolid was describing the chilaquiles verde that she ate at a restaurant in Chula Vista, California (a town where where I once lived) and I was immediately obsessed.

I was so obsessed that part of the vacation that The Boy and I took to San Diego centered around going to Talavera Azul and eating the same chilaquiles as Marcella. True story.

Today the boy and I are almost 3,000 miles away from the Chilaquiles of our (my) dreams so I had no choice but to recreate them. The recipe is easier than you’d think and can be on the table in 30 minutes, start to finish. 

What are Chilaquiles?

Chilaquiles (pronounced Chee-lah-kee-les) are a traditional Mexican dish made with fried corn tortillas that are tossed in salsa, usually green, but a red sauce or a mole are not out of the question. It is often served with a protein, such as beans and/or chicken, and are usually topped with salty cheese and a fried egg. Chips for breakfast and put an egg on it? I’m IN!

Ingredients & Substitutions

These are the ingredients you need to make delicious chilaquiles with homemade salsa verde for 4 people... or 2 people and my husband, who is obsessed! Read below for more info about some of the ingredients and how you can make simple changes based on taste and preference.

• Tomatillo salsa For in depth info about this green sauce check out my roasted tomatillo salsa recipe. I'm including the ingredients here but you can definitely use store-bought. You need about 2 cups, or 16 ounces of salsa for this recipe.
• Tomatillos Tomatillos look a little like small green tomatoes wearing khaki jackets. They are actually not even closely related to tomatoes, and they need their jackets removed before cooking. You can usually find them near avocados, plantains, coconuts, guava...all the foods that the average grocery store thinks of as "exotic".
• Jalapeño The salsa verde recipe calls for two jalapeños, but you can add more or less depending on your tolerance for spice. If you are a spice fiend, substitute with a serrano pepper 🔥
• Cilantro I know some people don't like the taste of fresh cilantro, so you can totally skip it or use parsley or chopped chives instead.
• Tortilla chips Corn tortillas make the best chilaquiles. Not flour. That's the note. I like to make my own crispy tortilla chips when making chilaquiles, but store-bought tortilla chips are a time-saving alternative. Don't buy the thin 'cantina' style chips. You need thicker ones to hold up to tossing in the salsa verde.
• Cotija cheese This is a salty, crumbly cheese that I can find easily in my local market. If you can't find it, queso fresco, parmesan or even feta cheese will do.
• Monterey jack cheese I like a nice melty cheese in my chilaquiles, but you can skip it, or even use mozzarella if you can't find it.
• Eggs Some people love eggs, some people don't. My opinion on the subject changes from day to day. You can add a perfectly fried egg, you can use soft scrambled eggs, or you can skip them altogether. It's totally up to you.
• Chicken It's traditional to add a protein to chilaquiles, and my preference is to add some shredded rotisserie chicken to each serving, but black beans or refried beans is common and keeps this recipe in the vegetarian realm.

See recipe card below for exact measurements.

Variations

This green chilaquiles is one of my favorite breakfasts of all time, but there are many types of chilaquiles, popular in different parts of Mexico

• Chilaquiles rojos - Made with a tomato based red chile sauce, you can actually substitute red, ripe tomatoes for the tomatillos, and make a roasted tomato salsa or use store-bought enchilada sauce.
• Spicy - Add a canned chipotle pepper to the roasted tomato salsa for a really spicy kick! 
• Shakshuka style There are regions in Mexico that cook their tortilla chips in the salsa until completely soft. That's a bit much for me, but I do enjoy making this in a large cast iron skillet and making little depressions to drop eggs into. Bake in a 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the eggs are done to your liking. Scoop out servings for everyone at the table and garnish.

Instructions

Making Chilaquiles verde is easy and quick. I recommend making your own roasted tomatillo salsa, and I'll cover that real quick here, but go to the recipe to get all the nitty gritty details.

For the roasted tomatillo salsa (optional)

Step 1: Place tomatillos, jalapeno, onion and garlic in a single layer on a large sheet pan and broil for 10 to 12 minutes, or until your vegetables are blistered and beginning to char, flipping over once. Add ½ cup of water to pan to loosen any dark bits from the pan.

Step 2: Pour everything into a food processor, along with cilantro or parsley, salt, pepper, lime juice, and honey. Blend and taste for more seasoning.

For the chilaquiles

• Step 1: Slice 8 corn tortillas into wedges. Heat a cast-iron pan, large skillet, or dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 inch of vegetable oil. Heat to 350°F.

Step 2: Cook tortilla wedges in the hot oil in batches, frying until golden and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer tortillas to a wire rack or paper towel and season with salt. Drain oil into a heat proof container and place the pan back on the heat.

Step 3: Increase to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and pour in your salsa verde. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until sizzling.

Step 4: Add in the chips and toss until well coated.

Step 5: Add Monterey jack cheese, which will melt from the heat of the chips and salsa. Divide evenly among individual serving vessels (I like to serve in an adorable mini cast iron skillet, but shallow bowls are fine 😆)

Step 6: Top each serving with sunny side up eggs, poached eggs, or scrambled eggs, if desired. Add crumbled cotija cheese and assorted fresh vegetable toppings.

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