Chilaquiles — Tortilla Breakfast
Transform stale tortillas into a vibrant Mexican breakfast. Crispy chips simmered in tangy salsa, topped with your favorite fixings.
20 min active, one pan
Chilaquiles — Tortilla Breakfast
Transform stale tortillas into a vibrant Mexican breakfast. Crispy chips simmered in tangy salsa, topped with your favorite fixings.
20 min active, one pan
Key move
Briefly fry the tortillas to create a barrier against sogginess before adding them to the salsa.
Cook mode keeps your place
Larger text, ingredients in reach, and saved step progress while you cook.
The Setup
- Skillet12-inch
- Paper Towels
The Mise en Place
5 of 7Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/1)
The Aromatics (0/1)
The Pantry (0/2)
The Finish (0/1)
Chips are soggy.
Make sure the oil is hot enough when frying the tortillas. Don't overcook the chips in the salsa.
Salsa is too watery.
Simmer the salsa for a longer time to reduce the liquid.
Chef's Notes
Fry tortilla pieces until golden and crisp, not soft. This prevents sogginess in the finished dish.
Don't overcrowd the pan when frying tortillas. Fry in batches for even crisping.
Top with a dollop of crema, crumbled cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro for a classic finish.
Fry tortilla chips a day ahead and store in an airtight container at room temp.
The Method
PREPARE
Prep aheadCut tortillas into quarters.
Uneven cooking: Avoid irregular sizes, as small pieces will burn while large ones remain chewy.
Tortillas are cut into quarters.
HEAT
Heat vegetable oil (½ cups) in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Overheating oil: If the oil begins to smoke, remove it from the heat immediately to prevent a fire hazard.
Oil is shimmering in the skillet.
FRY
Fry tortilla quarters in batches until lightly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes per batch. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Soggy chips: Removing the chips too early prevents the crisp barrier from forming, leading to mushy chilaquiles.
Tortilla quarters are lightly golden and crispy.
POUR
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet. Add salsa (2 cups) and diced onion (½ cups). Bring to a simmer.
Oil splatter: Adding cold salsa to hot oil can cause aggressive splattering; pour slowly.
Salsa and onion are simmering in the skillet.
SIMMER
Simmer salsa (2 cups) for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Bottom scorching: Stir frequently to ensure the thick salsa doesn't stick and burn at the bottom of the skillet.
Salsa has simmered for 5 minutes and thickened slightly.
ADD
Time-sensitiveAdd fried tortilla chips to the skillet with the salsa (2 cups). Gently toss to coat.
Over-mixing: Aggressive tossing will shatter the crispy chips into small pieces.
Tortilla chips are coated in salsa.
COOK
Time-sensitiveCook for 2-3 minutes, or until the chips have softened slightly but still retain some crispness.
Overcooking: Leaving the chips in the salsa too long will cause them to disintegrate completely.
Chips are slightly softened but still have some crispness.
SERVE
Serve immediately, topped with fried eggs (8 whole), crumbled queso fresco (1 cup), and Mexican crema (½ cups).
Sogginess risk: Letting the dish sit too long will cause the tortillas to lose their texture and become mushy.
Chilaquiles are served with toppings.
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