A wonderful brunch dish, often served for breakfast in Mexico as a way to use up the previous day’s leftovers. But the combination of crunchy tortillas, spicy tomato sauce, and melted cheese is so irresistible you’ll want to make it just for its own sake. If you do not want to fry the tortillas, you can either bake them until quite crisp—this will take 15 minutes or so—or simply substitute unsalted (or lightly salted) corn tortilla chips.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to warm. Put the tortilla strips on a baking sheet and let them dry out in the oven for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put 1 inch of oil in a large deep heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove the tortilla strips from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 350°F.
Step 2
When the oil is hot, add some tortilla strips and cook until almost crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tortilla strips.
Step 3
Carefully drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the skillet. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and add the garlic, onion, and chiles and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.Add the tomatoes, cook until softened, then stir in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the eggs.
Step 4
Coat the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dish with some of the sauce. Put an even layer of tortilla strips on top of the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top of the tortilla strips. Repeat this layering, ending with sauce and cheese.
Step 5
Cover with foil and bake until the cheese bubbles, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly, garnish with crema and cilantro, then cut into squares and serve.
Chilaquiles with Meat
Step 6
Add 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken, turkey, beef, or pork to the simmering tomato sauce. Proceed as in the original recipe.
Fried Egg Chilaquiles
Step 7
Do not stir the eggs into the sauce, but make the chilaquiles without them. Instead, top each serving of chilaquiles with a fried egg.
One-Pot Chilaquiles
Step 8
Omit steps 4 and 5, but make sure your skillet is ovenproof. After the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in the tortilla strips and cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, cool slightly, then scoop onto serving plates and garnish as directed.
Quick Chilaquiles
Step 9
Omit steps 4 and 5. Divide the tortilla strips among serving plates and top with the tomato sauce, cheese, crema, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
