Chilaquiles is an all-time favorite breakfast dish. It’s a mixture of corn Tortilla Chips and shredded chicken bathed in green salsa and topped with salty ranchero cheese, Mexican cream, and thinly sliced red onion. A few simple ingredients come together to make an authentic and very satisfying dish. I jokingly refer to chilaquiles as “breakfast nachos.” They are also a close cousin of migas.
Mexican cooks rarely waste food. Making chilaquiles allows you to use up stale tortillas by preparing something delicious. Check your fridge, you probably have all of the ingredients on hand to make them right now.
You should be getting hungry, right?
Ingredients for Chilaquiles
- 5 cups corn tortilla chips (totopos)
- 3 cups salsa verde or salsa roja
- 1 1/3 cups shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup Mexican cream or sour cream
- 1/2 small red onion
- 4 ounces ranchero cheese or queso fresco
- Salt to taste
Homemade Tortilla Chips Make the Best Chilaquiles
Take the time to make your own tortilla chips. It’s not that difficult and the results are well worth the extra effort. The chips are lighter and crunchier than store-bought chips. Go here for the full tutorial with step-by-step pictures. If you don’t want to prepare tortilla chips from scratch, feel free to use store-bought. The results will still be delicious.
Homemade Salsa Does Too
You will need salsa verde. Homemade is best but bottled is tasty too. Go here for the full tutorial with step-by-step pictures. We don’t always feel like making our own salsa so we used bottled too.
Shredded Chicken
To prepare the shredded chicken, place one chicken breast in a small saucepan and cover with water. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the chicken breast for 15 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove the chicken breast from the cooking water and allow to cool. As soon as it is cool to the touch use your fingers to pull the chicken apart into thin 1″ long pieces.
How to Make Chilaquiles
Now it is time for the good part. In a large wide pan, bring the salsa to a boil then immediately reduce the heat to low.
Add the tortilla chips.
Stir the tortilla chips to coat with salsa.
Add the shredded chicken.
Stir to coat with salsa. Serve quickly. If the chips sit in the salsa too long they become soggy. You want the chips to retain a little crunch.
To Serve
Divide the chilaquiles into four portions. To serve, top each serving with 2 tablespoons of Mexican cream or sour cream, 1 ounce of crumbled ranchero cheese and 3 thinly sliced onion rings. Serve immediately.
Provecho!
Chilaquiles with Chicken in Salsa Verde Recipe
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
Traditional Mexican Chilaquiles is an all-time favorite breakfast dish. It’s a mixture of corn tortilla chips and shredded chicken bathed in green salsa and topped with Mexican cream, ranchero cheese, and thinly sliced red onion.
Ingredients
- 5 cups corn tortilla chips (totopos)
- 3 cups salsa verde or salsa roja
- 1 1/3 cups shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup Mexican cream or sour cream
- 1/2 small red onion
- 4 ounces ranchero cheese or queso fresco
Instructions
Preparing the Shredded Chicken
- Place one chicken breast in a small sauce pan and cover with water. Turn the heat to medium low and cook the chicken breast for 15 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove the chicken breast from the cooking water and allow to cool.
- As soon as it is cool to the touch use your fingers to pull the chicken apart into thin 1″ long pieces.
Preparing the Chilaquiles
- In a large wide pan, bring the salsa to a boil then immediately reduce the heat to low.
- Add the tortilla chips and stir to coat with salsa.
- Add the shredded chicken and stir to coat with salsa.
- Serve immediately.
Serving
- Divide the chilaquiles into four portions.
- Top each serving with 2 tablespoons of Mexican cream or sour cream, 1 ounce of crumbled ranchero cheese and 3 thinly sliced onion rings.
- Serve immediately. Don’t let the chilaquiles sit or the will get soggy.
Notes
Preparation Notes
- If you buy corn chips to make chilaquiles look for the unsalted ones. They are the better choice. You can use salted chips if the unsalted are unavailable. You can find them in the Hispanic section of the supermarket. Look for “totopos.”
Variations
- You can also prepare chilaquiles topped with scrambled eggs or fried eggs.
- It is common to serve chilaquiles with refried beans on the side.
Storage
- We don’t recommend that you save chilaquiles for later. There’s a good chance that you won’t have any left because they are so tasty. When you store them in the fridge they get soggy and mushy and the texture is kind of unappealing.
Courses Breakfast
Cuisine Mexican
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1.5 cups
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Amount Per Serving |
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|---|---|---|
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Calories 554 |
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% Daily Value |
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Total Fat 34 g |
52% |
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Sodium 952 mg |
40% |
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Total Carbohydrates 38 g |
13% |
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Protein 25 g |
50% |
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* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
More Mexican Breakfast Dishes
- Migas Norteñas
- Breakfast Tacos
- Breakfast Burritos
- Huevo a la Mexicana
