Chilaquiles
Tortilla Pieces Simmered in Roasted Salsa
Chilaquiles are breakfast leftovers raised to a dish: tortilla pieces fried until crisp and then stirred into a hot roasted salsa until they soften at the edges but keep a bite in the middle. They are served at once, with cream, onion and cheese, and an egg on top if you like.
Chilaquiles are the foundation of a Mexico City breakfast.
The chef's recipe roasts 900 g of tomatoes or tomatillos with fresh green chillies and an onion, blends them, cooks the sauce for 8 minutes and thins it with broth, fries tortilla wedges at 180°C, tosses them in the boiling sauce and leaves them covered for 1 1/2 to 4 minutes.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 900 g ripe tomatoes or tomatillos
- 3 serrano chillies or 2 jalapeños
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and halved
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 600 ml chicken broth
- A handful of coriander leaves or a sprig of epazote, chopped
- Fine sea salt
For the tortillas
- 12 corn tortillas (15 cm), each cut in 8 wedges, or 225 g good tortilla chips
- Vegetable oil, about 2 cm deep, to shallow-fry the wedges
To finish
- Optional: 250 g cooked shredded chicken, or 4 fried eggs
- 100 ml Mexican crema or soured cream
- 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
- 50 g queso añejo or feta, crumbled
- Coriander leaves
Method
- Roast Heat the grill to high. Put the tomatoes, chillies and onion on a tray and roast for about 6 minutes a side, until soft and blackened in spots.
- Make the sauce Blend the roasted vegetables with their juices until nearly smooth. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium-high heat and cook the purée for about 8 minutes, until thick. Stir in the broth and coriander and season with salt. Keep warm.
- Fry the tortillas Heat the oil to 180°C in a deep pan. Fry the wedges in batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bubbling stops and they are crisp and pale gold. Drain on kitchen paper. Skip this step if using chips.
- Combine Bring about 1 litre of the sauce to the boil in the wide pan. Add the tortilla pieces and the chicken, if using, and stir until coated. Take off the heat, cover and leave for 1 1/2 to 4 minutes, depending on how soft you like them.
- Serve Spoon into deep plates at once. Top with eggs if using, the crema, chopped onion, cheese and coriander.
Food safety
Shallow-frying: heat the oil gradually, never leave the pan unattended, and keep the tortillas dry so they do not spit. If topping with a fried egg, cook it through for anyone who is pregnant, elderly, very young or unwell.
Serve at once. Chilaquiles left in the sauce turn to mush.
Use stale tortillas if you have them.