Chilaquiles Rojos are a quick and easy meal breakfast favorite in Mexico. This chilaquiles recipe is made with crispy tortillas tossed in salsa and finished with a variety of toppings!
What are chilaquiles?
Chilaquiles are a popular Mexican dish of fried corn tortillas tossed in salsa and plenty of toppings. After a recent visit to Mexico, I’ve been trying to recreate many of the dishes I had there, and this is one of my favorites.
For this easy Chilaquiles Rojos recipe, I tossed tortillas in a red salsa and topped with fried eggs, sliced avocado, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro. Often eaten at breakfast, this meatless dish has a healthy balance of carbs, fat, and protein.
I love it when a meal tastes great and has simple, healthy ingredients.
What’s the difference between Chilaquiles Verdes and Chilaquiles Rojos?
The names say it all! chilaquiles verdes are made with a green salsa (salsa verde), often featuring roasted tomatillos. On the other hand, chilaquiles rojos are made with a red salsa (salsa roja). Both are very common in Mexico and it’s really just a matter of personal preference!
I personally love using red salsa for chilaquiles because there’s something about eggs and tomatoes that just works.
Store bought v. homemade ingredients
Most of the time I think going with homemade ingredients is the way to go, because you can control the ingredients and make things to suit your taste.
But when it comes to this chilaquiles recipe, I actually think store bought can work just as well! You can certainly buy your own corn tortillas and fry them up, but good quality store bought tortillas would have the same ingredients (corn and oil) and taste just as good. It’s a similar story for the salsas, though I highly recommend making your own salsa at least once! It’s super easy and can be used in lots of different recipes.
How to make amazing chilaquiles
The trick to making amazing chilaquiles is to not overthink it! This recipe does not require a ton of prep or lots of ingredients.
Here are my steps to making amazing chilaquiles rojos.
- Start with the salsa. Roast tomatoes for a simple yet delicious homemade salsa, or grab your favorite can of high quality store bought salsa. This recipe works best with a bit of heat, so lean towards medium or hot salsa.
- Prepare your toppings ahead of time. Once the salsa is ready, get all your toppings together. Do this before combining the salsa and the chips so the chips don’t get too soggy. Fry up some eggs, slice avocado, and crumble your cheeses. Set aside. If you’re making your own chips, cut up corn tortillas and fry or bake them in the oven until they are golden. Place on a paper towel lined plate to catch the excess oil. Again, store bought tortilla chips also work really well!
- Heat up the salsa then toss with chips. In a large frying pan or cast iron skillet, heat up salsa over low heat until it starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and allow the salsa to cool and thicken a bit. Then patiently toss the tortilla chips in the salsa until they are fully coated. It takes a while, but trust me, it’s worth it.
- Toppings, toppings, toppings! Finish with your favorite toppings. I used fried eggs, sliced avocado, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.
Looking for more delicious recipes? Try:
Roasted Tomatillo & Poblano Soup
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Chilaquiles Rojos
Ingredients
Salsa Roja
- 5-6 roma tomatoes
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 medium sweet onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup water
- salt
Chilaquiles Toppings
- 2 cups salsa roja (see above or store bought)
- 1 oz bag tortilla chips*
- 1 oz cotija or queso fresco
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 3 fried eggs
- fresh cilantro
- 1 lime
Instructions
Salsa Roja
- Set oven to broil or 450 degrees F.
- Place tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and garlic on a baking tray. Place in the oven and cook for 5 minutes, until vegetables are blistered. Remove and allow the vegetables to cool.
- Transfer vegetables to a food processor, along with cilantro. Blend until salsa reaches your desired consistency. Add a 1 tablespoon of water at a time to thin out the salsa to your desired consistency. You may not need all 1/4 cups. Add salt to taste.
Chilaquiles
- Start by preparing your toppings for the chilaquiles. We want everything ready to assemble before adding the tortillas chips to the salsa so they chips don't get too soggy! Fry up 3 eggs, slice 1 avocado, and crumble your cheese of choice.
- Add salsa to a large skillet and bring to a simmer. The sauce should start to bubble. Then turn off the heat and allow the salsa to cool for 2-3 minutes. This will also the salsa to thicken and will prevent the tortilla chips from turning to mush as soon as they hit the sauce! Gently toss tortilla chips in the salsa, making sure the sauce covers all the chips.
- Transfer coated tortilla chips to serving plates, then add toppings. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
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