If you’ve ever explored Mexican cuisine, you’ve likely come across chilaquiles — a dish that embodies the vibrant flavors and traditions of Mexico. From its humble origins to its place as a brunch favorite worldwide, chilaquiles are more than just a meal; they are a cultural experience.
What Are Chilaquiles?
Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-lah-KEE-lays) are a traditional Mexican dish made by simmering lightly fried tortilla pieces in a flavorful sauce, often accompanied by toppings such as cheese, cream, onions, and protein like chicken or eggs. The dish is typically served for breakfast or brunch and pairs wonderfully with refried beans or a dollop of guacamole on the side.
What will you need?
Chilaquiles can be prepared in many ways. Usually with tortilla chips covered in either a red or green sauce. Typically chilaquiles are made by cutting already made tortillas into triangles and frying them to make chips. Since the chilaquiles in this recipe is going to be stuffed with cheese, we will be making homemade tortillas.
The ingredients needed for this recipe are:
- Masa harina. The most popular brand is Maseca, usually found in any grocery store
- salt
- white onion
- a neutral oil
- mexican oregano, if you can find it. Or just use regular oregano.
- jalapeno
- serrano, if you like it spicy, add more
- Anaheim pepper
- tomatillos
- garlic
- Knorr chicken bouillon
- cilantro
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Refried bean for serving. I have a retired beans recipe here
- Fried egg, for serving
- queso fresco, for garnish
- Mexican crema, for garnish
- Avocado, for garnish
- Sliced red or white onion, for garnish
How to make chilaquiles rellenos
Peel and wash a bunch of tomatillos. Also wash the jalapeño, serrano, and Anaheim pepper. Add them to a baking trey along with some unpeeled garlic and onion. Set your broiler to high and roast until charred. You can also do this in a pan on the stove.
Peel the garlic and add to a blender along with all the other roasted veggies plus the juice from the trey. Add in some chicken bouillon, cilantro, Mexican oregano, salt. Blend until smooth. Add some oil to a pan and fry off the sauce. Set aside.
Add some masa marina, salt and water to a large bowl and mix together. You want the dough to be the consistency of playdough. Try and get it wet enough, but not sticking to your fingers.
Roll the masa dough into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Use a tortilla press to flatten it into a tortilla. A tip is to use a ziplock bag cut in half to press the tortilla between. This allows the masa to not stick. On one half of the tortilla add some shredded cheese into two sections. Carefully fold the tortilla over to make a half moon shape. Use your fingers to seal the edges. Cut the tortilla in the middle, dividing the two cheesy sections in half. Then make sure you seal where you cut it.
Add all your stuffed chilaquiles to a piece of parchment paper while you heat the oil for frying.
Fry, in batches, your chilaquiles in about a half inch of oil until both sides are light brown and crispy. About 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a wire rack and repeat with the rest of the chilaquiles.
To serve, add the crispy chilaquiles to a plate and pour over your salsa verde. Serve with refried beans, and a fried egg. Top with quest fresco, cilantro, and Mexican creama.
Chilaquiles Rellenos
Course: BreakfastCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Intermediate4
servings5
minutes45
minutes1
Ingredients
For the green sauce
10 tomatillos, peeled and rinsed
1 jalapeño, stem removed
1 serrano, stem removed
1 Anaheim pepper, stem removed
2 garlic cloves, with the peel on
1/2 white onion
2 tsp mexican oregeno
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp avocado oil
For the masa dough
1 cup corn masa harina
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Oil for frying. About 1 cup
For serving
Refried beans, recipe here
Fried eggs
Queso fresco
Mexican crema
Avocado
Sliced red or white onion
Directions
- Start by setting the broiler to high, and place the rack on the highest level. Peel and wash the tomatillos to remove its waxy coating. Place the tomatillos on a baking trey, along with the jalapeño, serrano, Anaheim pepper, garlic (with the peel still on to prevent it from burning), and the white onion. Place under the broiler until all sides of the veggies are charred. About 4-6 minutes per side. You can also roast everything in a dry pan instead.
- Remove the trey from the broiler and let cool for 10 minutes. Add everything from the trey, including the juices, to a blender. Be sure to remove the peel from the garlic before adding. Also, add in the chicken bouillon, salt, oregano, and cilantro. Blend until smooth.
- Add a few tablespoons of avocado oil (this can also be vegetable or canola oil) to a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, pour in the salsa and fry it off for about 30 seconds. Wash out the blender with 1 cup of water and pour it into the ban. Mix, cover and simmer for 7 minutes. Set aside until ready to serve. If the sauce is too thick, add more water. It it is to thin, continue to simmer until you get your desired consistency.
- Let’s make the tortilla chips. In large bowl, add in the masa, salt, and warm water. Knead for 2 minutes until the dough is thoroughly mixed. You want it the consistency of play dough. You don’t want it dry, but you also do not want it to be wet enough to stick to your fingers.
- Once the dough is mixed, grab some and roll it into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Using a tortilla press, place the ball between two sheets of plastic (I Like cutting a ziplock bag in half and using that) and press to form a tortilla shape. Add in two sections of the shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. Carefully, using the plastic, fold over the side that doesn’t have cheese, on top of the side that does to create a half moon shape. Press down on the edges to seal the tortilla shut. Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the tortilla in half, dividing the the two cheese sections. Seal off the cut. This will yield two total chips. Place them on a sheet of parchment paper, and repeat the process until all the masa dough has been used.
- Preheat a pan with about a half inch of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the stuffed tortillas. Fry about 6 at a time to not over crowd the pan. Fry on each side until light brown and crispy. About 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a wire rack to drain while you frybtde rest of the tortillas.
- To serve, add the chilaquiles to a plate and top with the green salsa. Serve with refried beans and a fried egg. Top with Avocado, quest fresco, sliced onion, crema, and cilantro.
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