Chilaquiles

Votes: 2

Time: 30 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

Chilaquiles is a casserole with crispy chips and fried eggs, typically served for breakfast, but it's also a perfect dinner. Toasted corn tortilla chips are drenched in a chili and tomato sauce, topped with cheese, and baked. Chilaquiles are served in a large skillet with a variety of toppings, including a fried egg, red onion, fresh herbs, radishes, and pickled peppers. One skillet serves four people. You can make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it. The sauce also works great with another Mexican dish, enchiladas.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

6 - 7 guajillo peppers or New Mexico red peppers
About 2 tablespoons safflower or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
10 corn tortillas diameter 15 cm.
Neutral flavor cooking spray
About 0.5 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp (incomplete) oregano
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
0.5 cups of water
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (800 g) of canned or baked tomatoes
About 2 teaspoons of honey
1 tsp cocoa powder, optional
1 small red onion
A bunch of cilantro
3-4 radishes
Approximately 110 gr. cotija cheese or queso fresco
About 170 grams of pepper jack cheese
4 slices butter, about 1 teaspoon each
4 large eggs
Pickled sliced jalapeno peppers, any heat

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Preheat oven to 220°C.
Prepare all ingredients.

Heat a 3-quart saucepan over high heat and a large 25-30 cm diameter cast iron skillet over medium heat; this will be your serving dish.

Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chili and toast the peppers in a saucepan for 2 minutes. Remove, then add the vegetable oil, onion, and jalapeño pepper. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.

Stack the corn tortillas and cut them into 8 pieces, halved crosswise, and then cut into 4 equal, wide slices. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown and fragrant, 10 minutes.
Add paprika, oregano, and garlic to the onions. Stir and add water. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Add the chili back to the pan along with the chicken or vegetable broth, tomatoes, honey, and cocoa powder, if using. Simmer for 7-8 minutes to allow the chili to bloom. Puree the sauce in a high-power blender or food processor, then transfer to a large cast-iron skillet. Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container for another use in enchiladas or chilaquiles.
Chop the red onion and cilantro, and thinly slice the radishes with a sharp knife or mandoline. Crumble the cotija or queso fresco cheese. Slice the pepperjack cheese.
Place the flatbreads in the sauce in a cast iron skillet and toss to coat. Top with cheese and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Place two small nonstick frying pans over medium heat (keep lids or foil handy). Add a knob of butter to each pan, then crack an egg into each pan and cover with a lid. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining eggs.

Remove the skillet from the oven and top with red onion, cilantro, radishes, pickled peppers, and scrambled eggs. Serve the chilaquiles straight from the skillet.

Note

The chili sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or frozen and used in future chilaquiles.