If you love starting the day off with a hearty meal and satisfying flavor, you'll adore this Chilaquiles Verdes—or Green Chilaquiles—recipe.
My modern method (complete with a few Mom-hacks, of course) transforms a traditional Mexican dish into an economical, easy breakfast recipe your family will crave weekly!
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- This easy chilaquiles recipe is quick to make and a great way to use up crispy tortilla chips—and stale ones, for that matter!
- Whip up this traditional Mexican breakfast when you're in the mood for a new brunch idea or just tired of freezer-burnt toaster waffles.
- There are so many ways to make this simple recipe your own—add meat, beans, toppings, etc. Read on for all the lip-smackin' good ideas!
Traditional chilaquiles will have you frying up corn tortillas at 6 AM, but let's be real—who actually has time (or energy) for that these days?
My green chilaquiles breakfast starts with easy store-bought tortilla chips and finishes with delicious green salsa and a fried egg cooked to sunny-side-up perfection.
🧾🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- For more authentic flavor, swap the cheddar with cotija cheese or use queso fresco.
- Following the steps in this recipe will give you a perfect sunny side up egg. However, you can fry or scramble them if you like that better.
- Use red salsa instead of green, and you'll have chilaquiles rojos!
- Feel free to bulk up your breakfast by adding refried beans, black beans, crumbled/cooked sausage, chorizo, shredded chicken, or bacon.
- Don't forget your favorite toppings! The possibilities are endless. In addition to fresh cilantro leaves, try diced red onion, sour cream, candied jalapenos, lettuce, avocado, green onions, and lime juice.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Fry the eggs in oil, or cook them to your liking.
In a large skillet, simmer the green salsa.
Add six cups of tortilla chips to the green sauce.
Top chips with eggs, cheese, and toppings.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
You want to crush up the tortilla chips into bite-sized pieces. Too big and they won't fit on your fork. Too small, and they'll disappear into the salsa.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- Frying pan
- Large skillet
🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
Unfortunately, chilaquiles are best when fresh from the stove. I don't recommend keeping leftovers.
Psst—on my website, you can click on the number of servings in the recipe card and slide it to scale the recipe. That way, you'll make only as much as your family can enjoy in one sitting!
Marye's Tip o' the day
Depending on the texture of your green salsa, you may need to add a bit of stock or water if your chilaquiles are too dry. Use my photos as a reference, adding liquid little by little until it looks right.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- To make your own tortilla chips, fry tortillas until they're golden brown. Scoop them out carefully with a slotted spoon and let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate or large baking sheets.
- Use UNSALTED tortilla chips or your chilaquiles may be too salty to eat.
- Thick, hearty tortilla chips do taste best in chilaquiles. However, whatever you have will do the trick.
- Cook eggs over low heat so that they don't burn or stick. And, for a true sunny-side-up egg, don't flip it! Otherwise, it's just a fried egg—still tasty, though.
- When serving, the chips should still have a slight crunch. They only need a few minutes to cook. Any longer, and they'll get mushy.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Chilaquiles is one of my favorite brunch recipes. The traditional dish is made of fried tortillas simmered in a homemade sauce and topped with eggs, meat, beans, anything! That's the beauty of chilaquiles—you can switch it up in so many different ways.
Nope, but they're very close. Rojo/roja means "red" in Spanish, while verde means "green."
So, chilaquiles rojos (sometimes spelled chilaquiles rojas) are cooked with a red sauce. If you want to try that, feel free to swap the green salsa (salsa verde) for red salsa (or salsa roja.)
If you're really in a pinch, you can get away with this swap. However, salsa tends to taste fresher. Plus, enchilada sauce can be thinner.
Yep! However, easy green chilaquiles are great any time of the day. Ever heard of breakfast for dinner? My favorite!
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- We love Crockpot Christmas Breakfast Casserole around the holidays, but it's an easy, quick, hearty brunch idea that's good all year 'round!
- Buttery crescent roll dough is the base of simple, satisfying Sausage Gravy Breakfast Pizza—great on school days and sport-filled weekends.
- Packed with southwestern flavor and easy to make for a crowded table, Mexican Cheese and Sausage Quiche satisfies the hungriest eaters!
🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
These Kid-Friendly Banana Yogurt Parfaits are the perfect pairing for any hearty brunch. Plus, adults love 'em too!
You can't have a proper Tex-Mex brunch without Honeydew Fruit Salsa. This versatile, unique, and refreshing salsa is tough to stop eating—I mean it!
If you're like me and need a bit of sweetness with every meal (yes, even breakfast), be sure to whip up a loaf of tender Cinnamon Swirl Bread. It's absolutely divine with a hefty pat of melted butter.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
Y'all, this breakfast always brings back (fuzzy) memories of my wild teenage years and stopping for a 2 am breakfast when the disco closed down!
You don't need to be hungover to enjoy this recipe, though - aren't you glad? It's so good!
Just be sure to use salt free chips and salt to your own taste. This dish can get mighty salty if you don't.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Green Chilaquiles (Chilaquiles Verde)
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 eggs
- 16 ounces salsa verde
- 10 ounces tortilla chips, unsalted preferred - 6 cups.
- 1 cup Cheddar, shredded, 4 ounces
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- chicken stock or water, as needed
Instructions
- Slightly crush the tortilla chips and set aside.
- Heat a heavy skillet until hot. Add oil and move around with a spatula to cover the bottom of the skillet with a coating of the oil.
- Crack the eggs into the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cover and lower the heat to very low flame or setting.
- Cook eggs for 4 minutes or until set and sunny side up - or your preferred consistency for the yolk.
- Meanwhile bring the salsa to a simmer in another large skillet.
- Add the tortilla chips and stir to cover with the hot salsa verde.
- Add a little water or chicken stock if the mixture seems too dry.
- Cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes or until heated through.
- Top with the eggs and cheese.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.
Notes
- It's important to use unsalted tortilla chips in this recipe if possible!
- To make your own tortilla chips, fry stale tortillas until they're golden brown. Scoop them out carefully with a slotted spoon and let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate or large baking sheets.
- Thick, hearty tortilla chips do taste best in chilaquiles. However, whatever you have will do the trick.
- When serving, the chips should still have a slight crunch. They only need a few minutes to cook. Any longer, and they'll get mushy.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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