Name: Authentic Chilaquiles Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2-4 eggs, cooked over easy or sunny side up; 10 corn tortillas; Canola, vegetable, or light olive oil, for frying; 1 1/2 cups homemade Salsa Verde (see notes) or store bought Salsa Verde; 1 1/2 cups salsa roja; 1/2 cup queso fresco or mozzarella; Garnish; 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped; 1 avocado, diced or sliced

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This is an Authentic Chilaquiles Recipe with eggs, avocado, cilantro, queso fresco, and Salsa Verde and Salsa Roja and baked to perfection.

This is one of my favorite Mexican breakfasts – you can have chilaquiles with a red sauce or a green sauce, but why not have both? I encourage you to make the homemade salsa verde.

You can toast the tortillas in the oven or fry them. I have seen some recipe that bought tortilla chips and use them. I would not go this route. Frying the tortillas really gives it that restaurant quality taste. This dish is the ultimate hangover dish in Mexico. You can garnish chilaquiles with eggs or chicken, and avocado, cilantro, queso fresco or cotija cheese, onion, tomato and serrano.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Mexican Poached Eggs and my Huevos Rancheros.

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What are chilaquiles?
Red or Green Sauce for Chilaquiles?
Chilaquiles Divorciados Ingredients
How to make Chilaquiles
Toppings for Chilaquiles
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Authentic Chilaquiles Recipe
Food safety

What are chilaquiles?

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish that involves cutting tortillas into quarters and frying them. The fried tortillas are used as a base for the dish. You top with salsa roja (red chile sauce) or salsa verde (green chile sauce).

Mexican food is very popular in the United States and this is one you need to try. There are so many toppings you can add to chilaquiles. Chilaquiles can be for meat eaters, vegetarians and there are even vegan options. For the vegan options, you can use fried tortillas, chile sauce, and top with avocado slices.

Red or Green Sauce for Chilaquiles?

There are so many different variations of chilaquiles, which makes it easy for you to customize to your preference. I personally love using both sauces, which in Mexico is called Chilaquiles Divorciados (Divorced Chilaquiles). You can buy the sauce from the store or make your own. You can also use one or the other, making either chilaquiles rojos or chilaquiles verdes.

Chilaquiles Divorciados Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make these Chilaquiles Divorciados. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Eggs
Corn tortillas
Canola oil
Salsa verde
Salsa roja
Queso fresco
Cilantro
Avocado

See recipe card for this Authentic Chilaquiles Recipe quantities.

How to make Chilaquiles

Add the pieces of tortilla into the pan and fry until golden.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Cut the corn tortillas up into 8ths, like a pizza. Pour oil into a deep pan, about ½ inch deep of oil. Heat up on medium heat and wait for the oil to shimmer. Add the pieces of tortilla into the pan and fry until golden. Flip to the other side and repeat. Remove the tortillas and lay them down on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the rest.

Pat the tortillas dry with a paper towel and split them up into two bowls. In one bowl mix your salsa verde and in the other mix salsa roja.

Top with the cheese and bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese melts.

Take the chilaquiles divorciados out of the oven and top with the eggs, cilantro, and avocado. Enjoy this Authentic Chilaquiles Recipe.

Take the chilaquiles out of the oven and top with the eggs, cilantro, and avocado.

Hint: Frying your tortillas makes it taste so much better than using tostadas or tortilla chips.

Toppings for Chilaquiles

Toppings: There are many different toppings to use for chilaquiles. You can use eggs, any style you want. You can use shredded chicken, pork or beef. My favorite toppings are crema, queso fresco, sliced onion, avocado, cilantro, refried beans, and even guacamole.

Salsa Verde: You can use store bought salsa verde or homemade salsa verde.

Salsa Roja: I used this store bought salsa roja.

Cheese: You will need any neutral cheese that melts easily. Oaxaca cheese is traditional for this dish, but if you cant find it, you can use mozzarella.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Spicy - top with hot sauce.
Deluxe - add guacamole, crispy onions, sour cream, or crema mexicana.
Kid friendly - use mild salsa, refried beans and queso fresco.

Check out these Breakfast Nopales.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

This Authentic Chilaquiles Recipe ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Frying your tortillas makes it taste so much better than using tostadas or tortilla chips. Make sure the oil is hot enough before you add the chopped tortilla.