Prepare Mexican Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles are a Mexican dish that is traditionally prepared using stale or leftover tortillas. Today, chilaquiles are typically prepared using fried tortilla strips or tortilla chips in a spicy salsa-like sauce. The sauce is usually red or green depending on the ingredients used. Chilaquiles may include the addition of meat like chicken or turkey, or eggs, as it is generally prepared for breakfast. Here are a few steps on how to prepare Mexican chilaquiles.

Ingredients

Method One: Chicken Chilaquiles

• 1 28 oz. (784 g) can tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno chile
• 1/4 cup (56.7 g) onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. (14 ml) canola oil
• 1/2 to 1 cup (113 to 225 ml) chicken stock
• Salt
• 1 large chicken breast, poached and shredded.
• 8 corn tortillas or 2 cups (454 g) baked tortilla chips
• 1/2 cup (113 g) crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
• 2 tbsp. (28 g) chopped cilantro
• 1 small red onion

Method Two: Turkey Chilaquiles

• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion, divided
• 2 cups diced cooked turkey
• 1 4-oz. can diced green chiles
• 3 cups purchased medium-hot salsa with chipotles and garlic (from about two 16-ounce jars)
• 4 cups unsalted tortilla chips
• 2 cups crumbled Cotija cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Sour cream

Method Three: Vegetarian Chilaquiles

• 8 medium tomatillos (1 1/2 lbs.), husked and rinsed
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed
• 1/2 white onion, halved again
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 bay leaf
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp. corn oil
• Vegetable oil
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 2 tbsp. mild feta cheese
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped white onion
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
• Crema fresca for garnish

Steps

Chicken Chilaquiles

1. Poach a chicken breast and allow it to cool. Once the large chicken breast has cooled, you should shred it. You don't have to prepare this chicken right as you're making the chilaquiles. You can do this earlier in the day, or use leftover poached chicken from the day before.
2. Prepare the red sauce for the chilaquiles. To make the red sauce, put a can of tomatoes, a jalapeno chile, 1/4 cup (56.7 g) onion and 2 garlic cloves into a blender, and blend the contents until it becomes the consistency of a coarse puree.
3. Prepare to fry the tortillas. Here's what you should do to prepare them:
   • Slice 8 corn tortillas into strips or wedges.
   • Add canola oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. The oil should measure about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) up the side of the pan.
   • Fry the tortillas. Fry the tortillas in groups without overcrowding the pan for 10 to 20 seconds each until they are lightly browned and crisp.
   • Remove the tortillas from the oil and drain them on paper towels.
4. Prepare the red sauce. Here's how you do it:
   • Heat 1 tbsp. (14 ml) of canola oil in a skillet and then add the prepared red sauce.
   • Stir the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes thick and dark. Add chicken stock if the sauce becomes too thick, and then season to taste with salt.
   • Lower the heat and simmer the sauce for another 15 minutes until it is thick enough to coat a spoon.
5. Add the shredded chicken breast to the mixture. Here's what you should do:
   • Shred the chicken breast into smaller pieces while the sauce is simmering, and slice 1 small red onion into thick rings.
   • Add the shredded chicken breast to the sauce and stir to combine. Stir the chicken until it is heated through.
6. Fry the tortilla. Place the fried tortilla pieces into the pan and stir the mixture together for 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add the garnish. Crumble 1/2 cup (113 g) of queso fresco or feta cheese, 2 tbsp. (28 g) chopped cilantro and the rings of the red onion over the mixture.

Turkey Chilaquiles

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C).
2. Heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in an ovenproof skillet. The heavier and larger the skillet, the better.
3. Add 1 1/4 cups of red onion to the skillet. Sauté the onion until it begins to soften, which should take about five minutes.
4. Add the turkey and the chiles. Add 2 cups of diced cooked turkey and 1 4 oz. can of diced green chiles. Sauté those ingredients for another three minutes.
5. Stir in the salsa. Add the medium-hot salsa with chipotles and garlic and stir the ingredients together until it's heated through, for another 3 minutes. Season the salsa with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Stir in the tortilla chips. Sprinkle the chips with the rest of the 1/4 cup of red onion and the 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro.
7. Garnish. Drizzle the turkey chilaquiles with sour cream and serve them while they're hot.

Vegetarian Chilaquiles

1. Boil the vegetables. To make the salsa verde, just place 8 medium husked and rinsed tomatillos, 1 serrano chile, 1/2 white onion, and 2 garlic cloves in a medium pot and add enough water to cover them. Boil the water over high heat and then let it simmer over medium-low until the vegetables are soft and tomatillos turn a nice pale green. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Then, remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool a bit.
2. Puree the vegetables. Move the boiled vegetables, and the water they were cooked in, to a blender. Puree them for a few seconds until they're blended. Then, add the bay leaf, thyme, salt, vegetable broth, and oregano. Keep pureeing them until they're smooth. This will give you about 1 quart of salsa verde.
3. Place a wide pot over medium-high heat and coat it with corn oil. Pour in the salsa verde and wait for it to bubble a little. Then, reduce the heat to medium and stir occasionally until the sauce has thickened. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and reduce the heat to low until you're done with the chips.
4. Heat the vegetable oil. Pour enough vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot to cover about 2 inches of it. Heat the oil to 375°F (176°C) over medium-high heat.
5. Fry the tortilla strips. First, cut the tortillas in 8 wedges. They should look like slices of pie. Fry them in batches and turn them over with a skimmer or a slotted spoon to keep them from sticking. Keep going until they're golden brown, for about 2-3 minutes. Then remove the chips and place them on a paper towel to let them cool.
6. Combine the salsa, chips, and eggs. Raise the heat of the salsa verde to medium and stir in the eggs you've beaten once the sauce starts to bubble. After about five seconds, once the eggs feather into the sauce, add the tortilla chips. Toss them gently until they've absorbed enough sauce to become soft. Sprinkle Jack cheese over the tops of the chilaquiles and let it melt.
7. Garnish. Sprinkle the chilaquiles with queso fresco, cilantro, and chopped onion. Drizzle them with crema fresca and serve them immediately.

Tips

• There are many variations of chilaquiles. Try replacing turkey for chicken, or add poached or fried eggs on top of the chilaquiles, which is common for breakfast.
• For convenience, you can use jarred salsa in place of the red sauce, and baked tortilla chips in place of the fried tortilla strips.

Things You'll Need

• Skillet
• Paper towels

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Sources and Citations

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• Make a Mexican Pie
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• Make Hot Tamales
• Make Corn Tortillas
• Make Empanadas
• Make Your Own Tortillas
• Fold a Tortilla
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