These Killer Red Chilaquiles are here to stay. They are also here to prove that the notion that authentic Mexican cuisine is far too complicated is not always accurate.
Sure, in times of old, when you had to dry the corn, boil it with slaked lime, let it soak in this concoction overnight and then the next day devote yourself to the grueling process of grinding it in a metate (stone grinder) by hand, yes! Now, that’s what you would call complicated! And that was just the masa dough process. We haven’t even got to making the tortilla yet, let alone the tortilla chips.
That is not to say you should not try to make your own salsa and bake or fry your own tortilla chips and I do suggest you do that when you can spare the time and feel like you want to experiment. Making your own stuff does impact the final flavor. I am providing you with the recipe for the Killer Red Chilaquiles tomato salsa in the recipe too.
However, in this day and age where you have everything dried, ground, canned and packed for you there is no valid excuse not to make these delectable Killer Red Chilaquiles.
I kid you not! You can have this dish ready to go in 20, tops, and enjoy it for breakfast, brunch or whenever you need to scratch that Mexican food craving itch.
Chilaquiles are also highly adaptable. Make them vegetarian and eat with beans, or add shredded chicken or beef; add variety by using mole, red or green salsa or serve them as a side dish for steak or fried eggs.
Notes
If you would like to make your own tortilla chips you can make them healthier by baking them (just cut up soft corn tortillas in bite size pieces, place on a baking dish and pop in the oven at 350 F ; bake until crispy and slightly brown.
You can also fry them: cut soft corn tortillas into bite size pieces, preheat olive or vegetable oil in a large pan and fry, stirring frequently, until brown and crispy. Wrap in paper kitchen towels to absorb fat.
Also, if you can find it, you can add a few Epazote (a flavorful Mexican herb) leaves to your salsa and blend them with the rest of the ingredients. It’s very hard to find here on the frontier but you will surely find it in the South of the USA in any Mexican market.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. (1 Kg) ripe Roma Tomatoes cut in chunks (for faster salsa use 2 – 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes)
- 1 small onion
- 1 small Jalapeno chile (seeded and deveined)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste (you can use 1 chicken broth cube instead of salt)
- 2 – 3 cups Tortilla chips (just add enough to make the chilaquiles moist)
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken (optional)
- A few slices (or as many as you’d like) of onion for garnish
- 3/4 cup Mexican or sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Oaxaca or Manchego cheese (shredded Mozarella or Pepper Jack are also great for this)
Instructions
- Place tomato chunks (or canned diced tomatoes and their juice) in the blender. Add the small onion, Jalapeno chile, and garlic clove.
- Pass salsa through sieve into a large pan. Add olive oil and cook until the whitish froth is gone. Cover to prevent splatter.
- Season with salt (or cubed chicken broth) and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Let the sauce simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the tortilla chips gradually. The point here is to achieve a perfect balance as you don’t want Chilaquiles that are either too soggy or too dry. You want to achieve moist Chilaquiles, so try not to dump all the tortilla chips into the salsa at once. Also keep in mind that the tortilla chips will keep absorbing moisture.
- Add the shredded chicken, if you are using it. Carefully mix everything to prevent breaking the tortilla chips too much.
- Add the sliced onion, spoon the cream all over and finally sprinkle the cheese on top. Let cheese melt and turn off the heat.
I love what you’ve done with the new blog plus everything loads so much faster, not to mention the delicious recipes!
Thank you! Glad you are visiting and enjoy the Chilaquiles!
…………………………………………………………ricos y faciles que hasta un hombre los puede hacer……………………………………………..jajajajajajajajajajajaja……………………………………saludoooooosss…………………………………………………….
Jajaja, que conste en actas que son tus palabras y no las mias, eh? Saludos, Neto!
de mis platos favoritos felicidades por el nuevo sitio se ve muy bien
De mis platillos favoritos tambien! Saludos y buen fin de semana, Adal.