Creamy Green Chilaquiles with Chicken, Eggs, and Avocado Recipe
Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican breakfast dish featuring crispy fried corn tortilla chips simmered in a flavorful red and green chile salsa, topped with queso fresco, crema, avocado, eggs, and served with refried black beans and shredded chicken for a heartier meal. This recipe balances tangy tomatillo brightness with rich red chile depth, creating a comforting and delicious meal perfect for mornings or brunch.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
Tortillas and Frying Oil
- 15 white corn tortillas (preferably older or stale)
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
Chiles and Broth
- 7 dried guajillo chiles
- 4 dried arbol chiles
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (474g)
Salsa Verde Ingredients
- 3 medium tomatillos, outer leaf removed and washed
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (4g)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Other Toppings and Accompaniments
- ½ small onion, sliced thinly
- 1/3 cup crumbled Queso fresco (40g)
- ¼ cup Mexican crema (56g) or sour cream
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 5 eggs, fried
- 15 ounce can black refried beans, warmed
- 1 ½ cups shredded chicken (optional for heartier option)
Instructions
- Fry Tortillas: Cut corn tortillas into 6 wedges and allow them to dry for a few hours or overnight, preferably using older or stale tortillas. Heat about an inch of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, fry tortilla wedges in batches, turning occasionally, until crisp. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Soak Dried Chiles: Cut dried guajillo and arbol chiles open with scissors, removing veins and seeds. Place chiles in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until softened, about 20-30 minutes.
- Blend Salsa Verde: While chiles cook, combine 1/3 cup chicken broth, garlic, oregano, and cumin seeds in a blender and blend well. Add tomatillos and ¼ cup fresh cilantro to the blender and blend until smooth.
- Simmer Salsa Verde: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook for 3 minutes. Remove onions to a separate plate. Pour blended tomatillo sauce into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Blend Red Chile Sauce: Remove softened chiles from their soaking liquid using a slotted spoon. Place chiles in a blender with 1 cup chicken broth and blend until smooth.
- Combine Sauces: Pour red chile sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the pot with the green sauce, pressing with a spoon to extract all sauce. Season with salt and simmer together for 10 minutes. Add an additional 2/3 cup chicken broth and simmer for 20 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with oregano or ground cumin if needed.
- Add Tortillas: Add the crispy tortilla wedges into the combined sauce and toss gently until well coated.
- Serve: Divide the chilaquiles onto plates. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco and sautéed onions, drizzle with Mexican crema, add chopped avocado and shredded chicken if desired. Serve alongside warm refried black beans and top each serving with a fried or sunny side up egg.
Notes
- For a lighter version, tortillas can be baked or air-fried instead of deep-fried.
- Older, stale tortillas work best as they absorb sauce without becoming mushy.
- Adjust the number of dried chiles according to your preferred spice level.
- Use low sodium chicken broth to better control salt in the dish.
- Shredded chicken is optional but adds heartiness to the meal.
- The refried beans can be warmed gently on the stovetop or microwave.
- Eggs can be prepared according to taste; fried sunny side up is traditional.
Keywords: chilaquiles, Mexican breakfast, tortilla chips, red chile sauce, green tomatillo salsa, queso fresco, crema, refried beans, fried eggs, shredded chicken
