Chilaquiles - “Breakfast Nachos” (and yes they are as good as they sound)

Chilaquiles are a very traditional Mexican dish, popular in almost all Mexican households. They can be extremely budget friendly, are highly versatile, and traditionally incorporate ingredients that are a staple in Mexico - chilis, corn, and regional spices. To make authentic chilaquiles, you would fry quartered corn tortillas until crisp, then cook them in a salsa until completely coated and sprinkle with cheese. They are typically served with an egg on top, and beans on the side.

For my chilaquiles recipe, I wanted to try something different which was absolutely delicious, but came out as more of a play on chilaquiles rather than an authentic recipe, but super yummy nonetheless.

The first classic item I changed for my dish was the tortillas. In chilaquiles or any nacho dish, corn tortilla is used because once fried, it gets crispy like the chips we know and love. But with FLOUR tortillas, once fried (or baked) the chips take on a different texture. They have more of a puffy, doughy-ness to them and can be slightly crisp on the outside but will have more chew to them. I went this route for my chilaquiles really just to mix things up, but I do also really enjoy the mouthfeel they add to a dish.

To make the chips, I just cut the flour tortillas into triangles, brushed with EVOO on a baking sheet and dusted with Ancho Chili Powder and Flaky Sea Salt. I baked them in the oven at 400 for about 10 minutes until they turned a nice golden brown.

I was looking to do a play on an American “Steak and Eggs with a glass of orange juice” type of breakfast, so for the protein in my chilaquiles dish I went with New York Strip steak. I marinated the meat in fresh squeezed orange and lime juices - enough so that the meat was completely coated. I also mixed freshly grated garlic and ancho chili powder into the marinade and let that sit for a couple hours in the fridge. Once ready to assemble my dish, I grilled the steak so it had a nice char on the outside, and was a perfect medium-rare on the inside.

Let’s talk about salsas - I went with two sauce options for my dish, one being a Smokey Chipotle Adobo salsa and the other being a creamy Cilantro Aioli to bring a nice cooling component to the heat from the adobo.

Here is how I made the Adobo Salsa:

Roast the following, coated in EVOO, salt and pepper, at 420 for about 20-30 minutes or until everything has charred and softened.

3 large tomatoes (any kind work fine, i went with Roma)

3 Anaheim peppers (on the mild side, the heat comes in later)

1 medium white & 1 medium red onion

5 gloves of garlic

Once roasted, add everything into food processor along with 1/2 cup cilantro, (stems and leaves are fine) juice from 2 limes, and 3/4 can of adobo chili - the peppers AND the sauce.

Process until thoroughly combined. I will preface this recipe and let you know, this is SPICY. To tone down some of the heat you can add just the Adobo sauce or less of the Adobo chilis to your liking.

Now for a nice light sauce - Cilantro Aioli. This one added a really nice creaminess to the chilaquiles and was a good compliment to the Adobo salsa. Here is how I made this sauce.

Combine all of the following into a blender (I used my Nutri Bullet)

1 egg

Juice from 2 limes

3/4 - 1 cup EVOO

4-5 cloves of garlic depending on size and taste preference

1/2 cup cilantro - stems and leaves

1/4 cup pickled jalapeños (can also swap for fresh)

Salt and Pepper to taste

I just blended until creamy and smooth - easy and really delicious!

The last ingredient to prepare were the eggs! I wanted something really nice and yolky, so I went with poached eggs. I feel like people are afraid to poach an egg for some reason but it is actually really easy! All you need to do is get a pot of salted water to boil, then reduce the heat down to gently simmer. Once simmering, I like to take my spoon and swirl the water in a circle, to get it going in kind of a whirlpool movement. I softy drop my cracked egg into the whirlpool, then keep the water moving for about 2-3 minutes, until you see the white has cooked, the process moves pretty quickly.

Scoop out with a slotted spoon and that is it! Now that my eggs were prepared and all the other dish components were ready, it was time to plate. (this is the best part)

In my bowl I put together the Chilaquiles - a layer of my flour tortillas, followed by pieces of the strip steak, drizzled both the Cilantro Aioli and the Smoky Adobo on, a sprinkle of Cotija Cheese, and continued this process until all the ingredients were used! I topped the bowl with my poached eggs and another sprinkle of Cotija and cilantro leaves. Spoiler alert - THIS WAS SO GOOD! This dish really had everything you need - different textures, salty and sweet, creamy and rich but also super spicy.

I have ordered Chilaquiles in restaurants many times, but never made them myself before. It was fun to try something new and put my personal spin on it, especially with a dish that is naturally so versatile to begin with! Give my recipe a try or create your own and let me know how you approached your homemade Chilaquiles!