Easy Chilaquiles Verdes
Our Easy Chilaquiles Verdes recipe brings you traditional Mexican comfort food made easy. A few simple ingredients turn into a zesty breakfast that is so satisfying and flavorful. Corn tortillas are lightly fried, then added to scrambled eggs, salsa verde, and pepper jack cheese to make up this quick and easy casserole-like dish that is made directly on your stovetop.
Garnish this quick and easy breakfast dish with more salsa, avocado, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and our version of healthy Mexican crema to create a delicious and hearty breakfast dish just like Abuelita (Grandma) used to make! It also happens to be vegetarian and gluten free! Want to learn how to Pimp Our Recipe? Read more about this in our Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/23/22
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Healthy Mexican Crema (optional)
STEP 1
In a small mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons plain 0% Greek yogurt, ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice, a pinch of Himalayan salt, and ½ teaspoon water (or more if needed). Stir to thoroughly combine until it becomes a thick, liquidy consistency.
Note: Using this Healthy Mexican Crema as a garnish is optional. If you prefer, you can omit this garnish, or use store bought Mexican Crema instead.
Chilaquiles
STEP 1
Take a few minutes to prep all your ingredients in advance so you can quickly add them during the cooking process. Stack 6 corn tortillas (about 6 inch), and with a sharp knife slice into 8 strips (or triangles), and set aside.
Note: Instead of slicing the tortillas, you can also tear them into pieces.
STEP 2
Shred ¾ cup Jalapeño Jack Cheese, crumble 2 tablespoons Cotija cheese, chop 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, dice ½ an avocado (optional garnish - see Note below), and set each one aside.
Note: You can toss the avocado in a little fresh lime juice to help prevent it from oxidizing.
STEP 3
Place a 10 inch nonstick omelet fry pan on medium heat, and heat ½ tablespoon corn oil (or olive oil) until very hot. Add half the tortilla strips to the pan, spreading them out into a single layer. Let them sizzle for 1 minute, then flip over, sprinkle a scant pinch of Himalayan salt all over tortillas, and finish cooking until they are very light golden in color. Transfer to a dish, and set aside. Add ½ tablespoon corn oil (or olive oil) and heat until very hot. Repeat this process with remaining tortilla strips, season with a little salt, transfer to the dish, and set aside.
STEP 4a
In a small bowl, add 4 eggs, a pinch of Himalayan salt, a pinch of ground black pepper, and using a Fiskie or a fork, beat until frothy.
STEP 4b
Using the same nonstick omelet fry pan, heat remaining ½ tablespoon corn oil (or olive oil) on medium heat. Once hot, add beaten eggs, and scramble eggs by stirring with a spatula, until almost cooked.
STEP 4c
When almost cooked, spread out eggs, add cooked tortilla strips, and toss with a spatula. Then add 1 cup salsa verde (see Note below), quickly toss to coat eggs and tortillas, and spread into an even layer.
Note: Although homemade salsa is always best, we recommend using either Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde or Herdez Salsa Verde for this recipe. The flavors of both these store bought salsas are very authentic and complement the ingredients in this dish.
STEP 5
Sprinkle shredded jalapeño jack cheese evenly over eggs and tortillas, cover pan with a lid, and turn heat to low. Cook covered until cheese is melted.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve in individual plates, and garnish with remaining ½ cup salsa verde, crumbled cotija cheese, ½ diced avocado, drizzle 2 tablespoons Healthy Crema (or store bought Mexican crema) over the top, and sprinkle chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Recipe can be doubled, or tripled to make more servings. Just be sure to use a larger nonstick fry pan, and lightly fry the tortilla strips in batches so they all get a little golden on the edges.
VIDEO
How to Make these Quick and Easy Chilaquiles Verdes!
Blog Comments & Tips
Mexican Breakfast Made Easy!
Our Easy Chilaquiles Verdes recipe brings you traditional Mexican comfort food made easy. This easy breakfast recipe was adapted from my grandmother’s kitchen.
Chilaquiles have been one of my all-time favorite breakfast dishes since I was a young child. I would visit my grandmother every weekend, and always asked her to make me chilaquiles for breakfast. Truth be told, I loved them so much I really didn’t care what time of day she would make them! Depending on what salsa she had whipped up that week, she would make her chilaquiles with either red or green salsa. Chilaquiles verdes (made with salsa verde - green sauce) was always my favorite, as the flavor was a little milder, sweeter, and a bit tangy.
These days, most Mexican restaurants that serve chilaquiles for breakfast or brunch, seem to use pre-made tortilla chips. It may be more convenient to use chips, but it never yields the same flavor as when you use fresh tortillas. Deep fried tortilla chips are also not as healthy, plus they end up tasting more like breakfast nachos to me. Depending on the restaurant, you could end up with chips for breakfast, or slightly soggy nachos.
Our family chilaquiles are intended to be soft, almost like a tortilla casserole. To achieve this traditional texture, instead of using pre-made tortilla chips, my grandmother would use fresh tortillas and tear them into pieces and toss them in the pan with the eggs. Depending on her mood, my grandmother would sometimes fry the torn tortillas in butter, or corn oil. The butter gave her chilaquiles a delicious flavor. Corn oil gave her chilaquiles a more traditional aroma, and amped up the corn flavor.
For our Easy Chilaquiles Verdes, we altered the recipe slightly by slicing tortillas into strips (or triangles if you prefer), then lightly pan frying them in a little corn oil (or olive oil). We also found corn oil to be a healthier option that also gave this dish a more traditional flavor. You can also substitute it with olive oil, if you prefer. To finish it off, we opted for our healthier version of Mexican Crema. We used nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with a little fresh lemon juice and some Himalayan salt, to give it the creamy and tangy flavor of traditional crema.
I was blessed to have a Latina grandmother who exposed me to so many traditions and flavors unique to Mexican and Spanish cultures. She was so skilled in the kitchen that she memorized all the ingredients and measurements for all her recipes, and believe me she had many! As a result of her fantastic memory and culinary skills, most of her recipes were sadly never documented.
My grandmother made chilaquiles for me so many times throughout my life that I have pretty much memorized her family recipe. To modernize this recipe, we tested a few different ingredients to make it quick and easy, and a little healthier. We hope you find this easy breakfast recipe to be as comforting and satisfying as we do. If you want to adapt it to your tastes, just visit the Pimp Our Recipe section below to get some ideas.
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 5 tips to making great Easy Chilaquiles Verdes:
High quality and fresh ingredients. For best results, use fresh eggs, grate your own cheese, and use organic cilantro. Store bought shredded cheeses often have stabilizers and preservatives to prevent them from sticking to one another.
Slice, grate, and chop all your ingredients before you get started, so you can add them to the recipe when it’s needed. This will ensure you don’t overcook your eggs.
Make sure your oil is hot before adding the tortilla strips, otherwise the tortillas will taste too oily because they will absorb the oil like a sponge. Also, don’t crowd your pan, and be sure to lightly fry them in batches so each tortilla strip is touching the pan.
Don’t be afraid to garnish, as it enhances the flavor of this dish.
To make this recipe extra easy, we recommend you use your favorite store bought salsa, and Mexican crema.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Spicy: Salsa verde is typically mild, but you can find good quality medium or even spicy green salsas at most markets in the International aisle. Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde (medium heat - in a jar or can) has a nice spicy and roasted flavor without overpowering the other ingredients. If that isn’t enough spiciness for you, then add one dried chile de arbol to the hot oil in the pan, while your tortillas are frying. That will probably blow your socks off!
Make it Authentic: This is an authentic chilaquiles recipe directly from my Latina grandmother’s kitchen (with a few modern changes). To make it really authentic, homemade salsa is always best. However, if you are using store bought we recommend either Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde or Herdez Salsa Verde for this recipe. The flavors of both these store bought salsas are very authentic and complement the ingredients in this dish. Replace our Healthy Mexican Crema with store bought Mexican Crema.
Make it Milder: Replace the Jalapeño Jack Cheese with ¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese.
Make it Oniony: Add ¼ cup chopped white onions to the hot oil in the pan before you add the eggs. Sauté the onions until golden on the edges, then add the beaten eggs, scramble them, and continue with the remainder of the recipe. Garnish with sliced green onions for an extra oniony flavor.
Make it Dairy Free: Use your favorite dairy-free Monterey jack cheese, and omit the Mexican crema.
Make it Healthier: Replace the corn oil with olive oil cooking spray. Just spray the hot pan before you fry the tortillas and before you add the eggs. This will reduce the calorie count by about 85 to 90 calories per serving.
Add a Meat Protein: It’s not uncommon to find shredded chicken or pork added to chilaquiles. Although we prefer the meatless version of chilaquiles, you can always add already cooked shredded chicken or pork when you add the sauce, or just top it with meat instead.
Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to heat your oil before you add the tortillas to the pan. Lightly fry them in one layer to ensure they all have some golden edges.
Adapted from an old family recipe from Micheline’s grandmother, we have modernized it to make it quick and easy, and a little healthier.
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