Chilaquiles Rojos with deep, bold flavors! Crispy corn tortillas, smothered in a tomato & chiles sauce topped with Mexican crema and queso fresco. This Chilaquiles recipe is an authentic Mexican recipe that you’ll love!
Another favorite dish is this Chilaquiles Verdes; same process but with a different Tomatillo sauce. Use baked or fried tortilla chips for best results but in a pinch, use store bought ones.
Chilaquiles is a sort of tortilla casserole. In its simplest form, it consists of a freshly made salsa into which you stir fried tortillas. You can top with eggs, or mixed with shredded chicken or even some sauteed shrimp!
Another favorite dish is this Chilaquiles Verdes; same process but with a different Tomatillo sauce.
The secret of this delicious recipe is the amazing sauce. Smoky deep flavor but not much heat. I definitely recommend making the sauce the day before and make a double batch of sauce so you have for future.
Once you have sauce made this is quick and easy to assemble.
Ingredients
- Corn tortillas - Chilaquiles are better made with old tortillas than with fresh ones. If you only have fresh tortillas they will work too. Just take them out of the bag and let them get stale for a few hours.
- Canola & avocado oil. Enough to coat the tortillas if baking or about two cups if frying.
FOR THE SAUCE (MAKES A LITTLE BIT OVER TWO CUPS OF SALSA)
- 3 roma tomatoes
- ⅓ onion white or yellow
- 2 guajillo chiles seeded
- 2 or 3 chiles de arbol Use more if you like it very spicy
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ Tablespoon knorr chicken bullion or vegetable flavor
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
How To Make Chilaquiles Rojos
MAKE THE SAUCE
- In a small or medium saucepan, add two cups of water, chiles, tomatoes, onion & garlic. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a soft boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 7 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
This sauce is so good and easy to make in large batches to keep in the fridge or freeze for later!
- In a blender, add one cup of the cooking water, the chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic plus all of the spices. Puree for one or two minutes until everything is pureed well.
- Note: Reserve the remaining of the cooking water for now in case the sauce becomes too thick
- Add one tablespoon oil to a saucepan/skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the tomato/chile puree (careful, it will sizzle!). Turn the heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce darkens and thickens a little bit.
- Taste and adjust salt & pepper.
Cook the sauce for another 5 minutes on medium-low to incorporate all of the flavors well and to thicken the sauce a little bit.
MAKE THE CHILAQUILES ROJOS
- While the sauce is cooking, fry or bake the tortillas. You can follow this post for instructions on how to do this if help is needed
- In the saucepan where the sauce is cooking, stir in the tortilla chips, and fold until the tortilla is coated with the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Serve immediately so that the tortillas chips don't become too soggy. They will soften up fast!
Toppings & Pairings
The Pairing:
Chilaquiles must always be served with refried beans! It's like peanut butter & jelly....they were born to be together! But if refried beans are not your thing, then these Calabacitas are another perfect pairing.
Served along a sunny side up egg is an another common option. If you visit a restaurant in Mexico, you must ask for the egg as it's not automatically served with Chilaquiles. Just request a "huevo estrellado"and they'll know what you're talking about :D.
The Toppings:
The most common Chilaquiles toppings are:
- Crumbled Queso Fresco or Cotija. If you can't find these Mexican quesos, crumbled feta cheese is a good substitute. I have even done shredded mozzarella! Not shame in that 🙂
- Mexican Crema. A good substitute is Creme Fraiche or sour cream. But better yet, my Cilantro Lime Ranch Mexican Crema should be your second choice!
- Avocado
- Sliced onions
- Chopped cilantro
FAQ
Chilaquiles is a sort of a tortilla casserole. It consists fried tortilla chips smothered with a freshly made tomato & chile sauce. Sometimes eggs are added, and sometimes chicken as well.
Definitely! Make the chips and the salsa ahead of time and putting this dinner together could take less than 15 minutes!
Yes. If you don't want your chips to lose any crispiness, you can add the sauce as you serve them. Make sure to mix them well!
Now all you have to do is inhale these Chilaquiles Rojos!!! They are so good I guarantee they will become a staple for your breakfast, lunch or dinner menu!
Now the question is, fried egg or not? ☺️
If you make this recipe I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment and a rating below ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as it helps other users (plus it makes me happy!). This is one awesome way to support this blog so that I can keep creating good content for you! Enjoy!
Recipe
Chilaquiles Rojos
Equipment
- Blender
- Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas See note below
- canola & avocado oil enough to coat the tortillas if baking or about two cups if frying.
For the sauce (Makes a little bit over two cups of salsa)
- 3 roma tomatoes
- ⅓ onion white or yellow
- 2 guajillo chiles seeded
- 2 or 3 chiles de arbol Use more if you like it very spicy
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ Tablespoon knorr chicken or vegetable flavor
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Toppings
- Mexican Crema
- queso fresco
- Avocado
- red or white onion slices
Instructions
Make the sauce
- In a small or medium saucepan, add two cups of water, chiles, tomatoes, onion & garlic. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a soft boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 7 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
- In a blender, add one cup of the cooking water, the chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic plus all of the spices. Puree for one or two minutes until everything is pureed well.
- Note: Reserve the remaining of the cooking water for now in case the sauce becomes too thick
- Add one tablespoon oil to a saucepan/skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the tomato/chile puree (careful, it will sizzle!). Turn the heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce darkens and thickens a little bit.
- Taste and adjust salt & pepper.
Make the chilaquiles
- While the sauce is cooking, fry or bake the tortillas
- In the saucepan where the sauce is cooking, stir in the tortilla chips, and fold until the tortilla is coated with the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Serve immediately so that the tortillas chips don't become too soggy. They will soften up fast!
- Drizzle with crema, sprinkle the cheese, and sliced avocado on the top.
Notes
Nutrition
My kids loved this dish! I had a few packs of tortilla wraps needing used up as they were a few days over the best before date! Love that this recipe calls for stale tortillas as I really dislike wasting food. I made my sons favourite refried beans and coupled with these Chilaquiles Rojos he has discovered his new favourite meal! Thanks.
I didn't realize how easy it is to make a homemade red sauce like this. So tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
My friends always claim I am too picky about Mexican food, but this Chilaquiles Rojos is what it's all about! Very delish and super authentic! I loved it. There are very few Mexican restaurants in the US that I will eat at. I spent a month every year in Mexico, and the food was day and night compared to what I see here. I'm so glad I found your blog!
I love Chilaquiles and the sauce was amazing!
Perfect for snacking on or for a quick lunch once the sauce is made.
This was delicious! Thank you!
This Chilaquiles Rojos recipe is the bomb! The red sauce really the star in this show ?