This Authentic Chilaquiles Verdes recipe is everything you love about a classic Mexican meal. Crispy corn tortillas smothered in a flavorful tomatillo sauce plus your favorite toppings. Easy to customize and always so delicious!
**This post was originally published on July 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Green Chilaquiles
With a tangy green salsa and corn tortillas, this classic green Chilaquiles is ideal for brunch, dinner, or anytime in between.
Chilaquiles are considered to be one of the oldest dishes in Mexican history, since the main ingredients: corn and chili, were (and still are) one of the most important foods during the pre-hispanic era. That is why this dish has always been prepared in Mexican kitchens, the preparation is divided into three phases that consist of preparing the tortillas, making the Tomatillo Salsa Verde and decorating in a way that turns out to be a true delight.
Chilaquiles are very popular in Mexico since you can add anything you have in hand; use leftover corn tortillas (oven baked to perfection), and even store bought tortilla chips…..we won’t judge you for that 🙂
I’ve got you covered if you’re looking for Chilaquiles Rojos!!
Featured comment:
“Made it this morning and it was delish! I chose to fry the tortillas in hot oil on the stove to save a little time. The hubs and daughter loved it! Thank you for sharing.“
CRYSTAL
The Ingredients
- The Tortilla – Take advantage of leftover tortillas. When frying tortillas, old tortillas turn out to be crispier than freshly made ones. For this recipe I used baked tortilla chips but they can also be fried in hot oil if you prefer.
- The Sauce – A classic salsa verde is all you need for this simple dish. Make my homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde for the best chilaquiles you’ll ever make! In a pinch, use store bought salsa.
- Toppings – Mexican crema Queso Fresco and about 1/2 cup Cilantro Lime Rancho Crema
- If having it for breakfast (or any time of day for that matter!) Add 1 to 2 fried eggs per person. In fact, In Mexico, this is the most traditional way to eat chilaquiles.
Tips and Substitutes
***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.
How to make Chilaquiles Verdes
Making chilaquiles it’s simple, but it also has a level of complexity, such as: the thickness of the sauce or the crispness of the tortilla. Let me show you how to make amazing chilaquiles verdes:
Make crispy tortillas:
Take advantage of leftover tortillas
Use the tortillas that you have left over from the week as these turn out to be crispier than freshly made tortillas when frying them.
Cut them into small triangles or strips. There are two ways you can make them crispy. Baked or fried in oil.
- Baked: Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Brush the corn tortillas triangles with olive oil (use 2 Tbsp or as much as needed) and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. - Sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly brown and crispy. Set aside.
- Fried: it is important that you fry them perfectly in preheated vegetable oil and cover them with oil, to achieve this you can fry them in small batches so that the oil in the pan covers the tortilla completely. When they’re fried to a golden crisp place them on a rack or on absorbent paper to release excess oil while the sauce is being prepared.
- Meanwhile, add the 2 cups of Salsa Verde in a medium pan and simmer until hot.
- Add the crispy tortilla chips to the pan with the Salsa Verde and fold until all of the tortillas are covered.
Serve immediately while the tortillas are crispy and the sauce is hot.
What to serve with Chilaquiles Verdes
- Top with crumbled queso fresco or cotija and drizzle some Mexican crema or my Cilantro Lime Rancho Crema.
- Also chopped cilantro, avocado, chopped or sliced onions.
- Serve with fried eggs (almost a must!) and refried beans for the perfect combination of flavors.
How to Store
This is one of those dishes that are best when eaten fresh as the tortillas will get too soggy. The flavor will not change but the texture will. But there is nothing wrong with eating leftover chilaquiles! In my home, they would not go to waste.
- Fridge – store the already cooked enchilada casserole, just place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Do chilaquiles reheat well?
To reheat, simply place them in microwave, cover with a lid and heat for 2 or 3 minutes depending on the amount you have.
I don’t recommend reheating on the stove as the sauce will dry up. However, if you have extra sauce in the fridge, you can always freshen them up with a little extra.
FAQs
They share the same ingredients but the difference is the way they’re prepared and how you eat them.
The enchilada is made with tortillas bathed in the sauce, which can be red or green, made with mole, beans, etc. Then is stuffed with chicken, shredded beef, beans or cheese. The tortillas are rolled and topped with lettuce and a bunch of other toppings.
Chilaquiles on the other hand, are made tortilla chips then smothered in the green or red sauce. You can add shredded chicken, lots of cheese, cream and onion, although it is not necessary.
The most popular types are verdes and rojos.
They should be served crispy and crunchy, however, since the tortillas are smothered with the sauce, they will naturally get soft soft with time. That’s why it’s important to eat them right away if you like them nice and crispy.
MORE delicious…
Mexican Breakfasts Recipes
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Chilaquiles Verdes (Green Chilaquiles) Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas cut into triangles
- 3 Tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil For baking the tortillas. See note below
- 2 cups homemade Tomatillo Salsa Verde or store bought
- ⅓ cup queso fresco or cotija crumbled
- 2 to 4 eggs optional
- ½ cup mexican crema or cilantro Lime Rancho Crema
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush the corn tortillas triangles with olive oil (use 2 Tbsp or as much as needed) and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly brown and crispy. Set aside
- Meanwhile, add the 2 cups of Salsa Verde in a medium pan and simmer until hot.
- Add the crispy tortilla chips to the pan with the Salsa Verde and fold until all of the tortillas are covered.
- Serve immediately while the tortillas are crispy
- Top with crumbled queso fresco and drizzle some Mexican crema or my Cilantro Lime Rancho Crema
- Serve with fried eggs (optional) and refried beans.
Muy Delish Notes:
- You can skip the baking process and fry the tortillas in hot oil until evenly crispy. Start with one cup of hot oil.
- You can make the Tomatillo Sauce ahead of time to save time for weeknight dinners.
- Using rotisserie chicken will save additional time as well!
Add Your Own Private Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
Chilaquiles is one of my all time favorite Mexican meals and I’ve been making them as far back as I can remember. I think I started making them since I was 14 years old! Of course back then I didn’t make everything from scratch and used tomato sauce spiced with chili powder instead of homemade sauce but it still tasted like heaven!
I love this verde version of chilaquiles! It was delicious. I even made your Tomatilla Salsa Verde to use in it! Scrumptious!
Love this dish. Anything Mexican is always welcome in my kitchen.
This is my favorite to make! I love chilaquiles verde especially making my own chips and your homemade sauce.
Love that you include an option for a homemade salsa verde, I never knew it could be that simple to make. The whole dish looks fabulous!
These chilaquiles were SO good! We loved them for our Friday night casual dinner and this is going in the regular rotation. Thank you!
I’m delighted you like them Colleen! Thank you so much for the feedback 🙂 xo, Ana
Absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much Gayle!
Both of your chilaquiles recipes are the best ones I have ever made! My hubby can’t get enough of these green chilaquoles too lol! Thanks for the recipe!
Made it this morning and it was delish! I chose to fry the tortillas in hot oil on the stove to save a little time. The hubs and daughter loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Great to hear this Crystal! Chilaquiles are truly one of my favorite dishes to eat. I also fry the tortilla when I’m short in time. Thank you so much for the feedback! Stay well 🙂
Mis favoritos!!!!
Gracias Malena! Son de mis favoritos tambien! TQM!
This is such a great idea!! Totally addictive! Me and my husband couldn’t stop eating this!
Awesome to hear this Toni! Happy New Year!
Can’t wait to make these! This will be the perfect change of pace after all the traditional holiday food.
I agree! I’m actually having chinese food for dinner on New Years eve…I’m tired of tamales in my case LOL! Have a good one!
This dish is an all-time favorite in my home! Like you said – perfect anytime! We love this for breakfast!
So good to hear this Patricia! I actually like chilaquiles for breakfast too. Fried eggs are a must!
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Thank you so much Beth! Enjoy these chilaquiles verdes! I’m sure your family will love them. xoxo, Ana
Such a simple snack that will still impress! I love baking my own tortilla chips so this is perfect.
Awesome Megan! Thanks so much for the feedback! xoxo, ana
Very simple and delicious!
I was a bit skeptical about this recipe. Never tried this before and being the gringo I am would never have made anything like this. Well, well – turns out this is a wonderful dish. Nice change of pace for breakfast or any meal for that matter.
I love red ones but I think these are my fave now!
Sounds great but when do you add the tortilla chips?