Chilaquiles Rojos

March 3, 2024

If you eat a bag of tortilla chips for breakfast, you may get some judgy looks, but if those tortilla chips are homemade and tossed in a rich, smokey, spicy rojo sauce and topped with a runny egg…. well then you are having chilaquiles rojos for breakfast and that is more than acceptable.

Let’s get started…

So there are 3 elements to this Latin breakfast comfort food staple: the chips, the sauce and the toppings…

- - - Tortilla Chips: While you could use store bought chips here, freshly fried tortilla chips are substantially better. They are really easy to make and have a better thickness and texture that stands up to being tossed in a sauce. Store bought chips tend to get soggy quick, so if texture is important to you, make your own chips. If it really isn’t then feel free to grab a bag at the store.
    - Rojo Sauce: The sauce is the star of the show here. It is made with rehydrated dried ancho or guajillo chilies, charred tomatoes, onions and jalapeños, some garlic and cumin. It is smokey, it is rich, it is packed with flavor. You are going to love it.
    - The Toppings: You will often find chilaquiles topped with a runny egg, but this is just the start of what you can top these fabulous chips with. Crumbled cojita, fresh cilantro, crema, avocados, pickled onions… if you love it on a taco then go ahead and top your chilaquiles with it.

The first thing we need to do is rehydrate the dried chilies. They will need to be submerged in hot liquid for 15-20 minutes before we can use them in the rojo sauce. You can use water to rehydrate them, but I love using chicken or vegetable stock instead. We will be adding some of this liquid into the sauce, so why not use something flavorful?

Bring 2 cups of stock to a boil, transfer it off of the heat and add 6 dried ancho or guajillo chilies with the stem and seeds removed. Let them sit in the hot liquid until they are plump and pliable.

If you are going to make your own tortilla chips (and I really hope you do!) we will make them next.

Add several inches of a neutral oil into a large skillet placed over medium to medium high heat. While the oil is heating up, slice 10 corn tortillas into equal sized wedges.

Once the oil is at 350 degrees or a little piece of tortilla begins to sizzle as soon as it hits the oil, drop your tortilla wedges into the oil (about 20 at a time) and fry them until they are golden brown and crisp.

Transfer the freshly fried chips onto a paper towel lined baking sheet and hit them with a generous pinch of sea salt while they are still super hot. Repeat until all of your tortillas have been transformed into crispy chips and then set the chips aside while we make our rojo sauce…

In order to get the most out of our rojo sauce, we are going to add the vine ripened tomatoes, onion and jalapeño into an oven safe skillet and place it under your ovens high broiler until the edges are nicely charred.

Charring your vegetables helps to bring out their best flavor and adds additional layers to their complexity. It is definitely worth the extra few minutes.

Once they are charred, transfer them into a blender along with the rehydrated chilies, 4 cloves of garlic. a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and a pinch of black pepper.

Add about a cup of the stock used to rehydrate the chilies and blend until mostly smooth.

Note: If the mixture looks too thick, add additional stock to thin it out a bit. I usually end up adding a little bit more stock. You want the consistency to be like a thick soup, so if it appears to thick, add more stock and blend a little more.

Pour the rojo sauce back into the skillet you charred your vegetables in and place it over medium heat.

Simmer the rojo sauce for a few minutes to let it reduce and darken in color.

While the sauce is simmering, fry up your eggs and warm some black beans (they are totally optional, but a perfect addition to chilaquiles in my most humble of opinions).

Once the rojo sauce smells fantastic and has developed a deep red color, transfer the skillet off of the heat and toss in your tortilla chips. Mix until they are all generously coated in sauce and garnish with some crumbled cojita or queso fresco and fresh cilantro.

If that skillet doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what would.

Chilaquiles are best eaten soon after they are assembled in order to maintain some of the texture in the chips, but even after they chill for a bit on the table… they are still incredible.

My ultimate set up for chilaquiles is some smashed black beans, a big pile of chips, a sunny side up egg and a drizzle of crema or sour cream. It is a plate full of inviting flavors, colors and textures.

Chilaquiles rojos is one of those satisfying, comforting dishes that works for breakfast, brunch or dinner. It is something that I love to make for friends and family, but I also love making it for myself. After just a little bit of work, you will be richly rewarded with a truly fabulous meal.

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