Start your morning with the BEST Mexican breakfast: Mexican Chilaquiles Rojos! Lightly fried and crispy tortillas are the star of the show in salsa. Topped with scrambled eggs and cheese for a quick and easy breakfast or brunch recipe.
Or, if you’re like me, Chilaquiles Mexicanos is the perfect breakfast for dinner recipe! My kids love Brinner Recipes!
The best thing about Mexican Chilaquiles is how versatile this recipe is. You can serve with scrambled eggs or switch it up and try a fried egg on top instead.
Add different cheeses, shredded chicken, beef, or roasted veggies (we like adding roasted potatoes). The possibilities are endless! Because this easy chilaquiles recipe is so easy to mix up, it’s the perfect opportunity to use up any leftovers you have in the fridge.
You can even swap out the bag of tortilla chips in your pantry for the homemade chips in this recipe! If you are daring enough to go for it! I like to keep it simple and will stick to the bag of tortilla chips.
In fact, the only way this chilaquiles with eggs could get any better is if you add leftover slow-cooker roast beef or leftover roasted chicken.
What are chilaquiles?
Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican food consisting of fried corn tortillas, salsa or mole sauce, cheeses, and any other ingredients of your choice, like shredded chicken, onions, or scrambled eggs.
If you add eggs as we do in this recipe, it’s a chilaquiles con huevos – chilaquiles with eggs!
You can use red or green salsa to make chilaquiles, so you’ll often hear the recipe referred to as either Chilaquiles Rojos or Chilaquiles Verdes (red or green).
The best thing about chilaquiles is how easy and delicious it is to make the dish. In less than 30 minutes, you can have a comforting, Mexican-inspired breakfast with crispy fried tortillas, your favorite salsa, eggs, cheese, and anything else you might want to add in.
Chilaquiles is a dish sometimes confused with migas, which is a popular Mexican egg dish featuring diced corn tortillas, sauteed onion, tomato, serrano ham, and scrambled eggs. However, they’re quite different!
What’s the difference between Chilaquiles Rojos and Chilaquiles Verdes?
It’s all in the salsas Mexicanas – that is, the type of Mexican salsa you use! Green and red salsas use different ingredients, resulting in two variations of the dish: Chilaquiles Rojos and Chilaquiles Verdes!
Chilaquiles Verdes uses green salsa made out of tomatillos, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro.
Chilaquiles Rojos uses red salsa made out of tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro.
They are very similar dishes, so which type you make is up to you! You could even make this recipe a Chilaquiles Verdes recipe if you prefer green salsa.
We recommend you try both: both variations are amazing!
Chilaquiles Ingredients
- 6 corn tortillas soft (can be substituted for tortilla chips)
- 1/3 cup Canola oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup tomato salsa (red) or tomatillo salsa (green), plus extra for serving
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Yes, it is that easy! Whether you’re making Chilaquiles Verdes or Chilaquiles Rojos, the ingredients are the same except for the salsa. Of course, with these breakfast chilaquiles, you can add in whatever other ingredients you might like.
Why not try some leftover ribeye steak, prime rib, or shredded slow cooker chicken? You could even cook up our Portuguese peri peri chicken for spicy shredded chicken to add!
Leftover juicy garlic butter steak bites are pretty amazing in this recipe, too!
How to Make Chilaquiles (Rojos or Verdes)
- Cut 6 soft corn tortillas into triangles.
- In a small bowl, beat together 4 eggs.
- In a large non-stick skillet or pan, drizzle a thin layer of Canola oil over medium heat. Once heated, add the tortilla triangles in batches, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry briefly on each side until crisp. Transfer to a towel-lined plate.
- If necessary, add a little more oil to the skillet and pour in the beaten eggs. Cook, breaking up the eggs into small pieces, until scrambled but still retaining some moisture. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Place the crispy tortillas back in the skillet and cover with 1 cup salsa (your choice of tomato or tomatillo salsa). Stir to combine, but keep a few edges uncovered to retain their crispy texture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to thicken the mixture.
- Add in the eggs, stirring to combine, and top with 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese. Cover the skillet and cook just long enough to melt the cheese.
- Remove from heat, top with desired garnishes, and serve.
Recipe Tips for Breakfast Chilaquiles
- Keep the edges dry: When stirring the salsa into the lightly fried tortillas, keep a few of the edges dry to help retain some of that crispy texture.
- Add leftovers: Have leftover chicken or meat? Heat them up before scrambling the eggs and toss them in for even more flavor. Shredded chicken and crumbled chorizo are especially delicious in Chilaquiles Rojos.
- Adjust the heat: The level of heat in Chilaquiles Rojos is completely customizable based on the type of salsa you use. Add anything from a mild salsa to extra spicy, store-bought to your favorite homemade salsa recipe.
- Add your favorites: The toppings are also customizable based on what you have available. I added a few avocado slices and drizzled the top with a little crema. Cilantro, green onions, and thinly sliced onions would also work well.
- Change the cheese: This particular recipe for Chilaquiles Rojos uses shredded Cheddar cheese, but I also enjoy topping the Chilaquiles with Queso Fresco. Queso Fresco is a Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk or a combination of cow and goat’s milk. It is white and soft with a crumbly texture that becomes creamy when heated but does not melt.
How do I serve chilaquiles?
The best topping for Chilaquiles Rojos is Crema Mexicana (Mexican Cream). It’s a dairy product similar to Crème fraîche or sour cream, though a little less thick and tangy.
You can find Crema Mexicana at your local grocery store in the international foods aisle, or you can make your own version of it at home.
Make homemade Crema Mexicana by whisking together equal parts sour cream and heavy cream with just a pinch of salt.
Toppings for Chilaquiles con Huevo
- Cubed avocado
- Crema Mexicana or sour cream
- Chopped cilantro
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Cotija cheese
- Queso Fresco
- Shredded chicken
- Shredded beef
These are just a few of our favorite ideas for what to top your Chilaquiles recipe with. Crema Mexicana, which is a Mexican sour cream, is one of our favorite choices for this recipe, along with avocado and cotija cheese.
Make it a Fun Brunch Idea!
Chilaquiles are perfect for brunch! Set up all of the toppings in individual bowls and make a large skillet of scrambled eggs.
Let everyone add their own toppings and build a custom plate of chilaquiles. It’s perfect and so easy!
Craving more Mexican food recipes?
Try our Carlota de Limón (Lime Charlotte) for a quick, easy, and delicious no-bake dessert recipe! Or, if you’re looking for another Mexican dish to enjoy as a whole meal, give our Mexican Street Corn (Elotes Mexicanos) a try.
We also have a Mexican shrimp and rice bowl that’s just delicious and perfect for meal prep! Or, try our Mexican Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup.
Although it’s not traditional, if you love recipes using tortillas, our Mexican Lasagna makes the perfect family meal. And don’t forget the drinks – try Agua de Fresca!
And you HAVE to try our favorite Mexican beef recipes. Our Carne Asada and Carne Picada recipes can be used in your chilaquiles!
Chilaquiles Rojos
🥘 Ingredients
- 6 corn tortillas soft
- 1/3 cup Canola oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup tomato salsa (red) tomatillo salsa (green) plus extra for serving
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Optional Toppings
- avocado
- Crema Mexicana or sour cream
- cilantro chopped
- green onions thinly sliced
- cotija cheese
- queso fresco
🔪 Instructions
- Cut 6 soft corn tortillas into triangles.
- In a small bowl, beat together 4 eggs.
- In a large non-stick skillet or pan, drizzle a thin layer of Canola oil over medium heat. Once heated, add the tortilla triangles in batches, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry briefly on each side until crisp. Transfer to a towel-lined plate.
- If necessary, add a little more oil to the skillet and pour in the beaten eggs. Cook, breaking up the eggs into small pieces, until scrambled but still retaining some moisture. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Place the crispy tortillas back in the skillet and cover with 1 cup salsa (your choice of tomato or tomatillo salsa). Stir to combine, but keep a few edges uncovered to retain their crispy texture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to thicken the mixture.
- Add in the eggs, stirring to combine, and top with 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese. Cover the skillet and cook just long enough to melt the cheese.
- Remove from heat, top with desired garnishes, and serve.
Notes
- Use store-bought corn tortillas: Substitute store bought corn tortillas and skip the frying. I have done this many times and I get great results!
- Keep the edges dry: When stirring the salsa into the lightly fried tortillas, keep a few of the edges dry to help retain some of that crispy texture.
- Add some leftovers: Have leftover chicken or meat? Heat them up before scrambling the eggs and toss them in for even more flavor.
- Adjust the heat: The level of heat in Chilaquiles Rojos is completely customizable based on the type of salsa you use. Add anything from a mild salsa to extra spicy or even make your own.
- Add your favorite toppings: The toppings are also customizable based on what you have available. I added a few avocado slices and drizzled the top with a little crema. Cilantro, green onions, and thinly sliced onions would also work well.
- Use a cheese you like: This particular recipe for Chilaquiles Rojos uses shredded Cheddar cheese, but I also enjoy topping the Chilaquiles with Queso Fresco. Queso Fresco is a Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk or a combination of cow and goat’s milk. It is white and soft with a crumbly texture that becomes creamy when heated, but does not melt.
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