Chilaquiles
A delicious jumble of tortilla chips, chile sauce and fresh Mexican toppings, chilaquiles can be served while the chips are still crisp or after they’ve softened to an enchilada-like texture. This recipe puts them nicely in between, with both crunchy and soft bits.
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Ingredients
- 6 dried guajillo or New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded (TIP: Cut or tear off the stems then shake or squeeze
- out the seeds. Guajillo chiles can be found in the ethnic section of your supermarket and at Latin markets.)
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp neutral-flavored cooking oil (such as safflower or grape seed)
- 1 28-oz BPA-free can whole tomatoes, drained
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeño chile pepper, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 white onion, cut into 8 chunks, divided
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- 1/2 avocado, diced or sliced
- 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco (NOTE: If you can't find queso fresco, substitute with crumbled goat or feta cheese)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Meanwhile, heat a large ovenproof skillet on medium. Add chiles and cook, pressing into skillet, until darkened, 30 to 60 seconds per side. Transfer chiles to a medium bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water, or more as necessary to cover. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, brush tortillas on both sides with oil, then cut into quarters. Arrange in even layers on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake until crisp and lightly browned, 13 to 15 minutes, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through. Set chips aside and reduce oven to 250°F.
- Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid. In a blender, combine chiles, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, oregano, salt, 7 chunks onion and 1 cup soaking liquid and process to purée. Return skillet to high heat, add chile mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Add chips and chicken to skillet, gently stirring to coat chips with sauce. Return to a simmer, then remove from heat. Cover loosely with foil, transfer to oven and bake until chips have some crisp parts and some soft ones, about 15 minutes. (NOTE: Skip baking if you prefer the chips crunchy, or bake longer if you want the chips entirely soft.)
- Carefully remove skillet from oven. Slice remaining 1 chunk onion and sprinkle on top of chilaquiles, along with avocado, queso fresco and cilantro. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 1/3 cups
- Calories 338
- Carbohydrate Content 35 g
- Cholesterol Content 43 mg
- Fat Content 11 g
- Fiber Content 5.5 g
- Protein Content 21 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 269 mg
- Sugar Content 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 5 g