{recipe} Robert’s Chilaquiles

My friend Robert (of oatmeal cookie fame) also makes amazing homemade chilaquiles for a hearty weekend breakfast. He makes everything without measurements, which he refers to as doing it “Mexican style”, so it was a little tricky to pin down the measurements. After a few years of prodding and cajoling, he finally allowed me to shadow him in the kitchen and try to furiously transcribe his methods.

If you’ve never had chilaquiles before, it’s a traditional Mexican breakfast dish that consists of fried tortilla chips coated in a green or red sauce, layered with scrambled eggs and chorizo, and baked with cheese on top. While it makes it something of a royal pain in the butt, the key to this recipe’s tastiness lies in frying up the tortilla chips yourself. If you have an avid and patient kitchen helper (even one who lacks culinary skillz), this chip-frying task would be a good time to call on them.

Chilaquiles are also commonly lauded as a hangover cure. To that end, Robert always makes this on the Sunday of our yearly Spring wine-tasting weekend. To protect his precious family recipes, I have made some key changes in this version! Robert: you can sleep easy knowing that while now everyone can enjoy some delicious chilaquiles, they will never be exactly the same as the ones you make.

Robert’s Chilaquiles
serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh corn tortillas
  • 2 – 29 oz cans tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 Tblsp chili powder
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic
  • 3 chicken bouillion cubes
  • 1 Tblsp flour, shaken in a jar with 2 Tblsp water
  • 1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo
  • 12 eggs, beaten well
  • 1/2 pound grated cheese (Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, or shredded Mexican blend)
  • 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • vegetable oil for frying

Method:

  • Cut tortillas into chip-sized wedges. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large saute pan. Fry chips in batches until golden on both sides, removing to drain on paper towels.
  • Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and bouillion. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Lower heat and leave to simmer. Stir in flour/water mixture and salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasonings if you wish.
  • Continue simmering over low heat for about 30 more minutes, stirring to make sure sauce doesn’t stick to pot.
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Combine half of chips and half of sauce, tossing to coat well. Lay in 9×13 pan. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until chips have dried out a bit.
  • While chips are baking, cook chorizo, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until scrambled.
  • Spread egg and chorizo mixture over chips. Mix remaining chips with remaining sauce and spread on top of eggs.
  • Sprinkle grated cheese on top, then crumble queso fresco over the top.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with refried beans, Spanish rice, avocadoes, and sour cream.

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9 Responses

  1. Lupita says:

    Your recipe is amaizing! Thak you very much

    Look at this

    http://barrigallenacorazoncontento.blogspot.com/2009/07/chilaquiles.html

  2. Lupita says:

    I mean AMAZING! JEJE I m going to cook it this Sunday!

  3. Melanie Espino says:

    Chilaquiles are my favorite thing to serve for breakfast with friends. A little goes a LONG way. I don’t add chorizo or broth, but I do use the “El Pato” brand tomato sauce which is spicy. I also add green onions. It is worth the wait! I grew up eating these with red sauce, but when I was in Mexico City I had them with green sauce and chicken (at Sanborns!) every chance I got.

    • Karen says:

      @Melanie- Mmm, Sanborns! As luck would have it I am headed for Puebla with a day in DF this Thursday so I will be able to eat some very soon! 🙂 I’ll try El Pato. Thanks for the comment!

  4. Thank you so much, this was a good read. I was actually born in Spain (I’m not telling you when though!) but was moved around europe and lastly settled in England when I was a teenager. I dont remember an awful lot of the few years I was in spain, but the smell of spanish food always seems to get me going or something. Funny, how I dont remember anything except the smells,isn’t it! I actually found a whole website dedicated to spanish recipes, which gave me great delight and thought I really should to share with your readers. Anyway, thank you again. I’ll get my husband to add your website to my rss thing…

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