Chilaquiles Verdes is a traditional Mexican dish made from lightly fried corn tortillas covered in a bright and flavorful salsa verde. Serve it for breakfast with a fried egg, or for lunch and dinner with a side of refried beans. Ready in 30 minutes from start to finish, this recipe is gluten free and vegetarian.
Easy Chilaquiles Verdes are here to make all of your brunch dreams come true!
Made from lightly fried tortillas slathered in homemade salsa verde, you and your family will be digging into this vibrant and saucy popular Mexican recipe in 30 minutes. Try it with tons of fresh toppings like Cotija cheese, Mexican crema, onions, and cilantro for the most delicious and authentic flavors.
This colorful and bright recipe is the sister to red chilaquiles, which are made with a red sauce instead of green salsa. Both versions are super easy, delicious, and go great with eggs, refried beans, or even shredded chicken!
What are Chilaquiles Verdes?
Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-lah-kee-lehs) is a traditional Mexican dish made from corn tortillas that are cut into wedges and then lightly fried until crispy. They’re then drenched in red or green chile sauce and commonly served at breakfast time with eggs or for lunch with refried beans. It’s a great meal to make when you don’t know what to do with extra corn tortillas you have laying around!
Now, this recipe could change depending on where you are in Mexico. Certain regions like their chilaquiles to be served with a creamy sauce or even tomato sauce. Some may even serve the dish with chips that have become much softer than what you’d find in Mexico City or somewhere more central.
Chilaquiles Verdes Ingredients
- Salsa Verde – This mild green salsa is made from tomatillos, jalapenos, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice. If you don’t have time to make your own salsa verde, feel free to use 1 1/2 to 2 cups of your favorite store-bought version instead.
- Corn Tortillas – Chips made from corn tortillas are the base of this dish. You can make your own corn tortillas or buy some from your local Mexican grocery store.
- Toppings – Like Cotija cheese, white onions, cilantro, and Mexican crema.
How to make Chilaquiles Verdes
First, make the salsa verde: Boil the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion in water until soft, then blend them together with the rest of the salsa ingredients. Once it’s smooth and ready, set it aside.
Next, lightly fry the tortilla wedges: Stack your corn tortillas on top of each other and cut them into eighths. Place them in a large skillet with oil and lightly fry over medium heat.
Lastly, toss with salsa verde and serve: Pour the salsa in the skillet with the chips, toss together, and serve with your favorite toppings.
How to avoid soggy chilaquiles
I don’t recommend using store bought tortilla chips because they tend to get soggy really quickly when mixed in the sauce. Lightly frying corn tortillas at home, however, creates much more sturdy chips and can withstand more liquid.
The tortilla wedges only need 10 minutes in the skillet to fry up and get crispy. Feel free to vary the cook time to align with how crispy or soft you like your chilaquiles.
Tips, Tricks, and Substitutions
- Bake the tortilla chips instead. You can easily bake the tortilla wedges if fried foods aren’t your favorite thing. Simply spread the wedges in a single layer on two greased baking sheets and lightly spray the tops with nonstick cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Bake at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes until crispy.
- Using store bought chips? If you must use store-bought tortilla chips, I recommend using a lightly salted, very sturdy chip. Otherwise, the tortilla chips will easily break or become extremely soggy very quickly. Add the chips and salsa into the skillet at the same time, heat over medium-heat, and toss to coat.
- Don’t want to make your own salsa verde? Just use a jar of your favorite store bought brand instead.
- Want it spicy? The salsa verde used in this recipe isn’t spicy. If you’d like to kick it up a notch, leave in the seeds from the jalapenos or add a few more peppers!
Serving Suggestions
Chilaquiles verdes are fresh and light, and go well with a side dish next to your breakfast. Try them with refried beans, chorizo, scrambled or fried eggs. Wash it all down with a Bloody Maria!
Then top the finished dish with lots of cheese, cilantro, onions, and Mexican crema or sour cream.
Serving your chilaquiles for dinner? Add in some meat like shredded chicken, carnitas, or Instant Pot Mexican shredded beef to fill you up.
More Mexican recipes to try
Ingredients
For the salsa verde
- 1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed (about 10 med-large tomatillos)
- 3 jalapeños, stems and seeds removed
- 1/2 white onion
- water
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the chilaquiles
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons diced white onions
- 1/4 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
Instructions
- Make the salsa verde by adding the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion to a medium saucepan or pot. Fill the saucepan with enough water to cover the tops of the tomatillos.
- Bring water to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion to a blender using a slotted spoon.
- Add cilantro, garlic, lime juice and salt. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Stack the corn tortillas on top of each other and cut them into eighths to create small triangle wedges.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add cut tortilla wedges and saute for 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the tortillas are crispy and lightly fried.
- Add in the salsa verde and toss together to coat all the chips.
- Serve immediately and garnish with cotija cheese, cilantro, and Mexican crema.
Isabel’s Tips:
- I highly recommend you make your own salsa, but if you don’t have time, feel free to use 1 1/2 cups of your favorite store-bought salsa verde!
- If you don’t want to lightly fry the tortilla wedges, you can bake them instead. Simply spread them in a single layer on two greased baking sheets and lightly spray the tops with nonstick cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Bake at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes until crispy.
- I don’t recommend using store bought tortilla chips because they tend to get soggy really quickly when mixed in the sauce, whereas homemade chips are sturdier and can withstand more liquid.
- One of the most popular ways to serve chilaquiles is with a fried or sunny side up egg!
Nutrition Information
I made these for the first time and I LOVED the sauce!! The chips didn’t go so well but it was still delicious and earned me points with my mother in law! I love your recipes! So easy to follow and delicious results!
Just perfect!