Chilaquilas Appetizer Recipes

SUPER EASY CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and pan-fry tortilla triangles until they are just starting to turn golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add salsa, reduce heat to medium-low, and carefully mix tortillas and salsa with a spatula. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Beat eggs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Add eggs to tortillas and increase heat to medium-high. Scramble eggs gently until just set. Top with pepper Jack cheese, cover, and turn off the heat. Let sit for 3 minutes until cheese is melted.

TRADITIONAL CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Blend tomatillos, onion, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, garlic, mint, and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chicken to tomatillo sauce and continue to simmer until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes more.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry tortilla strips in batches until crisp and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Layer about half the fried tortillas in a 2-quart baking dish; spread half the tomatillo sauce over tortillas. Mix pepperjack cheese and Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl; sprinkle half over tomatillo sauce. Repeat layers.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese is golden and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

CHILAQUILES II

Steps:

• In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Carefully stir in the onion and tortilla strips. Fry until tortilla strips are crisp and golden brown. Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels. Drain the skillet, leaving only a thin residue of oil.
• Over medium heat, return tortillas to the skillet, and stir in the eggs. Season with salt. Cook and stir until eggs are firm.
• Mix Mexican style hot tomato sauce and water into the skillet. Reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Top with cheese. Continue cooking until cheese has melted.

CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet until it registers 350 degrees F on a candy/frying thermometer. (If you don't have a thermometer, carefully dip the corner of a tortilla wedge into the oil. If it sizzles, you are ready to fry.)
• Carefully drop the tortilla quarters into the hot oil and fry, turning them halfway through with tongs or a spider, until crisp but not yet browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the tortilla quarters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; set aside.
• Heat the enchilada sauce in a small pan over medium-high heat until hot. While it is heating, fry the eggs. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry until the edges are nice and crispy, a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper.
• While the eggs are frying, assembled your chilaquiles. In a shallow 1-quart dish, arrange half of the fried tortillas in a layer. Sprinkle them with half of the cheese. Pour enough of the hot enchilada sauce over the tortillas and cheese to cover most of the chips. Add the remaining chips to the dish in an even layer. Top with the remaining cheese and more sauce. The amount you add here is up to you. You may end up with some leftover enchilada sauce depending on your preference.
• Top with the fried eggs and salsa of your choice. Enjoy while it's nice and hot.

CHILAQUILES ROJOS (TRADITIONAL MEXICAN BREAKFAST DISH)

Steps:

• Grill the tomatoes, chiles, garlic and onions until they have a slightly blackened skin. Do not burn!
• Bring 6 cups water to a boil with the blackened veggies until they are cooked through and soft inside.
• Pour the veggies with the hot water and a little added cold water into a food processor and process. Don't blend too much, you want the mixture to be chunky.
• In a large pot, heat up the oil until smoking. Then (carefully!) add a small amount of the sauce mixture and let it burn away for 1 minute (this is for a nice smoky flavor). Then slowly add the rest of the mixture and season with salt and some chicken base.
• Add the tomato puree for color, and mix well. Add the shredded chicken and cook until it is heated through. Add the cilantro. Add the chips and serve immediately on 4 plates. Top each plate with some sour cream, sliced onions, queso fresco and a sprig of cilantro.
• Serve with guacamole, refried black beans and pico de gallo on the side.

CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Gather your ingredients.
• Preheat a stainless 3-quart pot over high heat and a large cast-iron skillet, 10 to 12 inches, over medium-low heat; this will be your serving platter.
• Remove the stems and seeds of your dried chilies and toast in the pot, 2 minutes. Remove, then add oil, onions and jalapeno pepper. Soften onions, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stack and cut the corn tortillas into 8 pieces, halved across, and then cut into 4 equal wide slices. Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake to deeply golden and fragrant, 10 minutes.
• To onions, add pimenton, oregano and garlic. Stir and add water. Let it absorb, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chilies back to pot with chicken or vegetable stock, tomatoes, honey and cocoa powder if using. Simmer 7 to 8 minutes to plump the peppers. Puree in high powered blender or food processor, and then transfer to large cast-iron skillet. Reserve any extra in an airtight container for enchiladas or more chilaquiles.
• Chop red onion, cilantro and thinly slice radishes with truffle shaver, sharp knife or mandoline. Crumble the cotija or queso fresco. Shred the Pepper Jack cheese.
• Add tortillas to sauce in cast-iron skillet and toss to coat. Top with cheeses and place back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
• Place 2 small nonstick skillets over medium heat (have some lids or foil on hand). Add a pat of butter to each pan, then crack an egg into each pan and cover. Cook until whites are solid and yolks still soft. Remove to a plate and repeat.
• Remove skillet from the oven and top with red onions, cilantro, radishes, pickled peppers and eggs.
• Serve the chilaquiles from the pan.

TEN-MINUTE CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Pour half the sauce into a shallow 2 1/2-quart (12 by 7 by 2-inch) baking dish, and top with half the corn chips. You can crumble the chips slightly to make an even layer. Drop little spoonfuls of half the sour cream all over the chips, then sprinkle on half the cheese. Top with the remaining chips, sauce, sour cream, and cheese.
• Bake 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly around the edges. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the cilantro and serve. You can cut it into squares and serve using a spatula, or use a large spoon to scoop out the chilaquiles.
• For advance preparation: Make the sauce up to a few hours ahead and lay out all the other ingredients. Don't assemble chilaquiles, however, until the last minute so the corn chips retain a tiny bit of texture when baked.

TORTILLA CHIP CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Heat the chile pepper and garlic in a dry 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until the chile is pliable and the garlic is browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly; remove the stem from the chile and peel the garlic. Transfer the chile and garlic to a blender (reserve the skillet). Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth and cumin; puree until almost smooth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Slowly add the tomato mixture (it will splatter) and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and season with salt and black pepper. Cook, without flipping, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Gently stir the tortilla chips into the tomato sauce in two batches until coated. Remove from the heat and top with the eggs, radishes, red onion, cilantro and/or Cotija cheese.

CHILAQUILES III

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and fry the tortillas until lightly browned and crisp.
• Mix the onion, tomato, and serrano chile peppers into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir until onions are tender.
• Stir the eggs into the skillet, and cook until firm.

CHILAQUILES VERDES

Steps:

• To make the salsa verde: Put the tomatillos, chile, onion, and garlic in a medium pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are soft and the tomatillos turn pale green, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Carefully transfer the boiled vegetables, along with the cooking water, to a blender. Puree for a few seconds to blend; be sure to hold down the lid with a kitchen towel for safety. Add the 1/2 bay leaf, oregano, thyme, salt, and broth. Continue to puree until smooth. You should have about 1 quart of salsa verde.
• Place a wide pot or pan over medium-high heat and coat with the corn oil. When the oil is hazy, pour in the salsa verde; it will bubble a bit. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat to very low, and keep warm while you finish the chips.
• Pour the vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or countertop deep fryer to a depth of about 2 inches and heat to 375°F over medium-high heat. Stack the tortillas and fan them with your thumb to separate. Cut the tortillas into 8 wedges like a pie.
• Working in batches, fry the tortilla chips, turning them with a skimmer or slotted spoon so they don't stick together, until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chips to a paper towel-lined baking pan or brown paper bag to drain and cool. (Let the oil return to the proper temperature between batches.)
• To finish the chilaquiles, uncover the salsa verde and raise the heat to medium. Just when it starts to bubble, stir in the beaten eggs. Cook and stir for about 5 seconds, until the egg feathers into the sauce, thickening and binding it. Immediately add the chips, tossing gently until they have absorbed enough sauce to become soft. Take care not to break the chips. Sprinkle the Jack cheese on top and let it melt.
• Divide the chilaquiles among 4 plates. Sprinkle with the queso fresco, chopped onion, and cilantro. Garnish with the crema fresca and serve immediately.

CHILAQUILAS APPETIZER

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. Add the beans, tomatoes, olives, onions, chili powder, salt and pepper. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened. Arrange chips on a platter; top with meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

SHEET-PAN CHICKEN CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Place a rack 6 inches from the broiler heat source and heat to high. On a sheet pan, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeño, and broil until lightly charred in spots, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes for the garlic and 15 to 20 minutes for the tomatoes, onion and jalapeño. (They should be lightly charred around the edges, but not all over). Transfer to a blender.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine the broth and dried chiles, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand while the tomatoes and vegetables broil.
• To the blender add the rehydrated chiles with broth, oil, salt and coriander, and purée until smooth.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. On the same sheet pan (no need to wash), toss chips with 2 cups of the sauce and spread in an even layer. Toss the chicken with the remaining sauce and arrange on top of the chips. Roast until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with preferred toppings, and serve warm.

CHILAQUILES TACO

Steps:

• Saute onions, tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers in a cooking pan. Add 2 eggs; mix together. Add crispy chips and cheese. Serve in hot flour tortilla; garnish with cilantro.