Equipment
Ingredients
Salsa Verde
- 500 g tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
- 100 g white onion, cut into large chunks
- 15 g serrano chiles, stems removed
- 10 g garlic, peeled
- 15 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 120 ml vegetable broth, warm
- 5 g kosher salt
Tortillas and Frying
- 300 g stale corn tortillas, cut into wedges
- 60 ml vegetable oil, for frying
Scrambled Eggs
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 2 g kosher salt
Garnishes
- 50 g queso fresco, crumbled
- 60 ml mexican crema
- 30 g white onion, finely diced
- 10 g fresh cilantro, chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat the oven broiler to high, approximately 260°C or 500°F. Arrange the tomatillos, onion chunks, serrano chiles, and garlic in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Broil the vegetables on the top rack for 10 to 12 minutes, turning them once halfway through. Remove when the tomatillos are softened and the skins are blistered with dark charred spots.
Transfer the roasted vegetables and all their accumulated juices to a blender. Add the roughly chopped cilantro, vegetable broth, and kosher salt. Blend until smooth and vibrant green.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the corn tortilla wedges in batches to avoid crowding the pan, cooking each batch for 3 to 4 minutes until deeply golden and crispy. Transfer the fried chips to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Carefully wipe out excess oil from the large skillet, leaving just enough to coat the bottom. Pour the blended salsa verde into the hot skillet. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce deepens in color and slightly reduces.
While the salsa is simmering, heat the butter in a medium frying pan over medium-low heat. Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and pour into the pan. Use a spatula to gently push the eggs around for 2 to 3 minutes until soft, fluffy curds form.
Lower the heat on the salsa skillet. Add the fried tortilla chips into the simmering salsa verde. Gently fold the chips into the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes, ensuring every chip is coated but taking care not to break them.
Divide the saucy chilaquiles immediately onto serving plates. Top each portion evenly with the hot scrambled eggs, a drizzle of Mexican crema, crumbled queso fresco, finely diced white onion, and chopped fresh cilantro.
Chef's Notes
- Using stale, slightly dried-out tortillas is ideal because they absorb significantly less oil during frying and retain their crispness better once sauced.
- Pouring the blended salsa into a hot skillet is a technique called 'frying the sauce'. The dramatic sizzle cooks out the raw edge of the onion and deepens the overall flavor profile instantly.
- For heat management, adjust the serrano chiles to your preference. Removing the interior seeds and white veins will drastically lower the heat level without sacrificing the vibrant green pepper flavor.
- Timing is the most critical element of this dish. Have your eggs scrambled and your garnishes prepared before folding the chips into the salsa, so you can serve them at the exact peak of textural perfection.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store salsa and garnishes separately from tortillas to prevent sogginess. Prepared chilaquiles do not keep well once mixed.
Freezer: 3 months — Only the salsa verde freezes well. Do not freeze assembled dish.
Reheating: Reheat salsa gently in a pan, then toss with fresh tortilla chips.
