Chilaquiles rojos is a traditional Mexican breakfast dish made with crispy corn tortilla wedges cooked in red salsa, often served with eggs (scrambled or fried). They're made with cheap and available ingredients, usually eaten for breakfast or brunch, and are considered to be a great cure for a hangover after one too many tequila shots!
Neutral oil, as needed(such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
8corn tortillasstacked, then cut into 6 wedges (like a pizza)
Salsa Roja:
2medium tomatoesscored with an X on the bottom
1small onion (or ¼ of a large onion)peeled and halved
2clovesgarlicpeeled
1dried guajillo chilestemmed and seeded (break it up into a few pieces if desired)
½teaspoonground coriander
Kosher salt
1teaspoonneutral oil(such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
Toppings:
Neutral oil, as needed(such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
2eggs
Crumbled cotija, queso fresco, or feta cheese(optional)
Mexican crema or sour cream(optional)
Thinly sliced avocado or guacamole(optional)
Sliced radishes(optional)
Sliced pickled jalapenos(optional)
Fresh cilantro(optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly brush, drizzle, or spray oil on a baking sheet and arrange corn tortilla wedges on top. It's ok if they slightly overlap, they will shrink a bit as they cook. Brush or spray the tops with more oil just until they are lightly coated. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the tortillas are lightly golden along the edges and crispy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, start the salsa roja by adding tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chile to a medium saucepan. Cover with water, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes until the tomatoes are tender. Remove from the heat.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onion, garlic and chile to a blender jar (reserve the cooking liquid). Remove the tomatoes to a plate or cutting board and allow them to cool slightly. Carefully remove the skin (where you scored an X on the bottom will allow you to easily do this), and use a paring knife to remove the core if desired. Transfer the cooked peeled tomato to the blender along with ¼ cup of the cooking liquid (you can discard the rest). Season with ground coriander and a little salt and puree until smooth.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pureed salsa (it will sizzle) and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened. Taste and season with salt as needed.
Add the cooked tortilla chips to the salsa and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly until you achieve your desired texture. They should be an almost “al dente” texture, not too crisp (like a chip) and not soggy either, but still have a bite to them, kind of in between. The longer you cook them the softer they will get.
Meanwhile, lightly grease a nonstick skillet and fry the eggs as desired such as sunny-side up or over easy.
Divide the chilaquiles rojos between 2 plates, top each with a fried egg, and garnish as desired with suggested toppings. Serve immediately.
Notes
To shallow-fry the tortilla chips instead of baking: Heat a large skillet over high heat and add enough neutral oil to coat the pan with about ⅛ inch deep of oil. Add a single layer of corn tortilla wedges at a time and fry for a few minutes per side until lightly golden and crisp, flipping with tongs. Set fried tortillas aside on a paper-towel lined sheet pan, and continue pan-frying until all the tortilla wedges are fried.
If you already have enchilada sauce, salsa roja, or salsa verde you can easily use it in this chilaquiles recipe in place of the homemade salsa. Plan to use about 1 cup salsa for this amount of tortillas. You may not need to reduce the salsa in that case if it's already thicker.