This may have become my new favorite Christmas morning tradition. I have never made chilaquiles and I was having a serious craving Christmas morning. But where to go? My kitchen was the only option.

What I love about this is how easy it is and yet it feel so decadent. I mean, you want a yummy breakfast on Christmas morning… but who wants to spend the holiday in the kitchen? The most labor intensive thing was making my own tortilla chips. Totally worth it though!

Because it was a holiday and I literally had to use what I had in my kitchen – I used Beekman 1802 Boys Salsa Verde – which is amazing! It’s very spicy so be prepared. But if you’d rather make your own – go for it! The beauty of this dish is that other than the chips and the salsa you can really put whatever you want on it. Not all chilaquiles come with eggs. You can even use red salsa or mole. You can add avocado or pulled chicken. The main thing that makes it chilaquiles is that the chips are both soft and crunchy from being tossed in the warm salsa. This dish is from Mexico and goes back hundreds of years – it was originally created to use up leftover chips and salsa and is eaten for breakfast after a “big night” and is a standard hangover cure.  Ole!

Ingredients (serves 2, or 1 really hungry person)

• 4 raw corn tortillas (I used Tortilla Land uncooked corn tortillas found in the refrigerated section)
• 1.5 cups cooking oil (I used coconut oil but any oil with a high smoke point will do. Grapeseed, peanut, etc. Please don’t use Canola – it is 100% synthetic. If you must, please don’t tell me).
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons grated cheddar (or crumbles of cotija)
• 1 dollop of sour cream or a drizzle of Mexican crema
• 1 handful of torn cilantro (optional)
• salt & pepper

Preparation

• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. I prefer a sauce pan to a fry pan as the fry pan tends to burn the oil and chips too easily. Deep and narrow is better than shallow and wide. True for most things in life. You just have to cook fewer chips at a time.
• Cut tortillas in triangles. You should get 8 triangles from each tortilla.
• Have a plate layered with a few paper towels handy for draining chips.
• You will need a spider or slotted spoon for fishing out chips.

Ready to Cook?

• Once oil reaches 325 (or bubbles immediately when chips touches oil), carefully drop 4-5 chips into the oil (they should immediately float or your oil isn’t ready). Watch chips and make sure they don’t stick together. After a minute, gently flip them over with slotted spoon or spider. After another minutes remove chips to the paper towel to drain. Test and make sure they are crunchy and not chewy in the middle. Return to oil if needed. Continue process until all chips are cooked. Turn your heat down if you notice chips getting too dark as you continue the process.
• Warm the salsa and the stock in a small saucepan. Do not bring to boil – just warm until ready to serve.
• Fry or scramble (your preference) eggs and set aside.
• In a shallow bowl toss together the chips and the salsa mixture until all chips are coated (reserve a tablespoon or so to top).  There will be extra salsa pooling at the bottom – this is what you want!
• Sprinkle with cheese and top with eggs. Add any other garnishes or toppings you want, including the sour cream or Mexican Crema. Serve immediately.

The Perfect Bite

This dish is made for the perfect bite. And it is perfectly okay to use a fork – it’s actually the preferred way of eating it in Mexico. Try to get a little bit of everything on your fork… you definitely want some crunch in each bite!

The Perfect Pairing

This is breakfast so why not to enjoy a mimosa with your Chilaquiles?  I mean, hair-of-the-dog, right? In the winter, I really like to substitute pomegranate or cranberry juice instead of orange juice. Fill 1/4 of the glass with juice and top with your favorite Prosecco. Toss in some fresh cranberries for garnish.

The Perfect Health

Did you know that tomatillos are are a berry, not a tomato? Tomatillos, the main ingredient in salsa verde, are low in calories. 100 g of berries provide just 32 calories. For comparison, they hold slightly higher calories, fat, and protein than tomatoes. (100 g tomato just has 18 calories). However, they have good amounts of health benefiting plant nutrients such as dietary fiber, minerals, anti-oxidants and vitamins. Read more at Nutrition and You.