Easy Red Salsa Chilaquiles

Easy red salsa chilaquiles "chilaquiles rojos" are tasty and effortless to make!

Chilaquiles has to be one of my favorite Mexican breakfasts. Traditional chilaquiles are topped with a fried egg and served with a side of beans. This traditional dish is commonly found in most Mexican restaurants and tastes as delicious as it sounds. However, when I want to make a simple chilaquiles recipe at home, I make these easy red salsa chilaquiles with scrambled eggs topped with cheese.

What are Chilaquiles?

Pronounced “chee-lah-KEE-lehs” - Chilaquiles are made with crispy tortilla chips, smothered in a red salsa or green salsa like these salsa verde chilaquiles and topped with lots of cheese. You can serve with eggs, shredded chicken, refried beans or other toppings of choice. My favorite way to have chilaquiles is mixed with scrambled eggs and loaded with cheese.

Why you will love chilaquiles:

• Super easy to make
• No fancy extra ingredients
• Leftovers are even tastier
• Makes the perfect breakfast or dinner

Ingredients you will need:

• Medium tomatoes
• Jalapeños - seeds and stems removed
• Garlic clove
• Corn tortillas
• Oil - For baking I like spraying olive oil. For frying I use vegetable oil or canola oil.
• Kosher salt
• Eggs - lightly beaten eggs
• Cheese - I like using crumbled queso fresco but use shredded mozzarella most times since it's what I have in the refrigerator more often.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1 making fresh tortilla chips:

You either can bake or air fry your tortilla chips - which is healthier, or you can pan fry them. Pan frying can take a little longer depending on the size of your pan, but that oil. Ohh that oil, just makes a delicious and flavorful tortilla chip that is the star in this meal.

I've made this recipe with all three methods and do like how all taste. But i'm always short on time and the majority of the time I end up air-frying the corn tortilla chips.

Before baking, air-frying or frying your tortilla chips you need to cut the tortillas into 6-8 triangle wedges. You can do this 3-4 tortillas at a time to be more efficient.

If you want to go the air fryer route check this post on how to air-fry corn tortilla chips

Baking your tortilla chips:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then place tortilla triangles in single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy. After 10 minutes turn the tortilla chips with kitchen tongs and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and add salt to taste and set aside.

Pan-frying your tortilla chips:

Add about ¼ cup of oil ( I use vegetable or canola oil) to your pan in medium high heat then add your tortilla triangles in a single layer turning after about minute with your cooking tongs. Cook for about another minute once they look golden and crisp remove from the pan, and lay on plate with paper towel, so excess oil from the chips is absorbed into the paper towel. I do a few batches of this process, since not all tortilla triangles will fit on the pan. Add more oil if needed to the pan and repeat the process. Add salt to taste.

No time to make your tortilla chips at home?

No problem, you can buy a bag of tortilla chips in a pinch and make this recipe quickly. However, I find that making your tortilla chips at home gives this meal a more authentic taste.

Step 2 Make the Easy Red Salsa:

Some people like using enchilada sauce for chilaquiles - which can make the cooking process super quick if store bought. I however, love a simple red salsa. This salsa is quick and easy to make with tomatoes, jalapeños, garlic and salt to taste - that's it! The recipe below makes about 2 cups. You can also double the recipe to make it extra saucy.

In a medium size pot bring tomatoes, jalapeño and garlic clove to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Cool down, add to a blender and blend until smooth - set aside.

Step 3: Scrambled Eggs:

I really love how scrambled eggs taste with chilaquiles. For me it's an easier process to mix in with the tortilla chips. Scrambling the eggs with the tortilla chips makes this dish similar to migas. The difference - migas do not simmer in red salsa.

Lightly beat the eggs in a medium size bowl. In a large skillet/frying pan adds the eggs over medium-high heat and scramble.

Step 4: Combining the salsa and tortilla chips

Once the eggs look about done, lower the heat and working in batches add half the red salsa and some of the chips and combine. Add the remaining salsa and chips and simmer for a couple minutes. Sprinkle one cup of shredded mozzarella on top and once cheese has melted it's ready to serve.

For complete recipe details and measurements scroll to recipe card below.

What toppings to serve with chilaquiles:

For this recipe I used shredded mozzarella cheese for that extra cheesy-ness, but crumbled queso fresco is also a favorite for chilaquiles when I have it on hand. You can also use cotija cheese, or feta cheese. Garnish with cilantro and chopped onions on top.

Storing tips:

You can store chilaquiles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Other great recipes to have for breakfast:

• California Breakfast Burrito
• Dirty Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte