Authentic Mexican Chilaquiles with Scrambled Eggs

A simple recipe for authentic Mexican Chilaquiles Rojos- a flavorful Mexican breakfast with salsa-soaked tortilla chips and scrambled eggs that can be made in under an hour. Vegan-Adaptable.

Recipe first posted on May 28, 2011. Last updated, May 2, 2022.

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Much has been said about the so called “family meals” served in some of the country’s famed restaurants.

The many articles and cookbooks dedicated to this subject paint an idyllic picture of a group of jovial wait staff and cooks all sitting down and sharing a lovingly prepared meal together.

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I would argue that a more realistic scenario includes whatever is in the walk-in on its last leg, combined with whatever else needs to be used up, thrown together, heated up and splayed out in hotel pans for anyone who wants to eat while they finish setting tables or prepping for dinner.  

In my years as a restaurant chef, I have had everything from boiled chicken (and I mean just that, chicken, boiled in water, and nothing else) to frozen corn dogs and fries.

There are however, exceptions to the rule. I once worked with a tenacious woman who thought of little else than what she was going to prepare for family meal. And they were good: Finger-sized taquitos stuffed with chicken, fried rice with bits of smokey bacon and sweet English peas. Occasionally she would hem and haw about having to make food for everyone all the time and someone else would offer to pitch in.

She would then spend the entire meal constructively criticizing the offerings. “Did you forget to wash the lettuce?” She would say flicking flecks of black pepper off each leaf as if it were dirt.

And then there was Javier (who was better known by his birthplace: Oaxaca). Javier was a tireless ball of energy who even after flipping sauté pans at a breakneck speed all night would inevitably start filling the grill with peppers and the fry baskets with fresh-cut wedges of corn tortillas once service started slowing down.

Before meeting Javier, I had never had Chilaquiles Mexicanos.  

Depending on his mood sometimes they were burn-your-mouth-off hot and other times smokey and packed with grilled chicken.  

I always thought of this mélange of freshly-fried tortilla chips bathed in dried chile and charred tomato sauce as dinner food, topped with chopped sweet onion and dollops of sour cream.  

But it turns out this is a Mexican dish more typically eaten at breakfast with a scrambled egg or two added to the mix. I’ve included scrambled eggs in the recipe below, but if you want to leave those out and add shredded chicken instead, or leave both off to make this a vegan-friendly recipe, let your belly be your guide.

Ingredients for This Chilaquiles Recipe

• Dried ancho chiles or guajillo chiles
• Ripe tomatoes
• White onion
• Jalapeños
• Cilantro
• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• Corn tortillas
• Large eggs
• Lime
• Minced white onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream, crumbled queso fresco, lime wedges, for garnish

how to make chilaquiles

For starters, you can fry your own tortilla chips or use store bought tortilla chips and the same goes for the red sauce. If you want to use your favorite store bought enchilada sauce, that totally works. Here’s the play-by-play: 

step one

Make salsa first. Even a few days in advance is fine, it keeps great in the fridge for up to a week. 

step two

Fry tortillas. Cut corn tortillas into wedges and fry in a large skillet over medium heat. This takes about 15 minutes total. 

step three

Now mix! Combine both with scrambled eggs and cook for 5 minutes or until warmed through. Or skip the scrambled eggs and top with a fried egg instead. 

step four

Serve. Top with all the toppings your heart desires! A must for me is queso fresco. Serve with refried beans.

more Mexican breakfast recipes please! 

• Jugo Verde {Mexican Green Juice}
• Chorizo and Eggs
• Huevos Rancheros
• Simple and Quick Champurrado {Mexican Hot Chocolate}
• Simple Stovetop Pinole Chia Oatmeal
• Homemade Conchas Recipe
• Vegan Atole {Warm Cinnamon and Corn Drink}

Scrambled Eggs? Fried Eggs? Grilled Chicken?

Or all of the above? With a chilaquiles rojos recipe this good, you can’t go wrong. No matter how you top it, if you make this Mexican chilaquiles recipe, let me know how you like it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

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