Chilaquiles Verdes - Maricruz Avalos Kitchen Blog

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Treat yourself to a cozy plate of traditional chilaquiles verdes. Crispy corn tortillas soaking up a vibrant, homemade green salsa. Pure comfort and deliciousness in every bite!

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This chilaquiles recipe is the green version of chilaquiles rojos (also amazing, by the way), but with a zingy, slightly tangy flavor from the tomatillo green sauce.

Chilaquiles verdes It’s such a classic in Mexico, especially on lazy weekend mornings or when you need to use up leftover tortillas.

You can keep it simple or load it up with toppings like crema, cheese, onion, and maybe even a fried egg if you’re feeling fancy.

Ingredients

• Corn tortillas: You can use homemade or store-bought tortillas. Corn tortillas are best to make chilaquiles because once fried they hold better the rich sauce.
• Fresh or canned tomatillos: If you go for the first option you’ll first need to boil them with chilies until soft. Otherwise, use canned in a pinch.
• Fresh green chilies: Serrano and jalapeno are the best options, but any other kind of green chilies like Anaheim or Thai chilies are also good.
• Chicken stock: I used powdered chicken stock, if you want to use liquid just add it instead of water.
• Onions and cilantro: For the salsa.
• Toppings: Queso fresco (or your favorite farmer’s cheese), Mexican crema or sour cream, and diced onion. You can also top chilaquiles with a fried egg for a more fulfilling meal.

How To Make Chilaquiles Verdes

Grab your blender. Add the cooked tomatillos, chilies (serrano or jalapeño, whatever you like), a chunk of onion, a handful of cilantro, one garlic clove, salt, and about 1½ cups of water.

Blend until you get a smooth, bright green sauce. Set it aside, you’ll smell how good it already is!

Now for the tortillas. Cut them into wedges, like little pie slices. Heat a generous splash of oil in a medium pan—enough to shallow-fry—and work in batches to fry the tortilla pieces.

TIP: Don’t overlap, always do it in one layer, and add enough oil, so they fry evenly.

You want them crispy and golden on both sides. This is what gives the chilaquiles that perfect texture!

As they’re ready, move them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off any extra oil.

Next, carefully pour out most of the oil from the pan, but leave about 2 teaspoons in there for flavor. Heat the pan again over medium-high heat, then gently pour in the green sauce. It might sizzle, so stand back a bit!

Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes, stirring now and then, until it thickens just a little. Taste it, if it’s a bit too tart or sharp from the tomatillos, add a pinch of sugar to round out the flavor. It makes a difference!

Now it’s time to bring everything together: add your crispy tortillas to the sauce and stir gently to coat them.

Don’t overdo it, we want them saucy but still holding their shape. Just a minute or so is enough.

Serve your chilaquiles verdes right away on warm plates, and top with crumbled cheese, a drizzle of crema, and some finely chopped onion.

That’s it, simple, cozy, and so delicious. Enjoy them while they’re hot and don’t let them sit for too long at the table. They should be eaten just as you finish cooking.

Recipe Variations & Little Tips

Tone down the heat by slicing the chilies open and removing the seeds and white parts.

In Mexico, we often cut the tortillas the night before and let them sit out on the counter, loosely covered with a kitchen towel. That way they dry out a little, and trust me, they hold up so much better in the sauce without turning mushy.

If you’re keeping an eye on calories, you can totally skip frying. I just brush the tortilla wedges with a bit of oil, spread them out on a baking sheet, and bake them at 400°F (200°C) for about 10 minutes, or until they’re crispy and golden.

Ways To Enjoy

Chilaquiles verdes are usually served as breakfast with a side of frijoles refritos, a fried egg on top, or shredded chicken.

They also go so well with a hot cup of café de olla, café con leche, or sweet champurrado.

And for helping with the spiciness, a glass of cold milk or orange juice are perfect options too.

Make Ahead

If you’re like me and love a little shortcut for easy mornings, chilaquiles verdes can definitely be prepped ahead.

I usually make the green sauce a few days in advance because it keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months too. Just pop it in a container, and you’re halfway to breakfast bliss.

You can also fry the tortillas ahead of time! I do this the night before or even a couple of days earlier. Keep them stored in a resealable bag.

When you’re ready to eat, just reheat the sauce, toss in your crispy tortillas, and top with all your favorite goodies.

Got chilaquiles verdes leftovers? No problem. Just keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They’ll lose a bit of crunch, but the flavor will still hit the spot. I reheat mine in a pan or microwave—whatever’s quickest!

More Mexican Breakfast

• Chilaquiles divorciados
• Migas con huevo
• Mole chilaquiles

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Video

Easy Chilaquiles Verdes

author Maricruz Avalos Flores 4 servings This traditional chilaquiles verdes recipe is made with crispy corn tortillas drenched in a flavorful homemade green sauce and served with cheese, cream, and onions. prep 15 minutes minutescook 20 minutes minutestotal 35 minutes minutes PRINT PIN

Equipment

• Large pan

Ingredients Cups (US) – Metric

• ▢ 16 medium corn tortillas (cut into wedges)
• ▢ vegetable oil (for frying, as needed)

For the sauce

• ▢ 1 lb fresh tomatillo (or a 12-oz can tomatillos, drained)
• ▢ 4 serrano chili peppers (or other type of green chili)
• ▢ ½ cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
• ▢ 1 small white onion (cut into chunks)
• ▢ 1 garlic clove (peeled)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp chicken bouillon (read notes)
• ▢ 2 tsp oil
• ▢ salt

For garnish

• ▢ ½ cup red onions (chopped)
• ▢ ½ cup Mexican crema (or sour cream)
• ▢ 1 cup queso fresco

Instructions

• Add canned tomatillos and chilies to a blender with onions, garlic, and cilantro.
• Add half a cup of water and blend for a minute or until you have a smooth sauce. Set aside.
• Heat ¼ cup oil in a medium pan. Working in batches fry the tortillas until nicely crispy.
• Remove fried tortillas to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the green sauce and powdered chicken stock.
• Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
• Add the fried tortilla chips and mix to coat evenly. Cook for about 3-4 minutes (depends how crispy you want your chilaquiles).
• Serve and garnish with cream, queso fresco, and onions.

Notes

• You can swap chicken bouillon powder and water with 1 cup of chicken stock.
• Store leftovers into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Serve chilaquiles verdes with a side of frijoles refritos, a fried egg on top, or shredded chicken for a complete meal.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 806mg | Potassium: 637mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 2mg