Last night was homemade tortillas and eight hours of carnitas in the crock pot. This morning, I don't want to cook, but I've got a bunch of leftovers and zero desire to let any of it go to waste. Chilaquiles is the brilliant, extremely lazy solution: everything from last night, thrown back together into an entirely different meal.
The perfect brunch for the day after your carnitas taco night.
Chilaquiles is a dish whose blessed purpose is primarily to use up old tortillas or tortilla chips. Our take uses Green Jalapeño Cilantro in place of a verde salsa to soften and fry your chips in. This bright, herbaceous, green umami base lays the foundation for cotija cheese, fried eggs, avocado, and of course leftover carnitas. No carnitas on hand? It still holds up on its own, the chips, eggs, and crema carry plenty of flavor on their own. You could also get crazy and use whatever protein you may have leftover. Or even bacon..? Try it and let me know how it turns out.
Traditional chilaquiles start with a homemade tomatillo salsa verde, boiling and blending tomatillos, jalapeños, and garlic before you've even touched a tortilla. We've already done that flavor-building work for you: Green Jalapeño Cilantro gets you to the same bright, herbal place straight out of the bottle, no stove time required.
Instructions
- Stack your leftover corn tortillas (if using already made chips, skip this step) and cut them into sixths (using three long cuts) with scissors (or whatever cutting mechanism you prefer).
- Spread your chip-shaped tortillas in a single layer in an air fryer basket or on a baking sheet and spray with a light, even coat of oil (I prefer Graza's Sizzle), just enough to coat, not drenched. Air fry or bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, shaking or flipping halfway, until crispy and lightly golden. You can deep fry your chips if you prefer, but since we're going directly in a pan afterward, I personally don't think it's worth the hassle.
- Heat your stainless steel (the acidity in this dish will not play well with carbon) frying pan on medium high and toss your chips in with enough Green Jalapeño Cilantro to cover the bottom of the pan and soak into the chips.
- Cook, tossing occasionally, until the chips soften at the edges but still have some bite in the center, about 2-3 minutes. Personally, I like mine to soften a bit more than that, since it's easier to actually get a full bite with a fork instead of chasing shards of chip around the plate. If you're after more crunch, pull it a minute earlier, just know you're trading away some of that easy-bite texture to get it.
- Push the softened chips to one side of the pan, or transfer to a plate, and add the leftover carnitas (if using) to the same pan to reheat, letting it pick up whatever sauce is left behind.
- Add a bit more oil to the same pan if needed (the chips will have soaked up most of what's there), then fry the eggs to your preference, seasoning with salt and pepper. Sunny-side up is the move here, since the yolk becomes part of the sauce once it breaks.
- While the eggs cook, whisk the sour cream with a splash of Green Jalapeño Cilantro until loosened into a pourable crema. Thin with water if needed.
- Plate the chips, top with the warmed carnitas (if using), fried eggs, avocado, and a generous crumble of cotija.
- Finish with a drizzle of the Green Jalapeño Cilantro crema over the top and a scatter of fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
That's the beauty of chilaquiles, nothing here has to be fresh to taste good. Leftover chips, leftover carnitas, one bottle of sauce, and you've got a better breakfast than most with a lot less work. You never have to throw out your old tortillas again.
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