Rich, slightly spicy, and loaded with flavor, chilaquiles scrambled eggs are a delicious and incredibly satisfying morning meal that is sure to become a regular in your brunch rotation.
Thick tortilla chips are smothered in a dried chili and tomato-based sauce, layered with creamy scrambled eggs, and topped with sour cream, cheese, and avocado for the perfect balance of textures, flavors, and heat. A traditional Mexican breakfast dish, chilaquiles are deceptively simple to prepare, come together quickly, and are an absolute crowd-pleaser.
Chilaquiles scrambled eggs are best served immediately after they’re done cooking, so they’re great for smaller, low-key brunches with just a handful of guests.
Chilaquiles are essentially fried tortillas smothered in either a rojos (red) or verde (green) sauce and can be topped with anything from grilled chicken to spiced beans. The sauce for this recipe is made from scratch, though feel free to use a jarred salsa verde or red enchilada sauce to save some time!
Looking for more egg recipes? Here are other recipes you might enjoy: Mexican Omelette, Sausage Omelette, Air Fryer Frittata, and Chicken Frittata.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Traditional with a twist: This chilaquiles recipe is a classic Mexican dish, typically enjoyed for breakfast or brunch. The twist in this case is the delicious addition of scrambled eggs, making it not just a fantastic start to the day, but a delightful way to savor brunch too.
Versatile and customizable: The recipe allows for variations – whether you prefer your chilaquiles rojos with red salsa or green chilaquiles with green salsa, you can adjust the recipe to fit your taste. Plus, you can choose from various toppings such as avocado slices, cheese, or a fried egg.
Easy and quick: This is a simple recipe that is quick to prepare, making it a great way to serve a hearty and delicious meal to your family without spending all day in the kitchen. The use of available ingredients such as store-bought tortilla chips or leftover meat makes it even more convenient.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these scrambled egg chilaquiles:
Ingredient Notes
Eggs: For this recipe, large eggs are preferable. Scrambled to your liking, they add a delightful creaminess that contrasts nicely with the crunchy tortilla strips and sauce.
Olive Oil: A good quality olive oil adds a depth of flavor that is irreplaceable. Olive oil is also great for frying the tortilla strips until they are golden brown.
Kosher Salt: The recipe calls for kosher salt, which has a larger grain size than table salt and thus less sodium per volume. This makes it a great choice when you need to season your dishes.
Tortilla Chips: Store-bought tortilla chips or even homemade tortilla wedges are the star of this chilaquiles recipe. They soak up the flavorful sauce and spices, turning into delicious bites of Mexican comfort food.
Chiles: This recipe uses a combination of dried ancho and guajillo chiles, which give a rich and deep flavor. If you can’t find these, feel free to substitute with a combination of red and green chile sauce.
How To Make Chilaquiles Scrambled Eggs
Place the destemmed and deseeded ancho and guajillo chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, chili flakes, and a generous pinch of salt in a medium pot, then pour in the chicken broth.
Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and the peppers can be torn apart with your hands.
Remove the skins from the tomatoes and discard.
Transfer the softened peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic to the bowl of a blender and add 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Set the rest of the cooking liquid aside.
Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce is smooth and homogenous. If the sauce is too thick, add more of the cooking liquid, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, as needed.
In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully pour in the sauce (it may sputter and bubble a bit) and stir for a few seconds to distribute the oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
While the sauce is reducing, scramble the eggs to your preferred doneness.
Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper if needed. Add the tortilla chips to the sauce and gently fold them in until all of the chips are coated, then cut the heat.
Layer the chilaquiles with the scrambled eggs, then garnish with whichever toppings you’re using.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- If you’re using fresh or leftover white corn tortillas instead of store-bought tortilla chips, cut them into wedges and fry in a large skillet with a little salt and hot oil until they’re golden brown. Use paper towels to blot the excess oil.
- While Mexican recipes often use fresh Mexican cheese such as queso fresco or cotija, you can also use cheddar cheese or feta cheese. Let the cheese melts over the hot chilaquiles for an irresistible creaminess.
- A dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro, and avocado slices make the perfect garnish for this dish. The creaminess of the sour cream and avocado balance the spices, while cilantro adds a fresh zing.
Storage & Reheating
The chilaquiles scramble eggs are best served immediately to avoid soggy nachos. However, if you have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave until hot.
Additions & Substitutions
While this recipe calls for scrambled eggs, you can also make chilaquiles con huevos by simply topping your dish with a fried egg. You can also replace the scrambled eggs with refried beans or leftover meat for a different protein option.
If you want to make it vegetarian, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. You can also experiment with different types of sauce, like a green enchilada sauce or tomato sauce for red chilaquiles. For heat lovers, add some jalapeno pepper or red pepper flakes.
Recipe FAQs
What should I serve with this scrambled egg chilaquiles recipe?
Chilaquiles scrambled eggs are a meal on their own, but they pair well with fresh lime juice squeezed on top or a side of green salsa. For a fuller meal, serve them alongside a side of bacon, Mexican chorizo, refried beans, or a simple salad. For a Mexican restaurant experience at home, serve with fresh, warm flour tortillas. It’s a delicious, traditional Mexican comfort food that makes a filling, easy breakfast recipe, family meal, or brunch dish. These also pair excellently with pineapple mimosas and mango mimosas.
Should chilaquiles be crunchy or soft?
Chilaquiles should be moist but not mushy. Having a bit of crunch is fine, though the chips will soften in the sauce. For optimal texture, serve the chilaquiles as soon as they’re done cooking.
What are chilaquiles made of?
Chilaquiles are fried tortillas or tortilla chips smothered in sauce. The sauce is either a salsa verde made from tomatillos or a red enchilada sauce, and the chilaquiles can be topped with eggs, chicken, beans, or enjoyed on their own.
What’s the difference between chilaquiles and migas?
Migas are made with gently fried strips of tortillas, onions, and peppers, then scrambled together with eggs and topped with cheese and salsa. Chilaquiles are fried tortillas or tortilla chips that are simmered in sauce, then topped with eggs and various toppings. Both are typically served for breakfast and are equally delicious.
Here are a few other scrambled egg recipes you might enjoy!
Chilaquiles Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients
For the Chilaquiles:
- 2 cups sturdy tortilla chips
- 4 eggs (scrambled)
- 3 dried guajillo chilis (deseeded, stems removed)
- 2 dried ancho chilis (deseeded, stems removed)
- ½ yellow onion (peeled)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1 ½ tsp oregano
- 1 ½ tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter (for scrambling the eggs)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- For the Toppings (all are optional):
For the Toppings:
- 1 avocado
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup queso fresco (feta or cotija cheese)
- ½ cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Place the destemmed and deseeded ancho and guajillo chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, chili flakes, and a generous pinch of salt in a medium pot, then pour in the chicken broth.
- Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes and peppers are soft.
- Remove the skins from the tomatoes and discard.
- Transfer the softened peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic to the bowl of a blender and add 1 cup of the cooking liquid; set the remaining cooking liquid aside.
- Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce is smooth and homogenous; if the sauce is too thick, add more of the cooking liquid, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, as needed.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet set over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully pour in the sauce (it may sputter a bit), and stir a few times to distribute the oil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken; stir frequently to prevent sticking.
- While the sauce is reducing, scramble the eggs to your preferred doneness.
- Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper if needed, then add the tortilla chips to the sauce and gently fold them in until all of the chips are coated; cut the heat.
- Layer the chilaquiles with the scrambled eggs, then garnish with whichever toppings you’re using.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Rebekkah is a food writer, recipe developer and sommelier who is obsessed with all things food and drink. When she isn’t lingering too long in her kitchen, she can be found making music in her apartment or traveling the globe in search of the perfect noodle.