Recipe: Chilaquiles

Holy crap, these were good!

A few years ago, on a trip to Mexico, my wife and I surveyed the breakfast buffet: "Chilaquiles?" What are these things? O MY GOD! They are basically broken day-old tortillas in sauce. In Mexico, they are served for breakfast or brunch with eggs and are a way to use-up the leftover tortillas from the night before.

I WANTED TO RECREATE MY MEXICO MEMORIES, but at dinner time!

Chilaquiles: Wow. Mexican comfort food.

Chilaquiles
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 12 corn tortillas, cut into fourths or sixths (ideally they have been left on the counter overnight and are stale, otherwise we'll fry them)
• 1 28 oz can of enchilada sauce (or you can make your own - good luck!)
• 1 whole chicken (or equivalent parts), shredded
• 8 oz quesadilla cheese, grated
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and set aside
• Cilantro, chopped fine
• Vegetable oil (I use canola oil - aka rapeseed oil - weird)
• Salt
• Various garnishes:
• Sliced avocado
• Sliced black olives
• Limes
• Sour cream
• Green onion
• Radishes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Roast the chicken. I cooked a whole chicken in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes. Liberally salt the inside of the bird and just bake it. You're not going for an artistic presentation - you just want the meat. Allow the chicken to cool and then remove and shred the meat from that chicken. Set aside for later.
2. In a large saucepan (or pot), add 2 Tbs of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until tender (about 5 minutes) stirring occasionally. Add the beans and continue cooking for another 5 minutes
3. Stir in the enchilada sauce and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and simmer for ~15 minutes. The goal is to infuse the chicken with that saucy flavor - BOOM!
4. Meanwhile, if your tortillas are not stale, pour a large amount* of vegetable oil into a large stock pot and heat to ~375 degrees (that's medium high heat for a few minutes - test with a small piece of tortilla: if it sizzles like you think it should, the oil is ready).
5. Drop-in a few pieces* of tortilla and fry-up some chips. Be sure to flip them halfway and cook them until they are dark golden (note: I did not say dark brown). Evacuate the chips to a paper towel lined sheet pan. Salt the chips while they are still hot and wet with oil - Oooo, damn, that's good! Try a chip to see how you like 'em fresh. In your face, Tostitos!
6. Continue cooking the chips while the chicken and beans are cooking in the sauce. If you do it right, they will all be done at the same time.
7. When the chips and chicken are done, dump the chips into the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Add ~2 Tbs of cilantro for flavor. Don't worry that you are breaking some of your beautiful chips, you're making something that is greater than the sum of its parts.
8. Pour half the chicken/chip/bean/onion mixture into a 9x13" baking dish, layer-on 2/3 of the cheese, pour the remaining chicken mix, and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle on some black olives and green onions and maybe some more cilantro if you like. You can also garnish with sour cream, limes, and radish, but I added those at the table.

FAQs

• Making my own tortilla chips is hard, can I use store-bought? >> No. Next you'll be asking if you can use Fritos or Pringles.
• How much is a "large amount" of oil? >> Good question. It really depends on the size of your pot. I cooked my chips in ~1" of oil, which was about 2 cups. That was not really enough, but I managed ok. I recommend you use a little more oil, but you don't need to fill a vat with a gallon of oil, and have an oil disposal project after dinner.
• How many chips should I fry at once? >> Again, this will depend on the size of your pot. I recommend that you only put as much as will fit in one layer on top of the oil. For me that was 8 chips.
• What is quesadilla cheese? >> It says so on the label, but you want a mild easy-melting cheese. I guess you can use Monterey Jack if you need to