Red Chicken Chilaquiles
shared by Nibblore Español
These chilaquiles pair crisp corn tortilla chips and shredded chicken with a moderately spicy red sauce made from tomatoes and dried chiles. Cooking the sauce first deepens its flavor, while adding the chips at the last moment keeps them from becoming too soft. Serve them for a hearty breakfast, brunch, or quick lunch. • Use thick, sturdy tortilla chips; thin chips break down as soon as they touch the sauce. • Toast the chiles only until fragrant. Burnt chiles will make the sauce bitter. • Prepare all the toppings before tossing the tortilla chips with the sauce, as their texture changes quickly. • For less heat, omit the chile de árbol; for a hotter sauce, leave in some of its seeds. • Replace the chicken breast with boneless chicken thighs; cook them to 74°C and shred them in the same way. • If queso fresco is unavailable, use crumbled panela cheese or a smaller amount of mild feta. • Replace the Mexican crema with sour cream thinned with one tablespoon of milk. • For a quicker version, use 400 g shredded rotisserie chicken and 250 ml gluten-free chicken broth. Store the chicken sauce, tortilla chips, and toppings separately. Refrigerate the chicken sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months. Reheat the sauce in a skillet over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until gently bubbling and piping hot; add the chips only when serving. Assembled chilaquiles can be refrigerated for 1 day, though they will become soft, and freezing is not recommended.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
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Save recipeIngredients
- 500 gchicken breast, skinless and boneless
- 750 mlwater
- ½ tspfine salt, for cooking the chicken
- 5Roma tomatoes, ripe and halved
- 3guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1chile de árbol, stemmed
- ¼white onion
- 2 clovegarlic, peeled
- 250 mlchicken cooking broth
- 1 tspdried Mexican oregano
- 1 tspfine salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tbspvegetable oil
- 300 gcorn tortilla chips, thick and unflavored
- 80 gqueso fresco, crumbled
- 120 mlMexican crema
- ¼red onion, thinly sliced
- 1avocado, sliced
- 15 gfresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped
- 1lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- 1Place the chicken breast in a medium saucepan with 750 ml water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, skim off any foam, partially cover, and cook for 14 to 18 minutes, until the center reaches 74°C. Transfer the chicken to a plate, reserve 250 ml of the broth, and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before shredding it.
- 2While the chicken cooks, heat an ungreased griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Roast the tomatoes, white onion, and garlic for 8 to 10 minutes, turning until charred in spots and the tomatoes have softened. Remove the garlic after about 4 minutes to prevent it from burning.
- 3Toast the guajillo chiles and chile de árbol on the same griddle for 15 to 20 seconds per side, just until fragrant; do not let them darken too much. Place them in a bowl, cover with very hot water, and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and discard the soaking water.
- 4Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, rehydrated chiles, 250 ml reserved broth, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt for 1 minute, until smooth. If any tough pieces of chile skin remain, strain the sauce through a medium-mesh sieve.
- 5Heat the oil in a deep 30 cm skillet over medium heat. Carefully pour in the sauce and cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes, until it no longer tastes raw, has darkened slightly, and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the salt; if the sauce is too thick, stir in an additional 2 to 4 tablespoons of broth or water.
- 6Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and cook for 2 minutes, until heated through. Reserve about one-quarter of the chicken for topping. Add the remaining tortilla chips to the skillet and gently toss for 30 to 60 seconds to coat without breaking them; remove from the heat immediately for chilaquiles that remain slightly crisp, or cook for up to 2 minutes for a softer texture.
- 7Divide the chilaquiles among four warmed plates. Top each serving with the reserved chicken, queso fresco, crema, red onion, avocado, and cilantro. Serve immediately with the lime wedges.