This favorite breakfast dish is really a creative way to use up leftovers! Leftover meat, stale corn tortillas, and whatever Mexican sauce you have on hand combine to make a delicious breakfast.

It’s absolutely imperative that you use stale corn tortillas - fresh ones will only disintegrate. If you ony have fresh on hand, dry them in a warm oven. I’ve also used salt-free baked corn chips with a great deal of success.

Chilaquiles come in 2 main styles – in a red, tomato sauce or in a green, tomatillo sauce, called ‘Salsa Verde’. Check out my links below for salsa recipes to choose from. My favorite version is Chilaquiles Verde, with leftover roast chicken.

Crema is an important ingredient in the dish. The easiest way to emulate it is by thinning sour cream with a little water until it has a yoghurt-like consistency. (I’ll bet you could use plain yoghurt, come to think of it, but I’ve never tried.).

So, here’s a basic chilaquiles recipe, which you can change to your taste and/or available ingredients: Take about a dozen stale corn tortillas and tear into strips or wedges. Slice 1 onion and saute in oil, with the tortilla pieces, until the tortillas are crispy. Drain. Take whatever leftover meat you wish to use and shred or thinly slice it. Combine it with whatever sauce you choose, along with the sauteed onions. Lightly oil a large baking pan, and place a layer of the tortilla strips, then the meat in sauce, then a few dabs of the crema you made, and repeat until all ingredients are used up. Top with a layer of grated cheese. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, until bubbling, and serve with more crema on the side.

And here’s a skillet version that uses eggs instead of meat:
1 cup oil
1 onion, chopped
2 dozen, or so, corn tortillas, torn into strips
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
salsa of choice: cooked tomato salsa or salsa verde (see recipe links below)
1/2 cup shredded mild white cheese, such as Monterey Jack

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil and stir in the onion and tortilla strips. Fry until tortilla strips are crisp and golden brown. Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels. Drain the skillet, leaving only a thin residue of oil. Over high heat, return tortillas to the skillet, and stir in the eggs. Season with salt. Cook and stir until eggs are firm. Add the salsa of your choice, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Top with cheese and continue continue cooking until cheese has melted. Serve immediately, topped with crema.