Chilaquiles with Puya Chile Sauce
Chilaquiles are a playful way to have a fun brunch or a breakfast-for-dinner hybrid. Tortilla chips get a coating of spicy, tomato-rich Puya Chile Sauce and fragrant mushrooms seasoned with garlic and Epazote. They’re a sophisticated take on nachos, and present more like a meal than a game-day snacker.
We made our chilaquiles with mushrooms to keep it a little bit lighter—it is a dish made primarily with tortilla chips, after all—while still maintaining savory flavor. The mushrooms give it a bit of umami heft and still provide a terrific canvas for the citrusy contrast of Epazote and lime. You could, of course, put some carnitas or pulled chicken on your chilaquiles if you’d like. If you do use some meat, it should be fully cooked before adding it over the chips, and we recommend heating it through and tossing it with Epazote and lime juice, just like we did with the mushrooms.
We chose goat cheese for its tanginess and queso fresco because it is a traditional Mexican cheese. If neither of these cheeses works for you, then feel free to select your favorite cheesy topper. Jarlsburg will add a nice nuttiness to your finished dish, Monterey Jack is an easy-melting cheese that's gooey and fun, and cheddar will deliver a brisk sharpness.
Since we looked at the sunny side up egg as a finisher, we only put one egg over our chilaquiles. If you’re sharing this dish with someone and you’re both hungry for eggs, you can certainly make more than one to go over the top of the chips. Garnish with avocado chunks and cilantro for fresh flavor contrasts and Pickled Red Onions and jalapeños for a bite of vinegar and some heat.
- 4 ounce assorted mushrooms
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon dried Epazote
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 recipe Puya Chile Sauce
- 8 ounce corn tortilla chips
- 2 ounce crumbled goat cheese
- 2 ounce queso fresco
- 1/2 diced avocado
- 1 egg cooked sunny-side up
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Sauté the mushrooms in the oil and butter over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mushrooms start to brown. Turn heat down to medium low, add the garlic and epazote and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with lime juice. Set aside.
3. Heat the Puya Chile Sauce in a wide, oven-proof skillet and add the chips in batches until fully coated in the sauce.
4. Sprinkle mushrooms across the top of the chips, then add goat cheese and queso fresco. Bake in a 450°F oven until the cheese starts to brown and melt.
5. Remove from the oven garnish with the egg, avocado, and classic toppings like pickled red onions and cilantro.