Chicken Chilaquiles

I am constantly reading about food. Cookbooks, magazines, websites, blogs – I devour their instructions and savor the inspiration every single day, multiple times daily actually. Food is definitely one of my favorite little pleasures in life. Since I spend so much time reading about food, it was surprising to me that up until a few weeks ago I’d never heard of Chilaquiles (pronounced “chee-la-key-lay”). I saw them on a few blogs, then in the same week I saw them featured on Everyday Food. I was intrigued. Then I saw them mentioned again on the Cooking Channel. I was fixated now. I must put some of that in my mouth, stat. Only problem was that I wasn’t fully certain what a chilaquile really was. So after reading articles and recipes from all sorts of cooks, I found that chilaquiles aren’t anything new, they’re just new to me. They’re a traditional Mexican dish, and there are as many variations as there are kitchens. It was originally developed as a way to use leftover, stale tortilla chips. When making mine I pulled together some of my favorite things from several sources, especially Everyday Food. Their recipe was the most simple, and that’s a quality that’s near and dear to my heart. The dish is infinitely adaptable, so use what you like best and make it your own.

If you’re a fan of Mexican food you will love this dish. It was an instant hit with us, and has already been requested again. It’s quick and easy, so I’m thrilled to have something new to put into the dinner rotation. Chilaquiles are considered a kind of comfort food, and I wholeheartedly agree. The whole dish is infused with a soft, smoky flavor that’s balanced perfectly with lots of mildly flavored cheese. The tortilla chips add a nice salty bite and just a bit of crunch. It was just the meal we needed to give our weekly menu a breath of freshness.

By the way, if my description of this dish isn’t enough to convince you to try it, then maybe my husband’s co-workers will. He took the leftovers for lunch the next day and two separate people stopped him to ask for the recipe before he even got back to his desk.

Chicken Chilaquiles

serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

28 ounces no salt added diced tomatoes

1 chipotle pepper (canned in adobo) chopped

salt to taste

1 pound cooked chicken thighs (grilled, roasted, or rotisserie), shredded or chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

4 cups tortilla chips

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, cook until translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes and their juice to skillet. Stir in the pepper. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bring to boil over medium heat, then reduce to low. Add cooked chicken and cilantro to tomatoes. Stir well and cook 5 more minutes. Pour the chips into the tomato and chicken mixture and stir to fully coat. Cook one more minute. Spoon chicken mixture onto serving plates. Sprinkle each plate with feta cheese. Add a spoonful of sour cream on top. Serve immediately.

adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food

Comments

Living A Bona Fide Life says:

April 15, 2011 at 8:28 pm

I think that this looks really good. I never knew how much flavor adobe sauce added to a recipe until recently – love them! Thanks for sharing, I added your recipe to my recipe box

Living A Bona Fide Life: Recipe Box #7

lorena says:

July 9, 2012 at 10:21 am

If you liked the red chilaquiles you will love the green version, just substitute Herdez salsa verde for the tomatoes and chipotles. I use queso fresco instead of feta and monterrey jack cheese. My boys call them lazy man enchiladas. yum

Comments

Hello,

Subscribe to Our Family Eats

Thank You!

Advertisement

Grab My Button!