Easy Red Chilaquiles

RED CHILAQUILES

• 16 corn tortillas, cut into wedges

neutral oil, for frying

• 4 roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 dried guajillo chilies, stem and seeds removed
• 3 dried chile de arbol, stem and seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

kosher salt

freshly cracked pepper

TOPPINGS

• 1/2 white onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 3 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema

1. Make the sauce. Toss the halved tomatoes, onion, and garlic together on a baking sheet with salt and pepper and olive oil. Roast at 375 F for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes and onion are soft. While the veggies roast, soak the guajillo chilies and arbol chilies in very hot water until soft. Add the roasted veggies to a blender with the soaked chilies, spices, and salt. Blend until thin enough to pour, using some of the soaking liquid from the chilies.
2. Fry the tortillas. Cut the corn tortillas into wedges and heat a thin layer of oil in a large nonstick skillet. Fry the tortillas until crispy in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer the crispy tortillas to a paper towel lined try and season with salt. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet.
3. Cook the sauce. Add the sauce to the skillet (careful, it’ll splatter a bit!), and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until darkened in color.
4. Add the fried tortillas. Add the fried tortillas to the sauce and toss to coat. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the tortillas have softened slightly but aren’t soggy. Top as desired and serve immediately.
5. Baked, Fried, or Store Bought Chips for Chilaquiles
6. I’m personally always going to opt for fried tortillas for red chilaquiles, but there are other options! If you wanted to bake your corn tortillas until crispy, you can do that too. Brush your tortilla wedges with oil, season with salt, and bake until crispy. Follow the instructions as written afterwards.
7. Preheat an oven to 375 F. Toss the halved roma tomatoes, chopped onion, and garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
8. Place the dried guajillo chilies and chile de arbol in a heat safe bowl and cover with very hot water, let them soak for 15 minutes.
9. Combine the roasted veggies and soaked chilies in the carafe of a blender with the cumin and oregano and add as much of the chile soaking liquid as necessary to make the sauce smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Heat a thin layer of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the tortilla wedges in batches until crispy on both sides. Transfer the crispy tortillas to a paper towel lined plate and season with salt. Add oil as necessary as you fry the rest of the chips. After the chips are fried, remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet.
11. Add the red salsa to the skillet (careful, it'll splatter a little!) and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until darkened in color. Add the crispy tortillas and toss to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the chips have softened slightly but aren't soggy. Top as desired and serve immediately.