Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles are a pretty traditional Mexican dish, which come in a couple of varieties. Basically there's red or green and with or without eggs. I'm doing the "eggless" "red" version as told to me by a friend of mine and I thought it sounded good enough to try.

Chilaquiles are usually served for breakfast or brunch and are considered a hangover cure. We're having it for dinner because I love breakfast for dinner, not because I'm hungover. 

The dish is super simple to put together. I went the extra step of making fresh salsa, but I also like to eat chips and salsa, so no biggie there. 

I should have documented making the salsa, but I didn't. I was making bread, marinating 2 kinds of chicken and minding my daughter. All I did was make the Pioneer Woman's salsa recipe:

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, Minced

1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin

1/4 teaspoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 cup Cilantro

1/2 whole Lime Juice

Blend everything well. 

The basic recipe for the chilaquiles is pretty simple:

Chilaquiles

2-3 cups of salsa

2 boneless chicken breasts

Chicken marinade:

Half an onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup tequila

Juice of a lime

About half a bag of tortilla chips (Yes, I know you're supposed to make your own. Yes, I know the point of the dish is to use up old tortillas. I apologize. I only had chips, not tortillas)

1 tablespoon of oregano (fresh or dried)

Queso fresco

Mexican crema

Avocado (if you have one)

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I began with the marinade:

Toss everything into a ziplock bag. I just threw in the lime rinds too.

Let this marinate as long as you can. I did it overnight because I thought of it yesterday. 

When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350F. Take the chicken out of the bag and put it in a pan over high heat to give it some color.

I may have cooked it a little hot, but you get the idea. 

Add a little of the marinade to the pan and get it in the oven. I used a thermometer, but it took about 20 minutes for me.

Done.

Let it rest on a cutting board until it's cool enough to shred. 

I did this about an hour in advance and stored it in the fridge.

Shredded goodness

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When you're ready to cook the meal, get a pan over med/high heat and add a pat of butter.

Get your prepared salsa (or store bought, no biggie) just make sure it's pretty smooth. 

Toss it in the pan. It'll sputter a bit, just keep it moving. 

Let the salsa "fry" for about 5-7 minutes until it comes to a simmer. 

Add the chicken.

I used some fresh oregano from the garden. About a tablespoon, chopped fine. 

Add it to the pan.

Once that's incorporated, add the chips. I used a whole grain variety. 

Let the whole mix cook until the chips lose their body. The point is for the starch to thicken things up a bit.

Grab a *nearly* over rip avocado for service. 

Over all I thought the meal was pretty good. I used a bit much cilantro in the salsa and I underestimated the strength of the fresh oregano from my garden, so that was strong too. Also, if i make this again, I'll experiment with different tortilla options, whether different chips or frying torts myself. Just to see if there is a notable difference. 

Serve with crumbled queso fresco and Mexican crema. 

Enjoy!