Easy Baked Chicken Chilaquiles

These Easy Baked Chicken Chilaquiles are my take on an irresistible traditional Mexican breakfast dish. They’re loaded with all the classic chilaquiles flavors and made with just a few simple ingredients. This 30-minute breakfast or brunch is made with corn tortilla chips smothered in enchilada sauce and layered with shredded chicken, scrambled eggs, cheese, and more.

this Recipe

Chicken Chilaquiles – The EASY Way!

I had chilaquiles for the first time when my husband and I took a trip to Mexico. Long story short, I absolutely fell in love. I decided I needed to figure out how to make them.

Before we get into the recipe, let me start by saying this is not an authentic chilaquiles recipe. Traditional chilaquiles are a little bit more labor intensive. My goal in making this breakfast dish was to capture the delicious flavors of traditional chilaquiles, but in a quicker, easier, and more accessible way so you can make them any lazy weekend morning.

This breakfast recipe is definitely one you’ll keep circling back to. Hearty, filling, flavorful, creamy, crunchy, and so darn simple!

Why I LOVE this recipe!

• Quick and easy. This family friendly dinner is made with super accessible ingredients and ready in a total of 30 minutes.
• Tons of flavor. Who knew that just a few ingredients could pack such a flavor punch? This meal will have your mouth watering.
• Feeds a crowd. These chilaquiles are made in a 9×13″ casserole dish to feed a crowd…or to have enough for seconds.

What are Chilaquiles?

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish made of fried corn tortillas, chicken, eggs, and cheese in a red sauce. This dish is generally served for breakfast or brunch, but can also be found on occasion served at lunch or dinner. The word chilaquiles is derived from a word in the an ancient Aztec language which means chiles and greens, but I find the simplest way to describe them is as breakfast nachos.

While traditional chilaquiles are generally made from fresh tortillas fried in a skillet, we make an easy version by using tortilla chips and bake it all together in a casserole dish.

What to Serve with Chicken Chilaquiles

Since these easy chilaquiles have the classic flavors of Mexican food they will pair well with many of your favorite Mexican side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.

Side Dish Ideas

• Easy Mexican Rice – This Mexican rice makes the perfect simple side dish if you’re serving chilaquiles for lunch or dinner. A one pan recipe that’s packed full with flavor.
• Mexican Style Crock Pot Refried Beans – Turn regular dried pinto beans into velvety, rich, flavorful perfection with this recipe. Perfect served alongside homemade chilaquiles.
• Mexican Roasted Vegetables – Kick the nutrition up a notch with these colorful Mexican roasted vegetables. Fresh, crunchy veggies tossed with taco seasoning and roasted until crisp-tender.
• Million Dollar Bacon – You can’t go wrong with this classic addition to breakfast! This perfect crispy bacon makes an excellent and super simple pairing.

Topping Ideas

• Sour Cream or Mexican Crema
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa – Add some extra texture, flavor, and color with this refreshing black bean and corn salsa. Just 10 minutes of prep and 9 ingredients needed.
• Guacamole – Just 10 minutes needed to whip up this bright, fresh, and flavorful homemade guacamole. Perfect for topping off homemade chilaquiles.
• Diced onion
• Lime wedges

You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner. 

Recipe Notes

This chilaquiles rojos recipe is as simple as promised! Just 30 minutes for a family friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Chicken Chilaquiles Ingredients + Substitutions

• Tortilla Chips – Grab your favorite variety of corn tortilla chips for this recipe. I recommend something a little bit thicker so they can retain some of their crunch underneath all the toppings and the sauce.
  
• Enchilada Sauce – We’re using red enchilada sauce to make chilaquiles rojos.
  
• Chicken – You can use whatever cooked chicken you have on hand. Shredded, cubed, rotisserie, you name it. This recipe also works great if you have leftover Mexican-marinated chicken from another recipe.
  
• Eggs – You’ll need 6 eggs. I like to scramble them because it makes the dish very easy, however if you prefer you can add fried egg instead.
  
• Chopped Green Chiles
  
• Queso Fresco – Queso fresco is a traditional, crumbly Mexican white cheese. If you can’t find queso fresco, you can swap it out for cotija cheese or feta instead.
  
• Monterey Jack Cheese
  
• Mexican Crema – You can also use sour cream in place of the crema if that’s more convenient for you.

Recipe Tips

1. Use a 9×13″ casserole dish – This is the perfect size for all of the ingredients to fit comfortably and for the layers to heat all the way through.
2. Use sturdy tortilla chips – The thinner tortilla chips get soggy much quicker than those with a little more structure. If you like a little extra crunch, sturdier chips are best.
3. Serve immediately – Chilaquiles are definitely best served fresh out of the oven. The longer they sit, the soggier the chips will become.

Recipe Short Cuts

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!

• Use leftover or rotisserie chicken – While you can totally cook chicken up specifically for this recipe, it’s also a great way to use up any leftover cooked chicken you might already have on-hand. You can also keep it super quick and easy by just using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store.
• Cook the eggs in advance – Cooked scrambled eggs can be cooked a couple days ahead of time and stored in the fridge. When you’re ready to assemble your chilaquiles, then they’re ready to go.
• Mix the chicken filling ahead of time – Mix the shredded chicken, scrambled eggs, chopped green chiles, and enchilada sauce in advance and store it in the fridge all together. This makes assembling your chilaquiles extra quick!

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• Chilaquiles Verdes – Simply swap the red enchilada sauce out for green enchilada sauce if that’s what you prefer.
  Beef Chilaquiles – Use Mexican shredded beef, or the cooked beef of your choice, in place of the chicken.
• Use Other Toppings – Feel free to garnish with whatever toppings you think sound good. I love pico de gallo, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of Mexican crema, but you could also do diced avocado, your favorite hot sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, salsa, you name it.

Chilaquiles Leftovers

If you have leftovers after making chicken chilaquiles with eggs, then it is your lucky day! While they are best served immediately, they do still save and reheat well enough. If you have leftover taco meat I have a huge list of taco meat leftover ideas.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

• in the refrigerator for 3-4 days

More Breakfast Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my breakfast recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
• Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Hashbrowns
• Green Chile Egg Casserole
• Breakfast Casserole with Bacon
• Breakfast Sliders