Chilaquiles. Chila… what?
I try to pronounce the term correctly but I feel like I’m not saying it right. I took Spanish language lessons in high school but perhaps I’m forgetting the basics. After all, high school was… let’s just say many years ago. Then I asked my husband who proudly declares that he “took four years of Spanish and got the approximate pronunciation of ‘hola’ out of it.” He wasn’t much help either. Then I turned to the trusty interwebs and found an audio version to help assist me. It turns out that I was pretty close to saying it right… tchee/lah/KEE/lehs. I bet that you didn’t expect a Spanish language lesson today. 😉
Anyhoo… I came across this recipe the other day sort of by accident. I had pulled out a recipe book to show my husband a particular recipe (not this one, but one you will see soon). He gave me the thumbs up on that one and then instantly looked at the recipe picture next to it and said “Oh, that looks good too.” We love Mexican food so it seemed like a no brainer to try it. Plus, it’s just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
This meal gives you everything that you love about Mexican food… some kind of meat, salsa, and cheese. That’s all that counts, right? 😉 Do you know what I love most about this dish? You don’t need to take the time to roll up the ingredients into tortillas. Instead, you throw some toasted strips of tortillas into pot of Mexican goodness. No messy fingers! How cool is that?
You may want to load up your toppings with all the typical Mexican trimmings, like sour cream, or guacamole, or lettuce, or onions, or… you get the idea. I’ll leave that entirely up to you.
I love eating out with my boo (especially because that means I don’t have to cook). However, I also love the idea of enjoying Mexican food at home in my PJs instead of eating at a restaurant. Anyone else feel like putting on “real” clothes is too much of an effort sometimes? Now I just need to figure out how to have the Mariachi band affect at home. (My husband shot this one down immediately as the part he likes the least about Mexican food.) 😉
Chilaquiles Recipe
(about 6 servings)
Ingredients:
- 10 (6 inch) tortillas, cut into 1 inch wide strips
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 jar (16 ounce) salsa
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded Mexican style four cheese blend (equivalent to 4 ounces)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lay the tortilla strips on a baking sheet (in one layer) and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let them cool completely.
- In a large skillet, over Medium/High heat, heat the oil.
- Add the cubed chicken, chopped onion, and oregano. Stir and cook until the chicken is cooked.
- Stir in the salsa and diced tomatoes (with the liquid).
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the chicken broth and let the mixture come to a boil again.
- Then reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for about 5 minutes. Note that you will still have a lot of liquid in the pot and that’s what you want.
- Stir in about 3/4 of the baked tortilla strips. The baked tortilla strips will soak up most of the liquid. (Set aside the rest as a topping.)
- After plating, garnish the top with a few baked tortilla strips and shredded cheese.
Note: This dish is really best served and eaten immediately. My husband points out that soggy tortilla pieces don’t reheat especially well.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
Here are some other fun recipes to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Oooh yum! I love Mexican food and your enchiladas ALSO sound totally delish 🙂
Thanks so much!
I probably couldn’t say it right either Tina. But, I do know how to read ingredients, and these look absolutely amazing! Forget the appropriate name, I’m calling them GOOD. We can all say that, right? 🙂
Absolutely and I like the way you think! 🙂
haha oh my gosh yes. Sometimes I refuse to go out simply because I don’t want to put on real clothes and change out of my PJs or yoga pants 🙂
And yay for mexican food. I love it all – this looks awesome!
Phew… glad I’m not alone. 😉
Tina this looks so good!! You can never have too much Mexican food!
I totally agree! 🙂