Mexican Street Corn Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles have to be in my top five favorite brunch foods. Actually, make that top five favorite foods EVER. If you’ve never had them, it’s basically fried tortillas which are then cooked in a chipotle/Mexican spiced tomato-y sauce, layered with cheese, and topped with all of the delicious things. Including fried eggs, and in my case, avocado. And we all know how I feel about those two.

I knew I wanted to make a special version of chilaquiles..and then it came to me. Mexican street corn! How can you go wrong with sweet corn, crumbly queso fresco or cotija cheese, lime, garlic, chili powder and cilantro. Such a flavorful combo! My favorite way to consume it is with this salmon. Serious favorite meal alert.

The fried tortillas are the other super important ingredient here. So much better than using store-bought tortilla chips, in my opinion. They’re thicker and have a little bit more chew, and you cannot beat freshly fried things in my opinion. The good thing is, there’s no deep frying here! You just cut them into wedges and shallow fry the tortillas with just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

No one wants their whole house to smell like a fryer and have to dispose of a huge pot of scalding oil. I’ll do it sometimes when I’m really feeling ambitious, but not often.

The tomato sauce here is super simple. Just crushed tomatoes, garlic, and a couple tablespoons of sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo. Love that stuff! Such a delicious smoky flavor without being too spicy.

I love the texture that the tortillas take on after cooking in the sauce. They’re not soggy, but just the perfect bite. Plus, they get enveloped in lots of gooey cheese. Cheddar and monterey jack, to be exact. Two of my faves to use in Mexican recipes. Oh! And I used queso fresco here. LOVE that stuff!

The most time consuming part of this dish is chopping all the toppings, and frying the tortillas. Other than that, it comes together pretty quickly. Don’t skimp on the toppings though. They’re all so perfect together!

If I ever see chilaquiles on a menu at a restaurant, I always order them. They’re one of those things that are too good to pass up. I need to start making them at home more often! Weekend brunches are one of my favorite indulgences.

What’s not to love? Runny egg, fried tortillas, smoky delicious tomato sauce, lots of melty cheese, and alllll the toppings. So in love!

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Mexican Street Corn Chilaquiles with Smoky Tomato Sauce and Fried Eggs

These chilaquiles are filled with a Mexican street corn salsa, cheese, and a smoky tomato sauce. Topped with fried eggs, these are perfect for brunch!

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sweet corn, either frozen or cut off the cob
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• pinch of salt
• 8 tortillas, cut into wedges (I used a mixture of corn and flour tortillas)
• 1/4 cup avocado oil or other high-heat friendly oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 4 ounces monterey jack cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 4 fried eggs (or cooked to your liking)
• extra chopped cilantro
• extra crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
• lime wedges

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the corn, queso fresco, chili powder, garlic powder, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.

2. Heat a large cast iron or oven safe skillet to medium/high heat. Add the avocado oil. Fry tortilla wedges in batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes per side, until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels. You may need to add more oil and reduce the heat to medium if the pan seems to be getting too hot.

3. Once all tortillas have been fried, let pan cool for a few minutes, and then wipe the oil out of the pan with paper towels. Add a drizzle of avocado oil and heat pan to medium. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes, adobo sauce, and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Preheat the broiler to high.

5. Scoop ¾ cup of the sauce out of the pan and set aside. Add half of the tortilla "chips" into the sauce and toss to coat. Top with half of the cheeses, and half of the street corn mixture.

6. Add the remaining chips, and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover the chips in the sauce, spreading it around to make sure all are coated.

7. Top with remaining cheese, and the rest of the corn mixture.

8. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

9. Top with cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, avocado, fried eggs, cilantro, and extra queso fresco if desired. Serve with lime wedges!