Chilaquiles For Everyone

~ Cecilia Alanis, Digital ~

Well, this year has been quite challenging when it comes to sharing. Spending time with friends and family has changed so much and creating memories has come down to Zoom meetings and FaceTime calls. Being in quarantine and working from home has taken us to the next level of culinary exploration since we are not able to go out to restaurants and enjoy our favorite foods.
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One Sunday morning I woke up craving some Mexican Chilaquiles. I started thinking about this tiny Mexican restaurant my friends and I used to go to that reminded me of Mexico City. I would give my friends culinary history lessons and share some cultural accents for a total Mexican immersion. After becoming nostalgic, I decided to make them on my own, but this would be my first time. I needed the help of an expert, my mom.
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My mother guided me on how to make Chilaquiles. It was so much fun and gave us a special bonding moment, but this was different. This was the first time we made something together over a FaceTime call.
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After preparing the Chilaquiles, as a visual person, I plated them and garnished them beautifully and took a photo to share over a text message. One of my friends was so eager to get a taste, I figured out a way to deliver them safely.
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Once I figured out how to package them, a light bulb came on in my head. I grabbed a piece of paper and started doodling a visual guide on “How to build your Chilaquiles.” It was such an amazing moment being able to share my favorite food from my country with my friends in a fun way. They loved it so much and until this day I keep sharing them every time someone craves some delicious homemade Mexican Chilaquiles.  
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Sharing moments and adventures shouldn’t stop just because we are living isolated lives right now, or because we live in different countries. We just learn to be more creative with the way we can share what we love and who we are, one recipe at a time.

“
It was so much fun and gave us a special bonding moment, but this was different.”
Stories good for the soul

Chilaquiles

Note: You can make them green, red or both.  

Salsa verde

  • 8 tomatillos  
  • 1 serrano pepper (or as many as you like)  
  • ½ white onion  
  • Few strings cilantro  
  • 1 garlic clove  
  • Salt to your taste  

Salsa Roja

  • 4 big red tomatoes  
  • 1 serrano pepper (or as many as you like)  
  • ½ white onion  
  • Few strings cilantro  
  • 1 garlic clove  
  • Salt to your taste  

Chicken

  • Chicken breast, legs and thighs  
  • ½ white onion  
  • Few strings cilantro  
  • 1 teaspoon Knorr  
  • 1 teaspoon salt  

Tostadas

  • You can fry your own or buy them premade at the store.  

PREPARATION

For both salsas do the following: 
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Cook the green tomatillos with the serrano pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro and salt, till tomatillos are soft. After cooking, drain some of the water and mix them in a blender. Heat a deep skillet and pour the mixture in, adding some chicken broth (from the chicken you just cooked) until it reduces and thickens slightly; season to your taste. Set aside. Do the same with the red tomatoes. Shred the chicken. Build your Chilaquiles. First put tostadas on a plate, then chicken, salsa, crema and a garnish of queso fresco. Add refried black beans as a side.

Note: You can make the Chilaquiles green or red or both; there’s no shame in that. Garnish with Media Crema Nestle, queso fresco and a side of good old Mexican black beans.