How about chips for dinner? Try these weeknight Chilaquiles!

Let’s make chips for dinner a thing! 

Restaurant chilaquiles are such a treat: homemade corn tortillas or chips layered with one of several Mexican-inspired sauces, cheese, and fillings such as beans, protein, or veggies. Often found at brunch topped with a fried egg and guacamole, they’re full of flavor and extra special while being comforting and filling at the same time. 

This at-home version is simple, yes, but equally flavorful and comforting. The simple version: Layer some tortilla chips with cheese and enchilada sauce, bake and done! 

Here, adding some veggies and chicken makes this a complete meal. The variations are endless, though: Use any leftover meat or beans you have, swap out the veggies, and use green or red enchilada sauce or even a jar of salsa in a pinch. 

More: from LindsaySpring Veggie Risotto is a creamy, dreamy celebration of produce

The result here is REALLY good, without a ton of effort or hard-to-find ingredients. Make this often with different ingredients each time to create your own house version of skillet chilaquiles. 

Enjoy! 

Weeknight Skillet Chilaquiles 

Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 50 minutes | Serves: 4  

• 1 bell pepper, any color, diced 
• ½ medium onion, diced 
• 1 jalapeno, diced (see note) 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 10 ounces (1 can) red or green enchilada sauce 
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (see note) 
• 2 large handfuls tortilla chips 
• 4 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, grated 
• Toppings of choice: pickled jalapenos, chopped tomato, cilantro leaves, sour cream, etc. 

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and preheat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (a cast iron skillet is great here!) to medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. 
2. When the skillet is hot, add the bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and garlic with a sprinkle of salt. Sauté the veggies for 5 minutes, stirring as you go, until the veggies have softened slightly. 
3. Add the chicken, chips, and enchilada sauce to the skillet and turn the heat off. Stir gently to coat everything in the sauce. 
4. Top the skillet with the cheese and place it in the oven. Bake the chilaquiles for 10-15 minutes until bubbly throughout and slightly crispy at the edges. 
5. Serve scooped into bowls with black beans, rice, and/or any toppings you’d like. YUM. 

More: from Lindsay:Rice Bowls with slow-cooker Al Pastor

Ingredient Notes + Tips and Tricks: 

• Jalapeno: If you don’t want this dish to be spicy at all, you can skip the jalapeno. If you like just a bit of spice, use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and white ribs of the pepper before dicing it and adding it to the recipe. 
• Chicken: I love this with leftover chicken, but it’s also a great use for a rotisserie chicken. Half of a rotisserie chicken will yield the perfect amount of chicken for this recipe. 
• Chips: The quantity of chips is very fluid here; you want enough to fill up the skillet once the veggies, sauce, and chicken are in there. Don’t stress, trust the chip deities and it’ll work just fine. 
• Cheese: Any melty cheese that you like is perfect here – cheddar, provolone, fontina, etc. I do think that grating your own cheese works a bit better than bagged for this dish, because the anti-caking agent included in pre-grated cheeses inhibits melting in the final dish. That said, bagged cheese is a fabulous time-saving ingredient, the anti-caking ingredients are perfectly edible, and bagged cheese works in this dish if that’s what you have!