overhead view of chilaquiles verdes in a large cast iron skillet

Chilaquiles! Chilaquiles Verdes!

I had no idea what they were until I decided to make them for Friday Night Dinner. We don’t live in an area where Mexican food is very authentic, so that’s not a surprise.

So when I decided to make these after watching Lorelai? Lorelai?, I had some research to do. I found out that Chilaquiles are basically a tortilla casserole and actually served as a breakfast dish in Mexico.

Think about how great they would be with some fried eggs on top. But, we were doing this for dinner because I’m American, we like to take other cultures and make them our own (usually in the worst of ways).

The funny thing is, the thought of a tortilla casserole conjured pictures of mushed up tortilla chips in my mind, so I didn’t have high expectations about these chicken and black bean chilaquiles.

How to make chilaquiles verdes

I decided to go with the verde version of chilaquiles for these chicken and black bean chilaquiles – because, cilantro – and I used rotisserie chicken and black beans for my protein so I wouldn’t have to do any more cooking than absolutely necessary.

Then I got even lazier and used tomatillo avocado salsa that I bought at Costco for the salsa verde. It’s all good though, because even with all my laziness, I’m still making my own meals, which is more than I can say for the Gilmore Girls, right?

You could also use homemade roasted tomatillo salsa if you have some.

More rotisserie chicken ideas: chicken pho / easy chicken tortilla soup / cranberry chicken salad

chicken chilaquiles in a cast iron skillet

The overall process of making the dish was easier than I expected, thanks to my shortcuts, and as they baked away in the oven, the smell in my kitchen had already blown my low expectations out of the water.

When we took our first bites, we were pleasantly surprised, and I continued to say “Oh, this is so good!” as I was eating, something that doesn’t happen too often at our overly critical table.

Here’s what you’ll need to make them

Toppings: we went with fresh tomatoes, black olives, chipotle aioli, guacamole and lots of fresh cilantro. Obviously, you can do whatever you want here. Your basic taco or nacho toppings should work, but get creative if you want. I’d love to hear how you like your chilaquiles.