What is the difference between chilaquiles and nachos?

Chilaquiles (pronounced “chee-lah-kee-lays”) is a traditional dish from Mexico known for its mouthwatering pool of salsa which is generally served in the morning for breakfast and a favorite alternative to breakfast tacos.

If one is checking out an easy, crowd-pleasing breakfast that isn’t your standard scrambled eggs (or even bacon and eggs), look no further. Try chilaquiles!

Across the US, especially in Texas, chilaquiles are eaten any time of the day and can usually be made from scratch to the finish line in less than an hour.

The flavorful yet simple meal consists of tortilla chips as a base for all your favorite toppings, which one may already even have on hand.

The secret to the best chilaquiles recipe comes down to the salsa that is being used.

It is suggested that one make their own salsa, however, a store-bought salsa would do just fine when you’re in a fix. The other star of this dish is crema, which complements the tart, crunchy cabbage. Top all that off with a dash of cheese and a fried egg, and consider a breakfast for kings.

What are Mexican Chilaquiles made of?

The three components one must always use for the dish to be considered chilaquiles are freshly fried tortilla chips, salsa which can either be rojo or verde (red or green), and a must-have — cheese.

The stark difference between chilaquiles and nachos simply boils down to the amount of salsa used and the type of cheese.

Chilaquiles is primarily Mexican with a saucy base and generally use a queso fresco — which basically translates to “fresh cheese”. While nachos, on the other hand, is a primarily Tex-Mex dish that can have the option of choosing salsa and a cheese sauce, cheddar, a Monterey jack, or yellow melting cheese.