Corn Chilaquiles

basicallytomatillogreen onion scallioncornchickenlimejalapeñocilantrosour creamchipsavocado


Claire Saffitz
4 servings


Ingredients

Method

Take 10 minutes and prep all of your ingredients. Remove and discard husks from 12 oz. tomatillos and rinse off any sticky residue (don’t worry, it’s normal). Cut larger ones in half and set aside on cutting board. Cut 6 of the 8 scallions into 1" pieces. Thinly slice remaining 2 scallions and set aside on your board. Pull skin and bones off ½ rotisserie chicken and discard. Shred meat with your fingers and set aside on your cutting board. Cut 1 lime into wedges and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium until shimmering. Add 2 whole corn cobs, 1" pieces of scallions, and tomatillos (cut side up).

Cook, rotating corn and tomatillos and tossing scallions occasionally, until vegetables are lightly charred all over. This will happen at different times. The scallions and tomatillos will cook fastest, 3–4 minutes. As they’re done, transfer them to a large bowl.

The corn will take longest, 8–12 minutes total, so keep rotating cobs. When corn is lightly charred all over, transfer to cutting board and let cool; keep skillet close by because you’re going to use it again in a few minutes.

Pick a small handful of cilantro leaves with tender stems and set aside. Transfer tomatillos and charred scallions to a blender and add 6 rings of pickled jalapeños (or more if you like it spicy), remaining cilantro, and 2 Tbsp. water. Starting on low speed and eventually increasing to high, blend until mixture is completely smooth. With the motor running, stream in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to emulsify. Season salsa with salt; set aside. → Did you make a double batch of salsa? Good. Here's how to use it.

Take a few minutes to cut kernels off of the now-cool-enough-to-handle corn cobs. Do this directly on cutting board.

Place ⅓ cup sour cream in a small bowl and squeeze in juice from 1 or 2 lime wedges, then stir to combine; set aside.

Heat reserved skillet over medium-low and pour in salsa directly from blender, scraping in every last bit with a rubber spatula. Cook, stirring often with spatula, until salsa is bubbling around the edges, about 2 minutes.

Fold in half of reserved chicken and half of corn kernels.

Still working over medium-low heat, fold in all but a handful of 9 oz. tortilla chips, turning mixture with spatula and breaking up chips into smaller pieces until coated. Make sure to scrape around sides of skillet to incorporate any remaining sauce. If you’re using a thicker tortilla chip, there should be just enough sauce to coat all the chips in a thin layer. If you’re using thinner chips, there’s a chance the mixture will be a little dry, so we recommend adding in batches and holding back some chips if there doesn’t seem to be enough sauce.

Remove skillet from heat and tuck remaining chips into top.

Now add all the garnishes: Top chilaquiles with remaining chicken and corn, then scatter sliced scallions over. Dot top with more pickled jalapeños. Cut 1 avocado in half, remove pit, and scoop flesh out of skins with a spoon. Cut into slices and arrange over top of skillet. Dollop with sour cream mixture and top with remaining cilantro sprigs.

Serve with lime wedges alongside.