These Whole30 chilaquiles are one of our favorite Whole30 Mexican recipes. With sweet potatoes, carnitas or chicken, and plenty of toppings, these Whole30 chilaquiles are flavorful and easy to make. Bound to become one of your favorite Whole30 Mexican recipes!
The first time we went to Playa del Carmen, it was love in an instant. I fell hard for the tropical greenery, the Caribbean blue waters, the troubadour mariachi bands playing all night, the rich foods and boozy drinks.
It was years ago now, but during that first trip I planned our return a year later. During our trip a year later, I planned another return the year after that. And then I got pregnant, and it didn’t make sense to visit with a giant bump or an infant or a toddler, for that matter, and so I’ve had to settle for culinary reenactments of the town to satisfy the longing to return, niggling deep in my wanderlust.
And chilaquiles? Chilaquiles are my favorite way to transport us back to Playa, inspired less by coastal cuisine and more by filling homey dishes you’d grown up eating your whole life there. Our first and second trips, we ate chilaquiles for breakfast daily, alongside molcajetes full of papaya and banana, served with hot coffee and rich cream in the humid open-air space. I tried to take photos, but it took 20 minutes for the condensation to lift from my camera lens.
I have a simple chilaquiles recipes using fried tortilla triangles, often stale from the night before, topped with whatever sounds good. And if you’re not on a Whole30, you should definitely try it! It’s comforting and quick, a great way to use up carnitas or shredded chicken and tortillas left over from last night’s tacos, perhaps the bag you sort of forgot about (until now) in the pantry.
But it occurred to me on our last Whole30 that I could take the same principles of traditional chilaquiles and apply them to compliant ingredients to make a delish option when it comes to Whole30 Mexican recipes: fried sweet potato rounds instead of tortilla triangles, smothered in a compliant salsa and fortified with an easy, leftover protein, like my delish Whole30 carnitas or the simple Mexican shredded chicken you can find in my cookbook The Paleo Instant Pot.
Top it all with whatever sounds good: a fried egg or two, a quick avocado smash, chopped red onion, cilantro, crisp radishes. Go wild, my friend; the toppings are what really makes the dish.
These Whole30 chilaquiles are an amazing way to use up Whole30 carnitas, and it’s one of our favorite Whole30 Mexican recipes. They’re flavorful and quite easy to whip together, and the flavors in these Whole30 chilaquiles are right on. If you’re looking for Whole30 Mexican recipes, you’ve got to try this one!
To make these Whole30 chilaquiles (one of our fave Whole30 Mexican recipes!), I used…
Whole30 Chilaquiles with Carnitas and Sweet Potatoes (Whole30 Mexican Recipes)
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil divided
- 1 teaspoon Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 cup carnitas or shredded Mexican chicken
- 2 avocados peeled and pitted
- 1/2 lime juice of
- 2 eggs
- 1 thinly sliced fresh jalapeños to serve
- fresh cilantro roughly chopped, to serve
- 1 red onion chopped, to serve
- 1 green onions sliced thin, for garnish
- 1 red radish sliced thin, for garnish, optional
- 1 tbsp almond flour for garnish
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. avocado oil over medium heat. Add sweet potato rounds, working in batches if necessary, and fry on both sides until cooked through and crisped, about 10 minutes. Add more oil if necessary to prevent sticking or burning. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If you fried the sweet potatoes in batches, combine all sweet potato rounds in skillet. Pour salsa over and stir to coat. Stir carnitas or shredded Mexican chicken into sweet potato mixture. Heat through.
- In a small bowl, combine avocados, lime juice, and plenty of salt. Mash to desired consistency.
- In a small skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. avocado oil over medium heat. Crack eggs, one at a time, into skillet, then cook until whites are opaque and cooked through, with yolk still runny. Season with plenty of salt.
- Slide fried eggs onto sweet potato-carnitas mixture, then top with avocado mash.
Notes
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Courtney Keith says
We made this last night and it was so yummy! This is my favorite dish from an amazing little El Salvadoran restaurant and I was expecting to be left craving “the real deal” but this was super! I am used to chilaquiles swimming in green enchilada sauce but didn’t have any compliant sauce so topped it with your avocado jalepeno (seeded it though) sauce from your stuffed Mexican sweet potato recipe. It was perfect!! Thank you for this new addition to our rotation!
Brenda says
Hello, I was just wondering how Almond Flour is used as a garnish? Thanks, Brenda
Amelia Camurati says
It’s to replace cotija cheese! Just sprinkle a little over the top if desired. If not, you can skip it!
Jolene says
Is this supposed to have eggs in it? It’s not listed in ingredients but the directions say to fry eggs?
Amelia Camurati says
YES sorry about that omission! There are a couple eggs fried on top.
Linda says
The ingredient list calls for “1 piece sweet potato peeled and sliced into thin rounds”. What in volume is a piece of sweet potato?
Cheryl Malik says
I think that must have been an error from when I moved my recipes from the old recipe card to the new one. It should just read “1 sweet potato.” Thanks for the catch!
Lindsay says
Do you have a recipe to make the shredded Mexican chicken? Thanks!
Cheryl Malik says
https://40aprons.com/3-ingredient-slow-cooker-mexican-shredded-chicken/ 🙂
Terra L Christ says
This is honestly the BEST Whole 30 recipe I have ever come across in 3 years! It’s the recipe I always recommend to others. My fiance and I were blown away by how mouthwatering this was the first time we tried it. We’re having my inlaws over tomorrow for breakfast and I’m on day 5 of Whole 30 so ya bet I will be making this! With some fresh fruit and OJ on the side!
Melissa says
This is so, so good. The flavors of the chicken and sweet potato and avocado are phenomenal, and the fresh radishes, onions, jalapeños add great texture to the rest of the ingredients. I highly recommend this!
Laura says
How is it whole 30 if the sweet potatoes are fried ? I read anything fried that resembles a chip is a no no
Cheryl Malik says
First of all, the chips in chilaquiles are quite softened and simply add to the texture, which is why you don’t actually crisp the sweet potatoes in this recipe.
And chips are allowed if you make them at home; store-bought chips are a no-no:
https://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/
Melissa says
Just made this— it is so, so, SO good! Great combination of textures and flavors. I will be making this again and again, thank you for sharing!
Cheryl Malik says
Hey Melissa! I am SO thrilled you liked it 🙂 And so stoked to be a new part of your rotation!
Jade says
How many servings does this recipe (and most of your recipes) make? It looks like a hearty 2 servings, but I’m not sure and trying to meal plan ?
Cheryl Malik says
It totally makes 2 large servings or 4 moderate ones! Whenever I specify “2-4” in my recipe, it always just takes it out entirely 🙂 Sorry about that!
Jen says
I feel like I could have written this myself! That’s one of my favorite memories of PDC as well. I’m curious if we stayed at the same place? I’ve had them here in the states, but they’re just not the same as the ones at the resort in PDC. Thanks for sharing this!
Cheryl Malik says
How funny! I love that. We stayed at hotels, not resorts, but the restaurant is Mi Pueblo. It’s quite well known in that area. Their molcajetes are amazing!
Jona Sandau says
Wondering… The picture looks like it has different ingredients. I see radishes and green onions? Also, the ingredient list says “1/2 lime juice”. Does that mean the juice from 1/2 of a lime, or is there a measurement missing, like 1/2 tablespoon lime juice? Thank you! This looks delicious and I want to make sure I get it right.
Cheryl Malik says
Thanks for catching that glitch! Yes – you can include sliced radishes and green onions for toppings if you like. And it is the juice of one lime ?
Albert Bevia says
I have never heard of this dish, but it looks absolutely amazing, and the fact that it´s whole30 even better! Never been to Playa del Carmen, but sounds like an amazing spot
Cheryl Malik says
You would absolutely love both the dish and Playa!
Shelly says
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this during my January Whole 30. Thank you for all the great recipes!
Cheryl Malik says
I can’t wait for you to try them either! I hope you like them, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes 🙂