Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Nachos

My Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Nachos will have you looking around to see if anyone is judging you as you enjoy them. Every time I finish a full plate of these nachos, I feel a wee bit scandalous. These things are on the verge of being slutty- they’re so indulgent. I think what I want to feel is guilt, but that won’t ever happen. After all, I don’t believe in food guilt. I do, however, believe you should get to know these nachos on an intimate level. 

This is an update of a post I wrote around this time in 2019. I just revamped the writing and gussied up the images. 

Why Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Nachos?

I mean, why not? Why do breakfast tacos get all of the shine? Nachos are just as lovable, and in my opinion, they’re easier to make than individual tacos. With the same proteins, cheeses, and toppings, these chorizo and egg breakfast nachos might just replace your favorite morning tacos. 

I make nachos at least twice a month. Usually, nachos are dinner on the nights we go grocery shopping. I have been known to drop a couple hundred bucks on groceries, only to turn around and order a pizza on the way home. Nachos helps me avoid feeling like a complete Dave Ramsey failure.

What do I need to make Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Tacos?

Tortilla chips are the literal foundation of a great pan of nachos. 

Instead of buying tortilla chips, I make mine at home. Bagged tortilla chips- while they do serve a purpose- just don’t do it for me when it comes to this recipe. To be completely honest, bagged tortillas chips don’t do it for me when it comes to any nacho recipe. Home-fried tortilla chips are thicker, they taste fresher, and they hold a heavier amount of toppings than those bagged deals. Clearly, corn tortillas are on the list of ingredients for this recipe. The oil to fry them in should be on there, as well. 

You need Mexican chorizo (not Spanish- I’ll explain the difference in a minute). Add more or less to suit your chorizo obsession. Eggs are kind of a must in this dish; I mean, they are in the title. Again, the number of folks you have to serve will determine the number of eggs you add to this recipe.

Most of the other ingredients are changeable. If you’re following a vegan diet, there are egg replacements, as well as vegan (mushroom or soy) chorizo. The toppings, the cheeses, the beans- all of them can be altered to suit your tastes.

How to Fry Your Tortilla Chips for the Chorizo Nachos

It’s too easy to make your own tortilla chips. Now, I’ll concede that it’s not as easy as ripping open a cellophane bag, but it’s still insanely simple.

Use 10″ yellow corn tortillas as the base for these nachos. You can use smaller (or larger) tortillas; you can even use white or blue corn tortillas.

Cut the tortillas into triangles using your chef’s knife. Quarter the 10″ tortillas; if you’re using tortillas larger than 10″, you may need to cut them into sixths or eights. I genuinely have never seen a corn tortilla larger than 10″, but new things are popping up every day, so I could be wrong.

In a large dutch oven or frying pan, bring a quart of vegetable oil to 350°F (177°C) over medium-high heat. Whenever you’re frying, having an accurate thermometer is essential. Adding your tortillas before the oil is hot will cause the chips to take longer to cook, which means they swim around in that oil instead of frying. Consequently, they’ll come out greasy and soggy. On the other hand, if you have oil that’s too hot, they’ll burn to a crisp before you’ve had a chance to get all of them into the oil.

Once the oil comes up to temp, carefully add the triangles of corn tortilla to the pot. Gently stir the tortillas around with a spider or a slotted spoon; try not to splash the oil. 

How long do I fry the corn tortilla chips?

It only takes 3 minutes tops to fry one batch of chips. Once the cooking time has elapsed, remove the tortillas from the oil to a strainer or colander and salt them with a liberal pinch of kosher salt. You could also transfer them to a cooling rack set over a sheetpan. Or, as a last resort, set the freshly fried chips on a paper towel-lined platter. I mention this is a last resort because the chips may steam where they make contact with the paper towels, making them soggy.

I prefer draining the fried chips in a colander set over a larger bowl to avoid over-salting the chips. The use of a colander allows the salt sprinkled onto each batch of chips to sift down into the bowl below. If you didn’t use the colander, the salt would hang out on the paper towels and adhere to subsequent batches of chips. For this reason, if you prefer the paper towel method, switch the paper towels out after every other batch to prevent your chips from being excessively salty.

Can I use a bag of tortilla chips instead?

Yes, absolutely!

I know that we don’t always have the time (or desire) to fry up a batch of tortilla chips. Instead, use a party-size bag of store-bought tortilla chips for this recipe. 

What toppings do I need for these Chorizo Breakfast Nachos?

To start, you absolutely must have Pico de Gallo and Guacamole.

Fun fact: the literal translation of pico de gallo is “rooster’s beak.” I think the reason why it’s named so is that it’s made with jalapeños, so it tends to have a bit of bite. But then I get to thinking, “If that’s the case, it should be called mordida de gallo,‘” and that just makes me feel like the world is a lie. Not that any of this relates to the recipe; I just try to drop seeds of knowledge wherever I roam.

Guacamole has no literal translation because it doesn’t need one. It’s the bomb, though, and even more so when used as topping for these nachos. My family and I could eat guacamole every day with every meal. Errrr’day. The only thing that stops us from doing so is that avocados cost so damned much here. Avocado-rage aside, you can omit either the pico or the guac if you hate either of them. 

In addition to the pico and guac, I top my chorizo and egg nachos with queso fresco, chopped cilantro, jalapeños, crema agria, and hot sauce.

Swaps and Subs for the Toppings?

Swaps:

• use a fruit-based pico de gallo or guacamole
• add thinly sliced radishes, green onions, or pickled onions
• swap the yellow corn tortillas for white, blue, or red corn tortillas

Subs:

• replace the Mexican (pork) chorizo with soy or vegan chorizo
• use regular sour cream instead of crema agria (regular sour cream is thicker)

Can I use store-bought toppings?

If you haven’t already realized this, I’d like to comfort you by letting you know that you can totally buy your pico de gallo and guacamole already made. I’m not into making you feel bad for maintaining your sanity in the kitchen.

Do I hope that one day you will attempt the scratch-made versions? Absolutely.

Will I judge you if you sometimes use store-bought? Nope. I’m not built like that.

How long do I heat my tortilla chips?

Preheating (or toasting) the tortilla chips helps them to toughen up for the task ahead. Before adding the other toppings, melting cheese on them creates a barrier against the wet ingredients, which tend to make the chips soggy.

Grab a sheet pan and toss your chips onto it. The general rule is: each quadrant of a half-sheet pan serves one person. This recipe could serve six, but my greedy family of four and I eat an entire half-sheet pan. Downsize to a quarter-sheet pan if you’re a smallish family. Just arrange the chips in an even layer on whichever pan works for you.

What other types of cheeses go well on these Chorizo Nachos?

You’re going to top the unbaked chips with shredded Oaxaca cheese and, later, with cotija.

Oaxaca cheese is the mozzarella of Mexico. It’s crazy gooey, squeaky when chewed, and stringy when it melts, so it’s perfect for this recipe. 

If you can’t get your hands on the cheeses in this recipe, here are some other options:

• replace the queso fresco with shredded mozzarella, panela, or queso menonita (also called Chihuahua cheese)
• use requesón, cotija, or even crumbled chevre in place of queso fresco
• use vegan mozzarella cheese instead of queso fresco 

Pull the Oaxaca apart and sprinkle strings of it all over the chips. Put the pan into an oven that’s been preheated to 350°F (177°C) and allow that Oaxaca to start melting- this should take about 10 minutes.

What’s the difference between Mexican and Spanish Chorizo?

The biggest difference between Mexican and Spanish chorizo is that one can be eaten without cooking, and the other may send you to the hospital if you tried to eat it raw. 

Mexican chorizo is raw ground pork, flavored with spices and chilies and stuffed into casings. Much like hot dogs or breakfast sausage links, it needs to be cooked before enjoying. Spanish chorizo can be eaten straight from the package since it’s been cured. 

Before we get to the chorizo, though, crack a dozen eggs into a bowl and whisk them together until smooth and runny. Usually, 3 eggs per diner are enough. If you are a smaller (or larger) family- use the same ratio, unless you have some really hearty eaters. If so, increase it to 4 per person.

How long do I cook the Chorizo and Egg mixture?

Most Mexican chorizos have a casing that must be removed before cooking. Some brands’ chorizo can be squeezed out of the casing, while others need to be cut. Whichever one your chorizo requires, just make sure you remove and discard the casing before cooking.

In a cast-iron skillet, over medium heat, cook the chorizo until browned, taking time to break the meat up into crumbles. The chorizo cooks in 9-10 minutes. 

Once the chorizo has cooked, pour the eggs into the pan, yes, into the rendered fat and everything. That grease will keep the eggs from sticking terribly to the skillet.

Scramble the eggs while they cook to your preferred doneness. I’m a fan of fully-cooked (non-runny) eggs, so mine usually take 8 minutes to cook. If you prefer runny eggs, then cook them for only 6 minutes. You don’t have to worry about the chorizo since it’s already cooked through.

Add beans for a heartier pan of nachos

After the eggs are firm, stir in a can of refried beans.

The beans here purely optional, but they make this a breakfast that will truly satisfy you. You can use any type of refried beans, too. Refried black beans would be great in this. You can even use regular canned beans. Just give them a quick rinse under cold running water, strain them to remove the excess water, and stir them into the eggs.

Once you add the beans, stir everything together until the beans are smooth.

You don’t have to add beans here, either. Again, they’re just a great way to bulk up this recipe. 

Can I make the Chorizo mixture ahead?

Make this mixture a day or two ahead and store it in a covered container in the fridge. 

Just before topping the nachos, reheat the chorizo-egg mixture in the microwave for 2-3 minutes (or until steaming and hot). 

How do I assemble my Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Nachos?

I recognize this chorizo-egg-bean mixture isn’t pretty. But since it’s as good as all get out, it doesn’t need to be pretty.

The chips are out of the oven by this time. All you need to do now is top them with the chorizo-egg-bean mixture.

Next, top them with the remaining Oaxaca cheese. Return the pan to the oven for a short while, just to melt the cheese you just added.

That melting should only take about 4-5 minutes.

How far ahead can I top the nachos?

You can’t top the nachos too far in advance. If you don’t think you’ll be able to enjoy them soon, just prepare the individual components and assemble the nachos when you can. 

But, once the nachos come out of the oven, top them with the pico de gallo, the guacamole, and copious amounts of crumbled cotija cheese. Copious, I said! Don’t be shy with any of these. Remember, our chips are tough enough to hold them all.

What is Mexican crema?

Sprinkle a handful of chopped cilantro and drizzle liberally with the crema from the bottle or use the jazzed up-version from this recipe. Mexican crema agria falls somewhere between the sour cream you may be used to and crème fraîche. It’s runnier and has a tangy, creamy flavor. If you can’t get your hands on crema agria, use sour cream or crème fraîche instead.

You can also use one of these flavored cremas from Cacique, Inc.

Top the pan of nachos off with sliced jalapeños if you’d like and a bunch of lime wedges. You’re now ready to serve.

Do these Chorizo Breakfast Nachos store well?

I have to be honest and say that these nachos are best when served right away. They don’t hold up well to hours of sitting. I mean, it’s not a good food safety practice to begin with, but the chips aren’t invincible. They’ll grow soggier the longer they sit.

There’s nothing more satisfying on a weekend morning than scooping a big serving of these Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Nachos onto your plate so eat them soon after assembly.

Well, I mean, eating them is the only thing that’s more satisfying, actually.

Nevertheless, be sure to pin and share this recipe to enjoy it later.