New Mexico Style Huevos Rancheros in Red Chile Sauce

What Are New Mexico Style Huevos Rancheros

“Huevos Rancheros” simply translates to “Rancher’s Eggs”. A traditional Mexican breakfast entree featuring fried eggs served over a toasted corn tortilla and drizzled with a rich red chile sauce. Often served with beans and crumbled Cotija cheese.

This classic Mexican dish becomes a New Mexico Southwestern specialty by using blue corn tortillas. They’re a staple of Southwest cuisine. With robust flavor and striking indigo blue hue, blue corn tortillas have deep rooted cultural significance. Simply stated, it's a natural choice for classic New Mexico recipes using corn tortillas.

To finish, Southwestern Huevos Rancheros are drizzled with a New Mexico Red Chile Sauce, which can be made from chile pods or Red Chile Sauce From Ground Red Chile Powder.

Why It Works

• Easy: This recipe is so easy to throw together, making them a great choice for a weekday breakfast or even quick dinner.
• Popular: Here in our neck of the woods, one can find Huevos Rancheros on the menu of most Mexican restaurants. They’re eaten as much as enchiladas, burritos and tacos.
• Versatile: They an be made any way you want, this recipe is pretty simple with fried eggs served over warm corn tortillas, red chile sauce and a side of beans. Using canned beans makes this especially easy. Use black beans, chile sauced pinto beans (my favorite), or refried beans.
• Red Or Green: You can make this recipe using Hatch Green Chile Sauce, but I suggest you keep it traditional with red sauce. I tried it once that way and quickly learned that my choice is smothered in “red”.

This dish is all about red chile sauce. Not ranchero sauce. Not pico. Not something from a jar labeled "southwest." We're talking smooth, earthy, brick-red chile with depth and a little attitude. Spoon on enough of it that you can drag everything through it.

I learned this early on, especially after culinary school, with an New Mexico Native Executive Chef, that New Mexico food plays by its own rules. Simple ingredients. No fuss. Big flavor. Huevos rancheros here aren't flashy and most certainly are a breakfast that sticks with you.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Blue Corn Tortillas: Are a natural choice to make New Mexico Style Huevos Rancheros. If you can’t find them, use yellow corn tortillas. Yellow corn are sturdier than white corn and have a more pronounced corn flavor. Flour tortillas just seem wrong … and they are… for Huevos Rancheros.
• Eggs: You simply can’t make this dish without them.
• Red Chile Sauce: I always have a stash of this sauce in the freezer. It’s a wonderful New Mexico condiment that makes this recipe special. If you simply don’t want to take the time to make it, use Homemade Enchilada Sauce or store purchased.
• Toppings: Chopped raw sweet onion, Cotija Cheese, and sliced black olives.

How to Make New Mexico Huevos Rancheros

1. Step 1: Start by warming the red chile sauce and the beans stovetop. Then proceed with this recipe.
2. Step 2: Fry the eggs. Use a non-stick skillet and cook them low and slow until desired doneness.

What Eggs Are Best For Huevos Rancheros?

Runny Yolks win. If you want to be traditional, sunny side up should be your choice. Which mean, the eggs are cooked slowly, cooked until the white part is no longer runny. Sunny side up eggs are not flipped, leaving the yolk in tact and runny. Why do runny yolks matter? The runny yolks acts as a rich creamy sauce that blends with the other ingredients in a delightful way.

How To Toast Corn Tortillas

3. Step 3: Warm the tortillas. You simply can’t take a corn tortilla out of the package and use it. They need to be warmed to be pliable and enhance their flavor. My favorite way to do this is to toast them stovetop. Place a corn tortilla over an open flame. The flame should be large enough so that it’s lapping at the edge of the tortilla. Let it toast for about 15 seconds, use tongs and repeat on the other side. Don’t walk away, watch them close. It truly takes just a few seconds to toast corn tortillas.

Assembling Your Huevos Rancheros

4. Step 4: Build that breakfast: Place two toasted or warmed blue corn tortillas on a plate. Top each with two eggs. Ladle a spoon full of beans next to the eggs and tortillas. Sprinkle with chopped onion, red chile sauce, sliced olives and crumbled Cotija cheese. If you’re a fan, sprinkle some chopped cilantro over all. Dig in.

Authentic Variations You’ll Find

• Papitas: In many New Mexico or Mexican Restaurants, you may see Papitas listed on the menu as a side dish for for Huevos Rancheros. They’re simply Mexican Breakfast Potatoes that are cubed and fried with bell peppers and onions. Regular hash-brown potatoes are also a good choice for a side dish here.
• Sauce Options: Southwestern Huevos Rancheros also be served with Green Chile Sauce or you may have the choice of “Christmas Style” (red plus green sauce), which is very similar to my Huevos Divorciados (Divorced Eggs).