Fried Corn Tortilla Chips

So the answer to yesterday’s mystery of what we ate with the fruit salsas is… homemade fried tortilla chips! Yay! Mystery solved. I’m sure you were all surprised. I mostly just didn’t want to jam everything into one mega post and I got tired and didn’t want to blog anymore last night. That’s right! Blogging is hard work. I have to type things and copy recipes from my cookbooks and the darn things won’t always stay open. Yeesh!

Anyway, for part two of Becca’s birthday party snack posts, I went again to my fabulous Mexican cookbook by Marge Poore. This book is awesome. She breaks down menus and has tons of fabulous traditional and modern recipes to check out. Plus, I just love Mexican food, so sometimes just reading about it makes me feel good.

Fried Corn Tortilla Chips from 1000 Mexican Recipes:

Makes a bunch of chips

12 (6-7”) corn tortillas. I had 14 left in the house, so I just used all of them.
1 c. vegetable oil
½ tsp. salt (kosher), or to taste (optional)



Stack 3 tortillas on a cutting surface. With a large sharp knife, cut straight down through the stack into quarters. I cut mine into eighths because I wanted more chips.



In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until a wedge of tortilla starts to sizzle immediately when dipped into the hot oil. Fry the tortilla pieces on batches about 2 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. They change from lightly browned to brown quickly, so watch it. Remove with a slotted spoon on tongs (a slotted spoon is much easier to use), and drain on paper towels. I stuck my towels inside of a colander and it worked out very well. While the chips are still hot, sprinkle lightly with salt, if desired.



Be careful with the number you try to fry at once. I tried to cram as many in as possible and sometimes they stuck together. Oops. For the most part though, they came apart and I was not punished for being a bit sloppy. In any case, this is a super simple recipe, which you can also use to make crispy tortilla strips. They taste fantastic and you get to show off your homemade salsas with homemade chips. You know, until they run out and you have to open up a bag of regular tortilla chips. Next time I make nachos, I’m making these first. Yum!