This is my quick and simple recipe that might seem pointless… until you realize the kind of control you can take over your own tortilla chips! You might be wondering why this is such a big deal… just hold tight.
Pre-heat your oven at 350 degrees. Take a handful of corn tortillas, and stack them on top of one another like in the following picture. Got a chef’s knife or other large knife? Keep it nearby.
Dice your tortillas the same way you’d dice a pizza… eight slices.
Take your new slices, and lay them across a baking pan. Laying them across one another is okay but if you do it the first time and they’re not crunchy enough, then you may want to lay them evenly across the pan without having them touch after that.
Bake them in the oven for approximately 8 minutes. Keep an eye on them, though – you don’t want to wind up with your chips too brown. A nice light golden color – like pictured below – should suffice quite fine.
Now.. why does this matter? Because this gives you so much more control: no more random chemicals in your tortilla chips, no preservatives, no salt… nothing. You can control the portions. You can control just how crunchy they are.
You can even control the flavor – brush the soft tortillas with lime or lemon juice and sprinkle with a little paprika before you cut them. Brush a tiny amount of water on each tortilla, dust it with your favorite spice blend.. and you’re good to go!
12 comments
This is fantastic! My friends are all on a “let’s get healthy” journey together with me- this is a great way to enjoy the Mexican food we’re nuts about without frying everything in grease 🙂
Would this work for corn tortillas also?
Yep – corn tortillas are what I used! 🙂
Thank you!!! Loving this one and trying tonight 🙂
Thank you so much for a positive blog with a personal touch. I am new to clean eating, but I knew I had to give up processed foods if I was gonna make some permanent changes. I cook for my family, but I am excited about trying some of these recipes, especially spinach & artichoke dip w/chips! BTW….I read your article in Essence, that’s how I found you.
Hi, this is a major recipe for me. I have been over indulging on tortilla chips for a few months. It never crossed my mind to make my own. The recipe turned out great, and I was able to control my portions. I added lemon juice and a little salt. These were actually more filling than the versions at the store, and the price was $1.98 for 36 tortillas (yes!). I usually pay $3.99 for a bag. I cut up three, and had some left over. Thanks for the recipe, keep up the great work.
THANK YOU for this! like many people, i am a tortilla chip junkie, lol. now i can indulge without (as many) nutritional concerns. also, thank you for all the recipes you post. i feel so empowered knowing i CAN make the things i love and not have to worry about chemicals/additives. you are amazing and inspirational!
I never thought of this I must try this when I want to make a dish for Thanksgiving.
To go a step further, make your own tortillas to start with at home!
I’ve been following the recipe here http://www.homesicktexan.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html for several years now. My wife comes in the kitchen practically drooling when she realized I’ve started a batch.
It’s a little more time intensive, but allows you to control every ingredient. And so worth it flavor-wise.
For the click-reluctant:
Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)
Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk
Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Beat you to it! 🙂
Hi Erika! This is a great post! I love corn tortillas. Now you showed us how to make them in chips? That’s even better. Your trick is so simple and I love the fact we can control the salt intake. Love it!
Do you think this would work with wheat tortillas?
Perhaps not as crunchy, but definitely worth a shot.
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