Are you familiar with migas? If not, let me introduce you! Migas (pronounced mee-guhz) are cheesy scrambled eggs tossed with crumbled tortilla chips, which lend delicious salty-crunchy-corn notes. You’ll typically find sautéed onions and peppers or tomatoes folded in as well, plus your choice of toppings.
Migas are served in Mexican under various names, but this recipe is modeled after the Tex-Mex migas served in Austin, Texas. It’s a wonderfully satisfying and flavorful meal to enjoy for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner.
I fell in love with migas during a month-long stay in Austin, Texas ten years ago. Ali and I sampled migas all over town, and of course, some migas are better than others.
I visited Austin again with my family over spring break, and came home ready to revisit my old migas recipe. This simplified and improved recipe makes the best migas ever, in my opinion!
Migas Origins
Migas in Spanish literally translates to “crumbs,” and there is a traditional Spanish dish made with eggs and bread crumbs called migas. For this recipe with Mexican origins, we’re talking about tortilla chip crumbs.
Migas remind me somewhat of chilaquiles, which is a different Mexican dish featuring saucy tortilla chips, often served with fried eggs on top. By contrast, migas are predominantly scrambled eggs with some tortilla chips mixed in, plus optional sauces on top.
Migas Tips
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are my notes from my recipe testing:
Not all tortilla chips are created equal.
Many recipes call for frying your own tortilla chips, but you can use quality store-bought chips with great results. Siete’s Maiz chips are fantastic in this recipe.
Cheddar is better than Monterey Jack.
Cheddar melts nicely like Jack does, but offers a more sharp and distinctive flavor.
Veggies matter.
For the best flavor, I recommend a combination of red bell pepper, red onion and jalapeño. I also tried this recipe with poblano pepper, but red bell pepper is prettier and lets the tortilla chip’s corn flavor shine through better.
You can skip the jalapeño if you prefer a mild dish or don’t feel like chopping a small pepper, which can be tedious (you could always add a dash of hot sauce at the end to make up for it).
Migas are best served right away.
Reheated leftovers are good but the chips lose their precious crispness along the way. You could always top leftovers with a light sprinkle of freshly crushed tortilla chip to make up for it.
Top as desired.
Keep it simple or go wild! I highly recommend a dollop of sour cream and squeeze of fresh lime juice. You can also try a spoonful of salsa or a couple dashes of hot sauce, sliced avocado or guacamole, and chopped fresh cilantro.
Watch How to Make Migas
How to Serve Migas
These migas offer protein, vegetables and carbs in one bowl, so you could consider it a meal of its own.
You can also make migas tacos with this recipe—simply warm up small corn or flour tortillas, fill them with the migas mixture, then add a couple of toppings.
If you’re looking for migas accompaniments, consider these options for a full spread:
More Eggy Mexican Recipes
I love Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors with eggs for any meal of the day! Here are a few favorites from my Mexican-inspired category:
Tex-Mex Migas
This Tex-Mex migas recipe features cheesy scrambled eggs mixed with crumbled tortilla chips, sautéed peppers and onion, and toppings of your choice! Enjoy a taste of Austin, Texas with these delicious homemade migas. Recipe yields 4 bowls (or 8 to 12 migas tacos).
Scrambled eggs
Pepper mixture
Optional garnishes (take your pick)
- In a bowl, combine the eggs, cream, salt and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use a small whisk or a fork to mix the eggs until they are uniformly yellow. Set the eggs aside for later.
- Cook the peppers and onions: Warm the olive oil in a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, jalapeño (if using), cumin and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the peppers are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Transfer the peppers to a bowl. Let the skillet cool for a few minutes, then wash it before the next step (or grab a new large skillet).
- Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat. Let the pan preheat until it’s so hot that when you flick a few drops of water at an angle onto the pan, they dance or hop across the surface and then evaporate almost immediately. If they splatter and bubble upon contact, it’s not hot enough. Once you see a drop dance, move to the next step immediately.
- Add the butter and swirl it around the pan a couple of times. Once the butter foams up and mostly settles down, pour in the eggs. (If the butter has significantly browned during this time, your pan is too hot—start over.)
- Let the eggs rest until a white rim forms around the pan, about 10 to 15 seconds. Stir the eggs with the spatula, making sure to stir from the base of the pan.
- Let the eggs rest for another 10 to 15 seconds, then stir again, tilting the pan to help the runny eggs reach the skillet. Repeat, stirring more often as the eggs get hotter, until the eggs are still shiny but mostly set, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes in total. Fold in the cooked pepper mixture, crispy tortilla chips and cheese, and remove the skillet from the heat.
- Promptly divide the mixture onto plates. Serve with toppings of your choice. Migas are best made fresh, when the tortillas still retain some crunch, but will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Gently warm them in the microwave and add toppings just before serving.
Notes
Recipe inspired by the migas tacos at Veracruz All Natural in Austin, Texas, and adapted from my since-deleted recipe for Austin-Style Migas with Black Beans.
Make it gluten free: This recipe is gluten-free as long as your tortilla chips and optional corn tortillas are gluten-free.
Make it dairy free: Use non-dairy milk, like plain almond milk, and omit the cheese. Top your bowls with avocado for extra creaminess.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
