Homemade Tortilla Chips
Published Nov. 4, 2020
- Total Time
- 1 hour, for frying or baking
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 30(5-inch) fresh corn tortillas (about 25 ounces)
- Vegetable oil (about 4 cups), as needed for frying or baking
- Nonstick cooking spray, for baking
- Kosher salt or sea salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
312 calories; 16 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 5 grams protein; 237 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Collect the tortillas into 2 tall stacks and cut into 6 even wedges. If frying your tortilla chips, proceed to Step 2. If baking your tortilla chips, proceed to Step 3.
- Step 2
To fry your tortilla chips, line 2 large baking sheets with paper towels. Set aside. Fill a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet with about ½ inch vegetable oil (about 4 cups). Heat over medium until the oil reaches about 350 degrees and is hot but not smoking, 6 to 10 minutes. You can see if it’s ready by dipping a tortilla wedge into the hot oil. It should bubble immediately and enthusiastically. Gently add enough tortilla wedges to fill the skillet in a single layer without crowding, and fry for about 1 minute per side, using a spider or a slotted spoon to flip them over, until lightly golden and crisp. (Do not allow them to brown too much or they will taste bitter.) Using the spider or slotted spoon, transfer the chips to the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle immediately with salt, so it adheres to the glistening chips. Repeat until all chips are cooked, transferring cooled chips to a large bowl and replacing the paper towels as needed. (Let the remaining oil cool to room temperature, then strain and transfer to a bottle to reuse it for future deep frying.)
- Step 3
To bake your tortilla chips, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Brush 2 large baking sheets with oil or spray with cooking spray. Working in batches, scatter the tortilla wedges on top in a single layer without crowding too much. (The chips should barely overlap.) Lightly brush or spray the tops with oil or cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, remove from the oven, flip the chips and return to the oven, until lightly browned and crisp, another 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Immediately sprinkle with salt to taste, so the salt will stick to the chips. Repeat with remaining chips.
Private Notes
Comments
You are missing the essential first step! Cut the corn tortillas into sixths, then spread them on a tray, preferably overnight, to dry. Proceed with recipe.
Before cutting, brush oil on the first of the stack. Continue, brushing oil on each additional tortilla on the stack. Go as high in one stack as you know you can comfortably cut. Continue oiling and stacking until you have as many as you intend to turn into chips. Not too high as they will be slippery from the oil. The oil on the first one will also oil the bottom of the next, etc, etc. I bake these either on parchment or a silicone sheet. My favorite salt is Trader Joe’s chili lime.
Do these at home all the time - so much better than any brand of store bough chips. Be careful not to over cook the chips as they will continue to cook once out of the pot. Suggest using fine sea salt or Diamond Crystal kosher salt as the finer grains are key as is getting the salt on when hot. One last recommendation - the better the tortilla, the better the chip. I've found that El Milagro corn tortillas are fantastic - look in the refrigerated section of your local Hispanic market.
I used flour tortillas to make chips. At 375 degrees, they browned much more quickly than the recipe indicates -- 10 minutes worked well and no need to flip and cook longer.
To obtain an even, quick bake, bake the whole or cut (oiled) tortillas on cake rakes placed on the baking sheets. No need to flip the tortillas.
I baked these the first 20 minutes. They were nearly too brown at that. 15 more minutes would have been a disaster.
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