Perfectly charred and simmered in a savory sauce, these fiery chiles toreados with onions will add lots of Mexican personality to any taco. You’ll love their crunch as much as you’ll love how easy they are to make!
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Why You’ll Love This Chiles Toreados Recipe
If you’re a lover of Mexican food, chiles toreados will be your new favorite condiment. They’re easy, quick, and perfect for all your tacos and grilled steak recipes.
- Quick. It’s a 30-minute recipe! You’ll be done with it before the steak is off the grill. Even if you’re in a rush, chances are you’ll still be able to throw it together.
- Umami. Packed with soy sauce and Worcestershire, the cooking juices in this recipe are perfect. They’re tangy, they’re salty, and perfectly umami.
- Authentic. It’s definitely not as well known as salsa, but that doesn’t make this condiment any less authentic. You’ll find chiles toreados at all the best taco stands and Mexican restaurants.
- Easy. Char the chiles, cook the onions, and mix everything with the sauces. For something so flavorful, can it get any easier?
What Are Chiles Toreados?
Chiles toreados are a Mexican condiment served mostly with tacos and grilled steak dishes. It consists of charred green chiles like jalapeños and serranos that are pan-fried with a little bit of oil, onions (optional), and savory sauces like soy sauce and Worcestershire.
“Toreado” refers to the fieriness of the chiles. Traditional recipes involve rolling them between both palms before charring them so they release more heat but this hasn’t been proven. It’s also not necessary and skipping the step will help avoid getting any chile in your eyes later on.
Recipe Ingredients
While the chiles are the star of the dish, they can’t shine without the combination of sauces used. Check the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact ingredient amounts.
- Jalapeños
- Serrano Peppers: Skip these if you don’t like a spicy heat.
- Vegetable Oil: Feel free to use corn or canola oil. Please no olive oil.
- White Onion: Yellow onion works too.
- Garlic: Don’t use garlic powder for this, only fresh garlic will give the right amount of flavor!
- Ground Black Pepper
- Lime Juice
- Maggi Seasoning Sauce: You can find this at most Mexican supermarkets, or online Maggi Seasoning Sauce. It adds an amazing umami flavor, but you can skip it if you can’t find it.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Light Soy Sauce: Regular soy sauce is a good swap, but reduce the amount by half.
How to Make Chile Toreados
Learning how to make this easy Mexican condiment isn’t rocket science. It’s like charring chiles for a salsa but without any of the blending. Most of the magic happens on the stove. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more detailed instructions.
- Char the chiles: Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the jalapeños and serranos. Cook them until charred all over. Set them aside.
- Cook the onions: Add the oil to the pan and raise the heat. Add the onions and cook them until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Reduce the heat to low.
- Chop the chiles: Slice the chiles and mix them with the onions. Raise the heat to medium again.
- Season it: Add the black pepper and lime juice. Stir and gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a silicone spatula.
- Add the sauce: Add the Maggi seasoning sauce, Worcestershire, and light soy sauce. Mix well and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.
Tips for Success
Chiles toreados don’t have to be so fiery. You can adjust them to personal preference by reducing the heat, making them saucy, using lemon juice, etc.
- Reduce the heat. Reduce the serranos, or swap them out completely for jalapeños, if you’re not a fan of super spicy condiments.
- Make them saucy. Double the sauces (soy sauce, Maggi, and Worcestershire) in the recipe, but don’t let them evaporate too much. This will give you plenty of leftover cooking juices, that you can spoon over the tacos, when you serve them with the chiles.
- Use lemons. Although the flavor might not be as bright, lemon juice will add enough tang to your chiles if that’s all you’ve got on hand.
- Leave chiles whole for more heat. If you’re a fan of extra spicy food, don’t remove the stems from the chiles and don’t slice them either. Prepare this recipe with whole chiles for some true heat.
How to Eat Them
Chiles toreados are great with grilled steak tacos like my Flank Steak Tacos and Carne Asada Tacos. They’re also amazing with my Blackened Fish Tacos if you’re craving seafood. When tacos aren’t on the menu, I recommend these chiles with a good old-fashion steak like Juicy Flank Steak or Carne Asada.
Don’t pair them with dishes that are heavily spiced or too saucy because the flavor combination can be overwhelming.
Storing and Reheating Extras
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Keep them away from the heat and sunlight when on the counter for reheating and serving. They can be served at room temperature or warm. You can reheat them in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds or in a pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
More Mexican Recipes to Try
- Authentic Guacamole Recipe
- Salpicon (Mexican Chilled Beef Salad)
- Mexican Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots (Escabeche)
- Rajas (Creamy Roasted Poblanos)
- Frijoles de la Olla (Mexican Beans)
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Pickled Red Onions with Habaneros (Curtido)
Chiles Toreados
Ingredients
- 5 medium jalapeños, stems removed
- 5 serrano chiles, stems removed
- 3 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ large white onion, thinly sliced
- 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Maggi seasoning sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
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Instructions
- Place a large pan over medium heat. Add the jalapeños. Let them cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until lightly charred all over. Do the same for the serranos. Remove them from the heat and set them aside.
- Add the vegetable oil to the pan and let it heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the onions and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Stir in the garlic and let everything cook for another minute. Reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally, as you continue with the next step.
- Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the chiles into 1/2-1" pieces. Fold them into the onions. Bring the heat back up to medium.
- Add the black pepper, lime juice, Maggi seasoning sauce, Worcestershire, and light soy sauce. Stir well and use a wooden spoon, or silicone spatula, to gently scrape the bottom of the pan and remove any browned bits.
- Let everything simmer for 2-3 minutes and then remove it from the heat. Set it aside and serve with your favorite tacos or steak.
Notes
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