Chorizo and Potatoes, also known as Chorizo con Papas, is a classic Mexican-style breakfast made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients. This flavorful filling is delicious in tacos, burritos, empanadas, tostadas, and more.
When you want a hearty Mexican breakfast without spending much, chorizo and potatoes is a smart choice. Mexican chorizo is usually less expensive than ground beef, yet it brings bold seasoning, rich flavor, and plenty of satisfying texture to the meal.
- What is Mexican chorizo?
- How can you tell when chorizo is cooked?
- Recipe
Affordable meals do not have to feel plain or boring. With potatoes, onion, jalapeno, and chorizo, you can make a filling breakfast or main dish that tastes comforting, spicy, and full of traditional Mexican-inspired flavor.
Ingredients for Chorizo and Potatoes
A good Mexican-style meal does not need to be expensive. This chorizo and potatoes recipe uses a short list of everyday ingredients and turns them into a warm, filling dish that can be served in several different ways.
The main ingredients are baking potatoes, onion, jalapeno, and Mexican pork chorizo. The potatoes make the recipe hearty, while the chorizo adds seasoning, color, and richness. Onion gives the filling a savory base, and jalapeno adds a little fresh heat without making the dish overly complicated.
You can keep the recipe simple and serve it with warm corn tortillas, or you can add toppings such as shredded cheese, crumbled queso fresco, crema, lettuce, cabbage, avocado, salsa, or pico de gallo. It also works well as a filling for burritos, enchiladas, empanadas, or tostadas.
Because chorizo is already highly seasoned, you may not need much extra salt. Taste the mixture after the potatoes are added, then season only if needed.
What is Mexican chorizo?
Mexican chorizo is a raw, heavily seasoned sausage that is often sold in a plastic tube. You will usually find it near other raw sausage products at the grocery store. For this recipe, pork chorizo is used, but beef chorizo may be substituted if that is what you prefer or what you have available.
Mexican chorizo is different from Spanish chorizo. Spanish chorizo is typically cured, firm, and sliceable, more like summer sausage, smoked sausage, or kielbasa. Mexican chorizo is soft and raw, so it must be removed from the casing and cooked thoroughly before eating. If you use Spanish chorizo instead, the recipe can still be tasty, but the texture will be different because it will not crumble in the same way.
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Use this chorizo and potatoes filling to create tacos, burritos, tostadas, empanadas, and simple breakfast plates. |
If Mexican chorizo is not available, regular breakfast sausage can be used as a substitute, although the flavor will be milder unless you season it with additional spices. The important thing is to choose a sausage that cooks into a crumbly texture and blends well with the tender potatoes.
Is Mexican chorizo cooked?
Mexican chorizo is raw when purchased and must be fully cooked before serving. Do not eat it straight from the package.
Before opening the tube, wash the outside of the plastic packaging. This helps prevent anything from the outside of the package from being transferred by the knife when you cut it open. Once the package is clean, cut it carefully and squeeze the chorizo into the skillet.
Chorizo releases a good amount of fat as it cooks, so this recipe does not require added oil. After the chorizo begins to release fat, the onion and jalapeno can be added directly to the skillet. The vegetables cook in the seasoned fat, which helps build flavor throughout the filling.
How can you tell when chorizo is cooked?
When raw chorizo first goes into the skillet, it may look similar to ground beef or breakfast sausage. Because it is deeply seasoned, it can be difficult to judge doneness by color alone. Instead, watch for a change in texture.
As chorizo cooks, it separates into small, tight, crumbly pieces. Stir it occasionally and break it apart with a spoon or spatula. When the sausage is evenly crumbly and no longer soft or pasty, it is usually finished cooking.
For food safety, you can also check the internal temperature. Mexican chorizo should reach 160°F before serving. Once fully cooked, it can be combined with the drained potatoes and gently stirred together.
More Recipe Ideas
This chorizo potato taco filling is easy to stretch into several meals. Serve it for breakfast with eggs, spoon it into tortillas for lunch, or use it as a simple dinner filling with beans, rice, and fresh toppings.
Recipe
Chorizo and Potatoes Mexican Breakfast
Read the recipe details carefully before cooking, especially if you are using Mexican chorizo for the first time.
Ingredients
- ¾ pound baking potatoes, such as Russet, peeled and chopped
- ½ yellow onion, peeled and chopped, or use white onion
- ½ jalapeno, stem, seeds, and membranes removed, finely chopped
- 10 ounces pork chorizo
- salt, optional, to taste
- 8 corn tortillas, softened
Instructions
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Peel and chop the potatoes. Place them in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Cook over medium-high heat until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork, about 12 to 15 minutes. Do not overcook them. They should be tender but still have a little resistance. Drain immediately so they do not continue cooking.
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While the potatoes cook, chop the onion and jalapeno as directed.
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Place the chorizo in a skillet over medium heat. Once the fat begins to release, about 1 minute, add the chopped onion and jalapeno. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chorizo is fully cooked and crumbly, about 10 to 12 minutes.
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Add the drained potatoes to the chorizo mixture. Stir gently so the potatoes stay in pieces instead of turning into mash. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve immediately in softened corn tortillas.
Notes
A common way to serve chorizo and potatoes is to fold a warm tortilla and use it to scoop up the filling.
Serve with toppings such as lettuce, red cabbage, queso fresco, crema, avocado, salsa, or pico de gallo. This filling also works for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, and empanadas.
For a fuller plate, serve with black beans, guacamole, and rice.
Calories from Fat 45
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and may vary depending on packaging, ingredient brands, and suppliers. If you have specific dietary requirements, calculate nutrition information using the labels on your own ingredients.
© 2019-2026 Kim Guzman and Christian Guzman. All rights reserved.
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