Broken Tortilla Chips? Make These 2 Easy Recipes

We’ve all been there: you get to the end of a bag of tortilla chips and all that’s left are…tiny pieces. They’re too small for dipping, yet you can’t bring yourself to toss them away because you paid good money for that bag of chips and there’s no way in hell you’re letting them go to waste. 

Good news: here are two excellent, fast, and delicious ways to use every last crunchy fragment:

• Homemade Crunchwrap
• Cheesy Crunch Bowl

Homemade Crunchwrap

I’m not a huge fan of Taco Bell fan. Nothing there is particularly flavorful (and yet, somehow, after eating it I’m desperate for more). But they are definitely on to something with their Crunchwrap Supreme: the soft-plus-crunchy contrast is genuinely great.

So here’s idea #1 for those tiny chip pieces: make a homemade crunchwrap. Whether yours ends up “supreme” is up to you—my version is quick, easy, and delicious, but it is definitely not “Supreme”. 

Crunchwrap Recipe

Ingredients

• One 4” or 8” soft flour tortilla
• Cheese—pepper jack, Monterey jack, or (if you can find it) Cabot Habanero Cheddar. Sargento’s Mexican blend works great too.
• Those tortilla chip pieces you’re trying to use up
• Hot sauce and/or salsa
• Optional: refried beans

Preparation

1. Put the tortilla on a microwave-safe plate
2. Add sliced or shredded cheese. If using refried beans, add a thick smear to the tortilla before adding the cheese. For a 4” tortilla, three or four 1/4” slices of cheese is plenty—but feel free to let your stomach lead you elsewhere (I won’t tell anyone if you put more).
3. Microwave for 30-60 seconds, depending on wattage: the cheese should be fully melted at the end.
4. Scatter some chip pieces on top of the melted cheese. See Tips below! 
5. Add your chosen hot sauce or salsa. I like Tia Lupita’s Chipotle sauce or their Salsa Verde. El Yucateco’s XXXtra Hot or Black Label Reserve are also excellent. Ya Oaxaca’s Chile de Agua or Chile Pasilla salsa are fantastic, too. 
6. Roll it up like a taquito, fold it like a burrito, or just keep it simple and fold it in half like a taco!

Tips

• For a basic crunchwrap (just cheese, chip pieces, and hot sauce or salsa), you don’t need many chips to get a good crunch. In fact, too many will throw off the balance.
• For a more loaded version (refried beans or anything that adds heft), add extra chip pieces to maintain that crunch and keep everything in balance.

Riffs

• Add leftover cooked chicken
• Incorporate cooked bacon (strips or chopped)
• Sprinkle on taco seasoning
• Use bacon bits (like for a salad—Louisville Jerky Co. has an excellent vegan version)

Cheesy Crunch Bowl (aka The Nacho Bowl)

The Cheesy Crunch Bowl (aka The Nacho Bowl) is inferior to true nachos in some ways, but it also does a few things better:

• It uses up broken chips more effectively than traditional nachos.
• Everything gets mixed up so, no matter what, every bite has cheese and salsa. (Might I remind: there’s nothing worse than eating nachos, grabbing a chip and…it’s bare.)

Like the crunchwrap, this recipe is meant to be quick, easy, and satisfying—not a masterpiece. And on those fronts, it absolutely delivers. 

Cheesy & Crunchy Nacho Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

• ~1/4 cup broken tortilla chips
• ~1/4 cup shredded cheese—pepper jack, Monterey jack, Sargento’s Mexican blend, or even mozzarella
• ~1/4–1/3 cup salsa of your choice (I’d go for Ya Oaxaca’s Salsa Chile de Agua or Frontera’s Chipotle Salsa)
• Hot sauce (optional)
• Other items to incorporate or toppings (optional)

Preparation

1. Put the chip pieces into a microwave safe bowl.
2. Add in cheese and toss together.
3. Microwave for 45-90 seconds (depending on your microwave’s wattage): the cheese should be totally melted.
4. Stir to distribute the melted cheese evenly.
5. Add salsa and stir again.  Use enough to flavor every bite without drowning the chips. 
6. Add optional topping if you’re feeling fancy: jarred olives, pickled or fresh jalapenos, or whatever else you’ve got on hand. (I rarely add extras, but they do jazz things up.)

Riffs

• Mix in a little Velveeta or Cooper Sharp for extra creaminess
• Add a small spoonful of pinto, black, or refried beans
• Top with a dollop of sour cream or labneh

Honorable Mention: Chilaquiles

One more option for those broken chips: chilaquiles. I didn’t include a chilaquiles recipe here for two reasons: 

1. I’ve never tested it with broken chips. 
2. Broken chips are likely to turn mushy too quickly for proper, satisfying chilaquiles. 

Still, in a pinch, they’re absolutely a viable use for those pesky fragments.

Snack at ya later!