This Is The Secret To Chipotle's Tortilla Chips

While Chipotle Mexican food is definitely not what you might call "authentic," there's a reason it's remained a cult favorite — their food is really tasty. However, during a pandemic when just eating out itself increases one's risk of catching or transmitting disease, brands like Chipotle have had to adapt their social media presence in order to maintain a strong connection with customers (via Today).

One way the brand has decided to go about this is by sharing recipes for some of their more famous menu items with their social media followers, and encouraging them to create those dishes at home. This idea seems to have stemmed from an Instagram video tutorial dropped by Executive Chef Chad Brauzeon on how to make Chipotle's famous (but will cost extra) guacamole (via Instagram). From there, customers got hungry for more recipes, and Chipotle delivered, with TikTok posts detailing not only their roasted corn salsa, but also the classic white rice recipe. The common thread that seems to unite all of these burrito-fillings? Cilantro and a generous scoop of salt. And, as it turns out, the secret to their addictive tortilla chips isn't much different.

You can find the step-by-step video recipe for Chipotle's tortilla chips on TikTok if you want visuals, but you'll have to sit through the sound of the narrator crunching on chips for the entire video as he talks you through the steps — lucky! The good news is this recipe is pretty easy so you can get to crunchin' yourself soon.

First, cut up your corn tortillas into triangles. Then, fry them in hot oil for 50 seconds — the restaurants use a deep-fryer, but if you don't have one of those, you can use a heavy saucepan filled with a neutral oil heated to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and a slotted spoon to remove the chips once they've been fried (via All Recipes). Once they've become crispy, transfer the chips to a large mixing bowl and add a liberal squeeze of fresh lime juice and generous pinch of salt, then toss the chips until they're evenly coated. Taste the chips for flavor and add more lime or salt as needed. Then, just portion them out and enjoy with the salsa, guac, or queso of your choice!