Chicken Flautas
These Mexican chicken flautas are easy to make and perfect for a snack or part of a full meal.
I love Mexican food and there are a few different authentic Mexican restaurants that I enjoy going to. One of my favourite items on the menu are these Mexican chicken flautas and I often order them whenever we go out to these restaurants.
Flautas are like rolled tacos that are fried in oil till they are crispy. Some people call these taquitos or rolled tacos. Usually these can be found in the freezer section of grocery stores and can be thrown in the oven for a nice appetizer.
Flautas can be filled with many different things, from beef to chicken and more. For this recipe, I made a mixture with diced cooked chicken, salsa, grated cheese, onions and jalapeño peppers that were used as the filling.
Flautas are a great little appetizer and perfect for a gameday party or really any gathering. These can also be served as part of a Mexican meal and don’t be surprised if these are the favourite part of the meal.
What Kind of Tortillas to Use?
Corn tortillas are not very pliable and trying to roll them up would cause them to crumble and they would be unusable. The best way to soften them is to wrap them in a tea towel and heat them in a microwave for about one minute. After removing them from the microwave, I keep them wrapped in the towel for 1-2 more minutes. This almost steams them a bit and they become much more flexible where they can be rolled easily.
Spoon one heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture on a tortilla and spread it in a line across the middle of the tortilla.
How to Roll a Flauta?
Roll the tortilla tightly so that there is no open space in the flauta. This allows it to fry up more easily and keeps the oil from getting inside the flauta.
If desired, you can stick the flauta with a toothpick to keep it from opening up before frying. This way, you can actually roll up all the flautas before you fry them.
I actually prefer to make them one at a time and don’t bother using a toothpick. Once I make it, the flauta goes straight into the hot oil and I start on the next one.
How Fry a Chicken Flauta?
Fill a skillet with oil so that it is about an inch deep. This brings the oil about halfway up the flauta.
While you can use any type of skillet, I prefer using a cast iron one, as it keeps the oil hot throughout the frying.
Using tongs, place the flauta into the hot oil. If not using toothpicks, try to place the folded part of the tortilla at the bottom, so that it does not open up during the frying.
While the flautas are in the skillet, I keep working on making more. Once the tortillas in the oil are browned and crisped up, roll/flip them to the other side.
When you see that the flautas are all browned, use tongs to lift them out of the oil and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Once the flautas are all done, they are excellent served with some pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. These are so delicious and you will need to make sure that you make lots as they get gobbled up really quick.
Other Recipes to Make this a Mexican Meal!
This recipe is great to have as part of a Mexican meal. Here are a number of other great recipes that go very well with these pinto beans!
- Grilled Catfish Corn and Black Bean Tostadas
- Skillet Corn and Chorizo
- Mexican Pinto Beans
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Crock Pot Chicken Carnitas
Chicken Flautas
Ingredients
- 2 cooked chicken breasts , cut into small chunks
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 onion , peeled and minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper , cored and minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 lime , juiced
- 3/4 cup grated monterey jack cheese
- 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 24 corn tortillas
- 1 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, salsa, minced onion, jalapeño pepper, cumin, lime juice and grated cheeses.
- Fill skillet with oil so that it is about 1 inch deep. Heat to medium, around 350-375F.
- Wrap corn tortillas in a towel and place on a plate. Heat in a microwave for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and let the tortillas rest in the towel for 1-2 more minutes. This allows the tortillas to soften and be more pliable.
- Spoon one heaping tablespoon in the middle of a tortilla. Spread it in a line across the middle of a tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla into a cylinder. If desired, stick a toothpick in the tortilla to hold it in place.
- Using tongs, place the flauta into the hot oil. If not using toothpicks, try to place the folded part of the tortilla at the bottom so that it does not open up during frying.
- Let the flauta fry for 2-3 minutes (or until browned), then flip. Fry for another 2-3 minutes . Make sure that the flauta is nicely browned before removing from the hot oil.
- Using tongs, remove the flauta from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Cook remaining flautas and add a little extra oil to the frying pan as needed.
- If desired, serve with pico de Gallo, guacamole and sour cream.
Nutrition
Per serving:
