Chicken Flautas

Chicken Flautas, traditionally known as Flautas De Pollo, is a Mexican dish that’s insanely delicious. They’re crispy, golden rolls of tortillas filled with shredded chicken, tightly rolled, and fried to perfection. Known for their crunchy exterior and savory filling, flautas are a staple of Mexican and Tex Mex cuisine.

I’ve always wondered how can I have such an affinity for Mexican food without living there or being part of that rich culture. Every time I meet a Mexican person, I make sure to first tell them how I admire their rich food and culture.

So today’s recipe is by no means my own, it’s my version and appreciation to delicious Mexican food! These Sheet Pan Fajitas are another example of amazing Mexican deliciousness! Fajita Bowl with chicken is another must try! My ultimate Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe is ONE to try!

What is Chicken Flautas

A flauta describes a Mexican dish that is made using a tortilla that is tightly wrapped around a shredded meat and cheese filling. Once the tortilla and meat cheese filling has been assembled, the tortilla is then fried.

Unlike taquitos, flautas are typically larger, thinner, and sometimes made with flour tortillas, whereas taquitos are often corn tortillas. Flautas are served with dips, salsas, or toppings like sour cream and cheese.

This is a great recipe to keep as a regular either for a delicious family dinner or to impress guests. It’s a good recipe to use if you want to try out a new recipe that’s just a little bit different from the more well-known Mexican dishes.

Why You’ll Love Chicken Flautas

• Crispy and savory: Crunchy exterior with juicy, flavorful filling
• Quick to assemble: Pre-cooked chicken makes preparation easy
• Customizable: Add cheese, peppers, or herbs inside
• Party-friendly: Great for appetizers or game-day snacks
• Restaurant-quality at home: Master simple frying techniques for perfect results

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chicken: Cooked, shredded chicken is ideal. Rotisserie chicken works well for convenience.
• Tortillas: Flour tortillas are traditional for large, thin flautas. Corn tortillas can be used for smaller rolls.
• Seasonings: Garlic, cumin, paprika, chili powder, or Mexican seasoning blends enhance flavor. Use store bought or homemade taco seasoning here as well.
• Cheese: Queso fresco, Monterey Jack, Pepper jack, or extra-sharp cheddar can be added for richness.
• Oil: Neutral frying oil like canola or vegetable oil for deep or shallow frying. We baked them ans in that case, you would still need to brush them liberally with oil.
• Toppings: Sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, feta, green chiles (or jalapeños) or adobo/ hot sauce for serving

How to Make Flautas

This recipe is straightforward to prepare, but it results in a super delicious dish you will be making regularly whenever you feel like homemade Mexican.

Prepare the Chicken Filling

1. The first step in this recipe is to shred the chicken.
2. You can roast your own whole chicken or chicken breast in the oven first or, you can use a rotisserie chicken bought from the store.
3. I recommend using rotisserie chicken. They always taste great, making this recipe a lot more simple and less time-consuming.
4. Mix together the shredded chicken, cheese, filling ingredients, and spices in a large bowl. Stir well to make sure the filling is coherent. This makes up the chicken mixture.

Prepare Tortillas

1. Warm tortillas slightly in batches to make them pliable, and lay them flat on a clean surface.

2. Before loading the mixture into the middle of each tortilla, brush both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil. This is important, as this recipe bakes the tortillas instead of frying them.
3. Coating both sides means they still come out lovely and crispy.

Assemble Flautas

1. Load your chicken filling mix onto the wrap in a line along the middle, roll the tortilla tightly.

Fry the Flautas

1. Heat oil in a skillet to 350°F (175°C) which is medium-high heat.
2. Fry flautas until golden and crispy, about 2–4 minutes per side until golden brown.
3. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

To Bake The Flautas

1. Line a baking/ oven dish with a baking sheet and lay your flautas out evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, remove from heat and let cool slightly for a few minutes.

To Air Fry

1. You can also cook this recipe using an air fryer if you have one. In fact, they turn out beautifully using the air fryer.

While your flauta de Pollo is baking, prepare your toppings ready for serving.

Serve with your chicken salsa, avocado, and cream cheese.

Pro Tips For Perfect Flautas

1. You can use Rotisserie Chicken instead of cooking the chicken breasts. Make sure you add the same spices however, and proceed to adding the cheese.
2. Make sure to fully coat the tortillas with enough oil and coat it all over. This ensures that it will crips up nicely, in the same way as deep-frying it would (though this method reduces the amount of oil needed).
3. When you are placing your flautas’ in the oven, place them with the seam side (or tortilla edge) down. This stops the wraps from unraveling while cooking. Alternatively, you could use toothpicks to secure them whilst cooking.
4. Warm the tortillas in the microwave very slightly before brushing them with oil. Doing this makes them easier to work with, and it will be easier to roll tortilla.
5. Don’t overfill your tortillas with the filling; you will find it hard to roll them, and they are more likely to unravel in the cooking process.
6. Pat tortillas dry and warm them to make rolling easier and avoid soggy flautas.
7. Make sure your filling is evenly distributed to prevent bursting during frying.
8. If you’re deep frying, oil temperature is key. Too cool will result in greasy and soggy flautas, while too hot will have a burnt outside and raw inside.

Flautas Variations

• Cheesy Chicken Flautas: Add shredded cheese inside before rolling
• Spicy Flautas: Mix in diced jalapeños or chipotle for heat
• Vegetable Flautas: Substitute or add sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, or spinach

Whats the difference between Flautas and Taquitos?

There isn’t a huge difference, really. Flautas use flour torillas while Taqitos use corn tortillas. However, many restaurants use them interchangeably. However, I recommend using flour tortillas for this recipe.

How do you pronounce flautas?

It’s not as difficult to pronounce as you might initially think. It’s pronounced: Fl -ow-tahs.

How to roll Flautas?

Once you have placed your filling in the middle of the tortilla (not too full), fold the sides in. This makes sure your filling won’t leak out. Once the sides have been folded in, roll the tortilla. Immediately place the tortilla seam side down on the baking tray, so it doesn’t unravel.

Fried vs. baked flautas, which to do?

Traditionally, flautas’ would be deep-fried. They taste absolutely delicious. My recipe, also delicious bakes the flautas’. This recipe still uses oil to get them to crisp up nicely, though just not nearly as much as deep-frying. The air fryer will also give them this great crisp without using as much oil as the deep fryer. Baking or using the air fryer is definitely the healthier option and less messy than deep-frying, in my opinion.

Can I freeze Flautas?

Yes! Chicken Flautas are great to prepare and freeze raw, or even bake and freeze them after they’ve cooled down from baking. If you’re freezing them raw, go ahead and bake them straight from frozen adding 3-4 minutes more on your baking time.

If you’re freezing them cooked, then simply heat them back in the oven once they’ve defrosted for 2 minutes.

Can I make chicken flautas ahead of time?

Yes, assemble and refrigerate; fry or bake just before serving.

Storage and Reheating

• Fridge: 2–3 days in airtight container is best for leftovers.
• Freezer: Freeze uncooked or pre fried flautas
• Reheating: Oven or air fryer restores crispiness; avoid microwave

Serving Suggestions

• Party platters with guacamole, salsa, Mango Pico De Gallo, Pineapple Salsa or sour cream
• Appetizers for game day or gatherings
• Side dish for Mexican inspired meals
• Pair with Mexican rice, Black beans, or our HIT Mexican street corn salad

Why do my flautas burst during frying?

Overfilling or loose rolling causes bursting. Roll tightly and tuck edges.

Why are my flautas soggy?

Oil too cool or tortillas too wet. Fry immediately and ensure oil is 350°F. Pat dry before rolling. If baking, make sure to brush enough oil.

Why is the chicken filling dry?

Use a little lime juice, sauce, or cheese to add moisture.

Why is the oil splattering?

Wet tortillas or filling. Pat dry and fry at correct temperature.

Why are baked flautas less crispy?

Brush lightly with oil and use a wire rack for airflow to improve crispiness.

Mexican Recipes

• 30 Mins Mexican Tilapia Fish Dinner
• Crispy Ground Beef Tacos
• Crispy Fish Tacos or Mahi Mahi Tacos
• Ground Beef Nachos
• Fajita Bowl
• Chicken Fajita with Mango Salsa
• Queso
• Mexican Black Beans
• Flank Steak Tacos
• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Birria Tacos
• Homemade Salsa
• Authentic Guacamole Recipe
• Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe