Chicken Flautas

Chicken Flautas, traditionally known as Flautas De Pollo, is a Mexican dish that’s insanely delicious. Mexican food is on of my favorite, always delivering punchy flavors to keep your taste buds excited. This Chicken Flautas recipe is my take on a traditional Mexican dish as a way to share my love of Mexican food.

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 A FLAUTA?

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.

CHICKEN FLAUTAS / FLAUTAS DE POLLO 

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.

What’s really great about this recipe, and what makes it so handy, is it can be made ahead of time and then frozen until you need it. You can then easily cook them from frozen by simply whipping them in the oven. No de-frosting is necessary. You will have to prepare the toppings fresh before serving, however, as you can’t freeze that part.

Chicken flautas ‘do contain some spice (like many Mexican dishes), but you can choose how much spice you want to add depending on personal preference. You can test out how much works for you.

If you would like to make this flautas recipe completely vegetarian , you can very easily substitute the chicken for beans and make vegetarian flautas’.

MAKE FLAUTAS RECIPE 

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.

The first step in this recipe is to shred the chicken. 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. I recommend using rotisserie chicken. They always taste great, making this recipe a lot more simple and less time-consuming.

Mix together the shredded chicken, cheese, filling ingredients, and spices in a bowl. This makes up the chicken mixture.

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. Coating both sides means they still come out lovely and crispy.

Once you have loaded your chicken filling mix onto the wrap in a line along the middle, roll the tortilla tightly.

Line a baking/ oven dish with a baking sheet and lay your flautas out evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove from heat and let cool slightly for a few minutes.

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.

TIPS FOR PERFECT FLAUTAS

When you’re trying out a new recipe, it’s always a bonus if it comes out just perfectly. Here are some tips so your flautas’ come out just right.

• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Chicken Flautas FAQ’S

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. 

This really is a great Mexican recipe to try out. Hopefully, I’ve done due justice to Mexican food and you’ll all love this recipe as much as I do.

Also check this amazing Easy Guacamole Recipe to serve with this Flautas! YUM!

MEXICAN RECIPES

30 Mins Mexican Tilapia Fish Dinner

Mexican Style Lentil Detox Salad (Vegan)

Crispy Fish Tacos

Fajita Bowl

Chicken Fajita with Mango Salsa

Juicy Burger with Fajita Toppings

Homemade Salsa

Authentic Guacamole Recipe

Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe