Chicken Flautas (Flautas de Pollo)

Easy and delicious chicken flautas are tortillas, filled with shredded chicken and fried, then served with a colourful and fresh assortment of toppings.

What are Mexican Flautas?

Flautas is Spanish for “flutes”, an obvious reference to the long tube shape of flautas. Flautas are made from flour tortillas that are filled and then rolled up and fried until extra-crispy and with a savoury, spiced filling.

How are Flautas different from taquitos? Taquitos are generally made from smaller, corn tortillas, so they are shorter and often flatter.

Why you'll love this chicken flautas recipe

You may be used to seeing chicken flautas with lots of cheddar cheese or Monteray Jack and maybe even cream cheese. The filling may be enhanced with black beans and green chiles (such as the costco version) and/or strongly spiced with chili powder, cayenne pepper or cumin. And there is certainly nothing wrong with that, especially if you are eating flautas as an appetizer or while watching the game. These aren't those chicken flautas though.

This recipe is my copycat version of one served by my local Mexican restaurant, which serves up fabulous authentic Mexican food. So these authentic style Mexican flautas are a meal and a wonderful marriage of simply filled and crispy flauta, with abundant fresh toppings and Mexican cheese and crema. Not only are chicken flautas a feast for the eyes, they are incredibly easy to make and wonderfully delicious!

You can make flautas from left-over cooked chicken, chicken taken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or almost as quickly, starting with a couple of boneless chicken breasts. I love to fry my flautas to crispy, golden goodness, but you can also bake or air fry chicken flautas as well, if you prefer. (Instructions for air frying or baking in the Recipe Card Notes!).

Top your easy chicken flautas with lettuce, quick pickled onion, cilantro, feta and Mexican crema, all of which are easily made at home without the need for special ingredients.

Key Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you will need. Not all the topping ingredients are required, but definitely recommended ...

• Chicken - as noted above, you can start with either left-over cooked chicken, chicken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or a couple of uncooked boneless chicken breasts.
• Salsa - just regular tomato salsa (mild, medium or hot) that you would use for nachos is fine here. Alternately, any Mexican-inspired sauce is fine (enchilada, chipotle etc.)
• Large flour tortillas

- large flour tortillas both work best for these and are traditional for flautas. Corn tortillas will also work, though I have trouble with them cracking when rolled, so I find the flour tortillas less fussy to work with.

Flautas Toppings:

When it comes to chicken flautas, I'm all about the toppings. I like to think of it as a both a garnish and a salad :) Here are some options for toppings. You don't need to use all of them, but you'll really want to for the best flautas experience.

• Iceberg lettuce - simply thinly sliced.
• Quick Pickled Red Onion - easy to make with red onion, cider vinegar and sugar (details in recipe card below)
• Feta cheese - Queso fresco or Mexican cotija cheese aren't available in my area, but you can certainly use them if you have access. If not, crumbled feta cheese is a great alternative.
• Mexican Crema - you can certainly use store-bought if you have easy access, but it is easy to make your own Crema using sour cream, thinned with a bit of heavy cream or half and half (details in recipe card below)
• Cilantro - lots of fresh, chopped cilantro is always a good addition.

How to make Chicken Flautas: Step-by-Step

• Step 1: Add the cooked chicken to a skillet.
• Step 2: Add the salsa.
• Step 3: Add the water (it looks red as I just re-used the same cup I used for the salsa :)
• Step 4: Cook over low heat, covered, allowing it to simmer until warmed through, the salsa has infused the meat with flavour and the water has been absorbed.
• Step 5: Shred the chicken mixture further with the paddle attachment in a mixer or simply place into a large bowl and shred with two forks.
• Step 6: Place a tortilla on a cutting board.
• Step 7: Cut off the rounded sides to make a rectangle.
• Step 8: Place a row of the chicken down the centre of the rectangle.
• Step 9: Roll up the tortilla tightly, placing seam side down so it doesn't unravel.
• Step 10: Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
• Step 11: Heat a 1/2-inch of cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook, rotating the roll every 30-45 seconds, until evenly golden brown all around. You may need to adjust the heat a bit lower if they are browning too quickly.
• Step 12: Repeat with the remaining rolls.

How to Bake or Air Fry Chicken Flautas

Can I bake flautas instead of frying? You can. You will, of course, sacrifice some of the crispiness. Simply place on a baking sheet, brush lightly with a little cooking oil (or spray with cooking oil) and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 375F. oven, or until golden and crisp.

Can I air fry chicken flautas? Yes! Preheat your air fryer to 385F. Brush the tops of the shaped rolls with cooking oil (or spray with cooking spray) and place seam side down into the air fryer, in a single layer with a bit of space in between. Air fry for about 8 minutes, flipping the flautas over halfway through cooking.

FAQ

• Can I use corn tortillas instead? You can, but my experience with corn tortillas is that they split easily when rolled, so they often leave me frustrated when I've tried them with this dish. Your mileage may vary. It does help to warm them lightly before rolling.
• Can I fill them with something else? Sure! The would be great with pulled pork or carnitas or Barbacoa (shredded beef)
• Can I add some cheese inside the flautas? Sure, you can if you like. You can add whatever you like. Black beans, green chiles or extra spicing is all good.
• Can I re-heat flautas? Yes. Again, you will sacrifice the "freshly fried" crispiness, but simply fry ahead, refrigerate, then re-heat on a baking sheet in a 350F oven until warmed through.
• What are some other topping options? Fresh pico de gallo, salsa, salsa verde or roja, sour cream and avocado or guacamole are good alternate (or additional) options.

What to serve with chicken flautas?

I think flautas are pretty much a complete meal in themselves, but if you are looking for a side, a good Mexican rice and some avocado slices would be great.

Top Tip

I pared back the toppings here for the photos, so you could actually see the flautas, but these are best with a heaping mountain of toppings, so don't hesitate to load them up. It's like a salad on top of the main course, instead of on the side ;) It also ensures that you get a bite of the fresh topping flavours along with the flautas in every bite.

Recipe

Chicken Flautas (Flautas de Pollo)

Flour tortillas filled with easy shredded chicken and fried until crispy. Topped with fresh toppings.

Author: Jennifer

5 stars from 5 ratings

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Servings 3 servings

Ingredients

 

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Chicken Flautas:

• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken, or *see Note 1
• 1/3 cup tomato salsa, mild, medium or hot
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 large flour tortillas
• Oil for frying

Quick Pickled Onions:

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, less if fine salt

Mexican Crema:

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
• Pinch salt

Toppings:

• Iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
• Quick Pickled Red Onion
• Crumbled Feta Cheese
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Mexican Crema

Cook ModePrevent screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Make the Quick Pickled Red Onion: Place the sliced red onion in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and let stand at room temperature while you make your flautas.
• Add the cooked chicken to a skillet over medium-low heat. Pour salsa over-top, then the water. Stir to combine. Cover the skillet and allow the chicken to warm with the salsa and water for 4-5 minutes. (The water should have been absorbed. If not, cook uncovered for a minute or so to cook it off). Remove the chicken mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or alternately just in a bowl with two forks). Run the mixer on low for a minute or two to shred the chicken. Set aside.
• Place a large tortilla on a cutting board. Cut the rounded edges off from each side, making a rectangle (see Step by Step photos above the recipe card). Place a row of the shredded chicken down the centre of the rectangle, then roll the tortilla up around it, rolling from the longer side. Place it seam side down, so it doesn't un-roll. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
• Heat a 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. (I like to cook just one at a time, in a small skillet. They cook up quickly and you don't need as much oil to get the 1/2 inch in a smaller skillet). Add one of the rolled tortillas to the skillet, seam side down. Allow to cook about 30- 45 seconds, then begin rolling it a quarter turn and allowing it to brown a bit before rolling it a quarter turn again, until the tortilla is evenly golden all around. Remove to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining rolls.
• While flautas are cooking, take a moment to stir together the sour cream and cream for the crema. Set aside.
• Place warm flautas on a platter. Top with topping ingredients, placing them in the order listed in the ingredients, finishing with a drizzle of the crema. (*I love to generously add the toppings, almost to the point you can hardly see the flautas.)

Notes

1. Use left-over cooked chicken or chicken from a rotisserie chicken. Alternately, start with fresh chicken, start with 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut each in half lengthwise, then cut each of those pieces in half across the middle, making 8 smaller pieces from the 2 breasts. Place in a skillet and cook over medium heat until they are no longer pink on the outside. Add the salsa and water, cover the skillet, reduce the heat and cook another 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and soft. The water should be absorbed, but if it's watery, cook uncovered for a minute or so to cook it off. Proceed with shredding the chicken per the recipe.

You can bake the flautas instead of frying. Brush the rolls lightly with a bit of cooking oil (or spray with cooking spray), place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp.

To air fry the flautas,  preheat your air fryer to 385F. Brush the tops of the rolls with a bit of cooking oil (or spray with cooking spray) and place shaped flautas into the air fryer (in a single layer with a bit of space in between), seam side down. Air fry for about 8 minutes, flipping the flautas over halfway through cooking.

Flautas can be re-heated on a baking sheet in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until warmed.

Nutrition

Sodium: 1699mg | Calcium: 95mg | Vitamin C: 2mg | Vitamin A: 406IU | Sugar: 7g | Fiber: 2g | Potassium: 545mg | Cholesterol: 125mg | Calories: 425kcal | Saturated Fat: 7g | Fat: 17g | Protein: 39g | Carbohydrates: 25g | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

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