Description
Easy Chicken Flautas recipe – crispy, crunchy, tortilla rolls filled with spicy chicken tinga and melty cheese and topped with all your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Chicken Tinga:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
- 15oz can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (white, red, or cider)
- 1/2 cup chicken stock (or 1/2 cup water and 1 bouillon cube)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups shredded chicken (1lb, from 1 1/2lbs fresh chicken)
For the Flautas:
- 16 6 or 7-inch flour tortillas
- 2 cups (8oz) shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, or your favorite blend)
- Vegetable oil for frying or brushing
Optional Toppings:
- Sour cream or Mexican crema
- Guacamole or Avocado Crema
- Pico de gallo
- Shredded lettuce
- Crumbled queso fresco
Instructions
Make the Chicken Tinga:
- Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the peppers, adobo sauce, tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Return sauce to pan and add shredded chicken. Cook for 1 minute until the chicken is warmed through.
Make the flautas:
- Warm the tortillas, 4 at a time, in the microwave until lightly warmed and soft, about 15 seconds.
- Keep the warmed tortillas covered with a kitchen towel so they stay soft.
- Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of Chicken Tinga filling and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick.
- Heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a large pan to 340° F. Fry the flautas until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
- Remove the toothpicks and serve with toppings.
Notes
How to bake Flautas
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Place the flautas on a baking sheet and brush both sides with oil.
- Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 10-12 minutes.
Flautas in the air fryer
- Brush both sides of the flautas with oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Place in the air fryer in a single layer and cook at 400° until golden and crispy, about 6-8 minutes, flipping the flautas halfway through the cooking time.
 Short cut: If you don’t want to bother with blending the sauce, just use crush tomatoes and chop the chipotle peppers before adding them to the sauce.
Calories as shown includes 1 tablespoon oil for brushing for baking or air frying.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: appetizer
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 flauta
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 685.4 mg
- Fat: 10.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.2 g
- Protein: 17.5 g
- Cholesterol: 47.6 mg