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plate of chicken flautas on a bed of lettuce topped with avocado crema, sour cream, and pico de gallo

Easy Chicken Flautas Recipe

Kelly
Easy Chicken Flautas recipe – crispy, crunchy, tortilla rolls filled with spicy chicken tinga and melty cheese and topped with all your favorite toppings.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 16 flautas
Calories 283 kcal

Ingredients
  

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
  • 15 oz crushed tomatoes preferably fire roasted
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar white, red, or cider
  • ½ cup chicken stock or ½ cup water and 1 bouillon cube
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 cups shredded chicken 1lb, from 1 ½lbs fresh chicken

For the Flautas:

  • 16 6- or 7-inch flour tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, or your favorite blend) 8oz
  • 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 ⅓ 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 283kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 17gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 522mgPotassium: 250mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 216IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 187mgIron: 3mg
Keyword chicken flautas, flautas
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