Chicken Flautas
Crispy fried chicken flautas filled with seasoned shredded chicken, salsa and Monterey Jack cheese.
Equipment
- Skillet
- Microwave
- Paper Towels
- Plate
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoonolive oil
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 largejalapeño pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoonchili powder
- 1 teaspoonground cumin
- 1 1/2 cupsshredded cooked chicken *
- 1/2 cupsalsa
- 1 tablespoonlime juice from 1/2 lime
- 1 1/2 cupsshredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 12 8-inchflour and corn tortillas
- 1/2 cupvegetable oil
Instructions
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add the ½ onion (diced), 1 large jalapeño pepper (finely chopped), ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ tablespoon chili powder, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Sauté, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 3–4 minutes.
- Stir in 1½ cups shredded cooked chicken, ½ cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Cook just until warmed through, about 1–2 minutes, then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Wrap the stack of 12 (8-inch) flour and corn tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to warm and make them pliable; keep covered until ready to assemble.
- Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the 12 warmed tortillas, placing the filling in the center of each. Sprinkle the 1½ cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese over the filling in each tortilla.
- Roll each tortilla tightly and place seam-side down on a plate to hold.
- Pour the ½ cup vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high until shimmering and hot but not smoking.
- Working in batches (about 3–4 flautas at a time), place the flautas seam-side down in the hot oil. Fry 1–2 minutes per side, flipping carefully, until golden brown and crisp on all sides.
- Transfer fried flautas to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining flautas using the same oil.
- Serve the flautas immediately; offer additional salsa if desired.
Notes
You can fill these fried chicken flautas with any kind of shredded chicken, so get creative with the seasonings! I’ve usedchicken Tinga,mole chicken, andBuffalo chickenfor the filling, and they all taste amazing rolled up inside crispy tortilla shells.
If you want a creamy flautas filling, mix in some softened cream cheese with the chicken before adding it to the tortillas.
Warm your tortillas before rolling them. This makes them pliable and easier to roll.Once you’ve heated the tortillas, keep them covered in a pan or plastic container so they stay warm.
Don’t overfill the tortillas with the chicken mixture. I found that 2 tablespoons was the perfect amount of filling.
Roll quickly to avoid tearing the tortillas. No worries if any of your flautas have small tears after rolling. You can still go ahead with the frying process.
If you find your flautas unrolling as they fry, you can secure them closed with toothpicks. Just don’t forget to remove before serving!
Fry the flautas in batches to make sure they have enough room to cook. My favorite pan fits about 4 at a time.
Keep warm in a single layer on a baking sheet in 200°F oven.
If you want a creamy flautas filling, mix in some softened cream cheese with the chicken before adding it to the tortillas.
Warm your tortillas before rolling them. This makes them pliable and easier to roll.Once you’ve heated the tortillas, keep them covered in a pan or plastic container so they stay warm.
Don’t overfill the tortillas with the chicken mixture. I found that 2 tablespoons was the perfect amount of filling.
Roll quickly to avoid tearing the tortillas. No worries if any of your flautas have small tears after rolling. You can still go ahead with the frying process.
If you find your flautas unrolling as they fry, you can secure them closed with toothpicks. Just don’t forget to remove before serving!
Fry the flautas in batches to make sure they have enough room to cook. My favorite pan fits about 4 at a time.
Keep warm in a single layer on a baking sheet in 200°F oven.