Description
This Chicken Flautas recipe features crispy rolled corn tortillas filled with a flavorful shredded rotisserie chicken mixture, seasoned with sautéed onions, garlic, and spices. Served with a creamy avocado salsa verde sauce and traditional Mexican toppings like crema mexicana, queso fresco, and pico de gallo, these flautas make for a delicious and satisfying meal perfect for gatherings or weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Filling
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for sauteing onion)
- 1 medium onion, diced very finely
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 garlic cloves, minced very finely
- 1 pound rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 4 cups)
For Assembly and Frying
- 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying, enough to go 1-inch high in pan)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for rubbing on tortillas)
- 30 corn tortillas
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 2 to 4 tablespoons water (enough to make a glue-like paste)
Avocado Sauce
- 12 ounces salsa verde (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 small avocados or 1 large avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste; use less if using table salt)
- 2 teaspoons roasted chicken Better Than Bouillon
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 cup water plus extra 1/2 cup for desired thinness
- 1 jalapeno (optional, for spiciness)
Toppings (optional)
- Crema Mexicana (table cream or sour cream style)
- Queso Fresco cheese, crumbled (cotija or feta are good substitutes)
- Pico de Gallo (freshly made recommended)
- Shredded lettuce (optional)
- Cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Make Pico de Gallo: Prepare fresh pico de gallo if desired and keep chilled in the refrigerator until serving.
- Make Avocado Sauce: In a blender, combine salsa verde, avocados, kosher salt, roasted chicken bouillon, lime juice, and half a cup of water. Blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth. Add jalapeno for heat if desired, blending again. Adjust consistency by adding 2-3 tablespoons water at a time until sauce is thin enough to drizzle. Cover and set aside.
- Prepare Chicken Filling: Finely dice onion. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat; once shimmering, add onion, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken and warm through. Remove from heat and cover.
- Preheat Frying Oil: Pour 2 cups of oil into a high-sided skillet to a depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium-low to medium heat until oil reaches 375°F (about 15 minutes). Use a thermometer to monitor temperature.
- Oil the Tortillas: Pour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil into a small bowl. Using your fingers, lightly coat both sides of each corn tortilla with oil, making sure they glisten but are not soaked. Stack and cover tortillas with a damp paper towel to keep moist.
- Make Cornstarch Glue: In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, stirring to a thick paste. Add water by teaspoonfuls until it reaches an Elmer’s glue-like consistency.
- Microwave Tortillas: Cover the stack of tortillas with damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute. Check pliability; heat in 20-second increments until softened but not falling apart.
- Roll the Flautas: Place one warm tortilla on a baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons chicken filling to the quarter of the tortilla nearest you. Tuck edge around filling and roll tightly away from you, leaving about 1/2 inch open at the end. Brush cornstarch glue along the seam and finish rolling. Place seam side down on baking sheet and cover with a damp paper towel. Repeat for 5-10 flautas before frying.
- Prepare Oven for Warming: Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet and set oven to its lowest setting (~170°F) to keep finished flautas warm and crisp.
- Fry Flautas: Carefully add rolled flautas seam side down to hot oil in batches. Fry 1-2 minutes per side until golden but not brown. Use tongs to flip. Drain and place on rack in warm oven.
- Continue Rolling and Frying: Alternate rolling and frying remaining flautas until all are cooked.
- Serve: Plate several flautas, drizzle with crema mexicana and avocado sauce, and top with pico de gallo, shredded lettuce if desired, crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges. Serve with Mexican rice and Tejano beans if desired.
- Store and Freeze: Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 3 days. Reheat in air fryer, oven, or toaster oven. Freeze cooled, uncooked or fried flautas in a single layer on a baking sheet for 30 minutes; then transfer to ziplock bag for 2-3 months. Fry frozen flautas directly, adding about 1 minute per side longer.
Notes
- Neutral Oil: Use any high smoke point neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, avocado, or peanut oil for sautéing and frying.
- Adjust salt types: Use half the amount of table salt compared to kosher salt.
- For less spicy avocado sauce, remove seeds and membranes from jalapeno or omit entirely.
- Sealing flautas with cornstarch glue helps avoid toothpicks and results in a cleaner frying process.
- Microwaving tortillas before rolling increases pliability and prevents cracking.
- Maintain oil temperature carefully to avoid burning flautas.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure accurate oil heat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 flauta
- Calories: 444 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 19 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
