These restaurant-quality, crunchy Mexican flautas are stuffed with so many flavors and cheesy chicken goodness. Making flautas at home are so much better than anything you’ll find at the store … skip the frozen aisle at the grocery store and make THESE instead. They freeze and reheat beautifully and you’ll be so happy you took the time to make them yourself.
I made these for my daughter, who needed something quick, easy and mindless to cook when she’s hungry at odd hours of the day/night. She IS a picky eater (we are kinda food snobs, I guess) and she was super happy with these flautas, even though the first time she tasted them was reheated from frozen. The second time we made them, both the kids helped and we made a double batch. It was pretty amazing, having us all working together on a cooking project.
The whole reason we went this way was my girl was really loving the chicken mini tacos from Costco, but then they stopped carrying them. Looking for something sort of similar, I bought some frozen taquitos at the grocery store, but she said they tasted gross. Sometimes I think my kids are too picky so I gave those store-bought taquitos a taste … and um, yeah, I totally agreed with her! I threw them away and told her it would be okay … we could totally make something WAY better that she would really LOVE and we could freeze them and she could reheat them just like she did her little mini tacos.
It took me a while to get around to cooking up some chicken for the filling. I wanted to make it all from scratch because my kids are sensitive to salt and MSG and the rotisserie chickens at the store give them headaches.
If you don’t have those problems, you can take a shortcut … if you have leftover chicken around or you want to use a rotisserie chicken, you can shred that. Just watch the salt content: if you use rotisserie chicken, make sure your taco seasoning is low in salt. (And if you don’t have any low-salt taco seasoning, try my Qdoba taco seasoning mix!) I think canned chicken might even work (although I have honestly never tried canned chicken).
But you guys! It’s super easy to put a few chicken breasts in the Instant Pot (still frozen) and have some shred-ready chicken in about an hour. To me, that’s easier (and safer, especially in COVID times) than going to the store to buy cooked chicken, but you choose what works for you.
The filling was super addictive and delightful on its own. I had to stop myself from eating it all as I was taste testing! I could totally use this filling on salads, lettuce wraps, quesadillas, enchiladas … the filling is so versatile and could be used in so many ways. But today, we are making flautas.
I asked the kids if they wanted their flautas fried or baked. They chose fried, so we fried them in 1/2 inch of avocado oil, turning them when they were browned and puffy on the bottom, and sometimes also turning them to the sides to get those browned and puffy too. When the flautas were fresh, they weren’t super crunchy, but had a nice crunch around the edges. Freezing and baking adds a bit more crunch (according to my daughter).
For tortillas, we used the uncooked flour tortillas from Costco. If you’re using these, for easiest assembly, slightly undercook the tortillas so they are cooked but still soft and they roll up easily.
What’s a flauta?
A flauta is a seasoned filling that often includes chicken, beef or pork rolled up in a large flour tortilla. Typically flautas are fried, but they can be baked instead for a healthier (easier) option or I imagine an air fryer would be a beautiful way to prepare them (although I have not yet bought into the air fryer craze, so I can’t really say for sure).
Flauta is the Spanish word for Flute, and yes, these flautas definitely have a long flute shape, so I think they are very aptly named. I’ve read that one of the reasons they’re literally called “flutes” is because you hold them in your fingers like you’re playing a flute to eat them. Although I don’t play the flute, I love that thought of making music with your food.
What’s the difference between Flautas and Taquitos?
Both flautas and taquitos are rolled tortillas filled with meat (typically chicken beef or pork) or other savory filling and typically fried until crispy, but the main difference between flautas and taquitos is the size. Flautas are generally larger and considered a meal (often served with Spanish rice and seasoned beans), while taquitos are smaller, typically eaten as an appetizer with salsa or guacamole.
Some will use corn tortillas and call it a flauta, others insist that flautas are made with flour tortillas (which are typically larger) and taquitos are made with corn tortillas (which are generally smaller). I’m in the first camp, so this recipe uses flour tortillas.
I’ve also read that there’s a subtle difference in the shape of flautas and taquitos although I’ve never witnessed this and I’ve eaten in countless Mexican restaurants in Mexico and the US and studied many cookbooks and recipes. Different regions in Mexico have different ways of preparing their dishes, though, and I have to admit I’ve not travelled Mexico extensively.
What do you serve with flautas?
Usually they are served with Spanish rice and beans (sometimes refried). At my house, we don’t serve these with Spanish rice or beans … my kids eat them plain without even dipping them into any salsa or guacamole, but personally I definitely think a good dipping sauce (or drizzle) is in order. I’d recommend one or more of the following (the more, the merrier!):
- A good guacamole like my spinach guacamole or asparagus guacamole
- A nice salsa – I recommend Chili’s salsa, my cilantro almond salsa or a fruity mango salsa
- For a creamy option – sour cream, Sriracha ranch, Avocado ranch, Bacon ranch or Avocado Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing
- Spicy taco sauce or sriracha
For fabulous homemade beans, try my Instant Pot Beans recipe. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
Print
Cheesy Chicken Flautas (Baked or Fried)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped fine
- 2 mini sweet peppers, chopped (add some chopped jalapeno or other hot pepper if you want a spicy kick)
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach leaves
- 1 1/4 cup shredded chicken (leftover, rotisserie or see notes below to see how I made my shredded chicken)
- 3 – 4 teaspoons taco seasoning mix (or to taste – recommend my Qdoba taco seasoning especially if using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)
- 2 oz. Greek cream cheese or Neufchatel
- 2 oz. shredded Mexican cheese or Muenster
- 8 – 10 medium flour tortillas
- Avocado oil (or other high-smoke point oil), if frying
Instructions
- Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and sweet pepper. Stir and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the spinach. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Stir.
- Add the chicken, taco seasoning mix, and cream cheese. Cook and stir until the cream cheese is melted, then add the shredded cheese and stir until cheese is fully melted. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Heat the tortillas in the microwave or stovetop to soften them. Spoon 2 – 4 Tablespoons full in a thin line down the tortilla, then roll up the tortilla tightly and seal with a toothpick.
- Fry in a frying pan over medium heat with about 1/2 inch of hot avocado oil (or other oil with high smoke point), rotating until all sides are browned and puffy … or set on an oiled baking sheet, spray generously with cooking spray and bake at 400 F. for about 20 minutes or until crispy, turning half-way.
- Remove the toothpicks. Serve hot with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, Sriracha ranch, bean dip or your favorite Mexican dipping sauce, along with Spanish rice and seasoned beans (refried or regular).
Notes
To make the shredded chicken, I put 2 frozen bone-in chicken thighs in the instant pot with 1 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1 chopped seeded mini sweet pepper with 2 Tablespoons of my Qdoba Taco Seasoning mix, then cooked at high pressure for 30 minutes, quick release. Let cool until cool enough to touch, then shred the chicken, straining and adding back in some of the juices to keep it moist.
Flautas can be frozen: put them on a baking sheet with a bit of space between and set the baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. When frozen, put in a plastic bag. Reheat from frozen at 400 F. for 12 – 15 minutes or until crispy.
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