A Classic and Versatile Dish — Flautas

Who doesn’t love a deep fried tortilla filled with juicy chicken and smothered in crema and salsa? 

Flautas have been around since the 1900’s and originated in Mexico and became extremely popular as an on-the-go dish. 

It was even one of the first Mexican recipes to be turned into a ready made meal in the frozen section of the grocery store. 

Many people refer to this dish as taquitos and although the two are nearly identical in cooking techniques, the main difference lies in the shape and size of the dishes, flautas being the larger of the two.  

Flautas can also be made using flour or corn tortillas whereas taquitos are typically only made using corn tortillas. 

The dish can be made using chicken, cheese, beef or even potatoes as a filling and is typically topped with crema, red or green salsa, shredded cabbage, queso fresco, guacamole or any of your favorite typical taco toppings!  

There is no one specific filling you use to make flautas and everyone can put their own twist on the dish depending on their flavor preference.

Today, I am going to show you my version of shredded chicken flautas.

If you’d like to make the dish for yourself, follow the recipe below! 

Recipe

1. In a medium pot, add water, chicken, half an onion, 2 garlic cloves and 1 bay leaf. Season generously with salt.
2. Set to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Set to medium, cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Shred the chicken and set aside.
3. Slice the remaining half of the onion and set aside. Next, mince three garlic cloves and set aside. Dice the tomato and set aside.
4. In a large pan over medium heat, add one tablespoon of oil or enough to just coat the pan. Add the onions, tomatoes and green chiles (make sure to drain the chiles before adding it to the pan). Sauté until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or until fragrant.
5. Add the seasonings and mix thoroughly.
6. Add the shredded chicken and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
7. Let simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside in a medium bowl.
8. Using a damp paper towel, wrap the tortillas and microwave for about 30 seconds or until soft and moldeable. (This prevents the tortillas from cracking when you roll them up.)
9. Take a good amount of the chicken and add it to the base of the tortilla. Add cheese and roll from the bottom up. Set aside and repeat with remaining tortillas.
10. In a large saucepan add about an inch of oil, enough to submerge the flautas halfway. Set to medium heat.
11. Once the oil is ready, place the flautas seem side down to prevent them from opening and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and fry the other side for another 1-2 minutes or until crispy and golden.
12. Set aside on a dish lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
13. If frying in batches, repeat with the remaining flautas.
14. When ready to serve, top with salsa verde and crema or any of your favorite toppings (I added pickled onions to mine).
15. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tomato
• 4oz can diced green chiles
• 1 tbsp ground oregano
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp adobo
• 1 tbsp cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp oil
• Corn/flour tortillas
• 8oz mexican style shredded cheese, optional
• Oil, for frying
• Salsa verde, for serving