Chicken Flautas

• Add the salsa, sour cream, green chilies and all seasonings to a large bowl (except cayenne); stir to combine. Stir in chicken followed by cheeses. Season with cayenne pepper to taste (optional), keeping in mind the flavor will mellow in the tortillas.
• If using lower quality tortillas, stack 6 together and top with a dampened paper towel. Microwave for 60 seconds so they’re more pliable and easier to roll. Fill, roll and repeat.
• To assemble, lay 12-14 tortillas on a flat surface. Add approximately 3 tablespoons filling to the bottom third of each tortilla then tightly roll up tortillas and place them seam side down.

TO SHALLOW PAN FRY (Recommended)

• Optional to keep flautas warm: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Set a wire baking rack in a baking pan; set aside.
• Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until 325 degrees F. Once hot, add 2-4 flautas seam side down in oil. Fry, turning as needed until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature so they don’t fry too quickly.
• Let flautas drain briefly on paper towels, then transfer to the prepared baking pan and keep warm in oven while frying remaining flautas
• Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded iceberg lettuce, etc.

TO BAKE FLAUTAS

• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Set a wire baking rack in a baking pan and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
• Add flautas in a single layer without touching then brush with olive oil.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until flautas are golden. Broil for extra crispiness.

TO TOAST FLAUTAS IN THE SKILLET

This method works best with raw tortillas but will still work with cooked tortillas. 

• Optional to keep flautas warm: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Set a wire baking rack in a baking pan; set aside.
• Heat one teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Working in batches, add taquitos and cook, until golden brown on all sides, rotating as needed.
• Transfer flautas to the prepared baking pan and keep warm in oven while cooking remaining flautas

TO AIR FRY

• Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. 
• Working in batches, brush flautas all over with olive oil then place seam side down in the air fryer basket so they aren’t touching.
• Cook for 6-8 minutes or until they’re golden and crispy, turning halfway through the cooking time.

TIPS to make the best flautas

• You don’t have to make chicken flautas!   See the post for all sorts of filling ideas.  
• Use freshly shredded cheeses because pre-packaged cheeses contain chemicals designed to prevent the strands from clumping in the packaging – these same chemicals inhibit their melting ability.  Only freshly grated cheese will melt in the couple minutes it takes for the flautas to crisp up.   
• Roll the tortillas tightly so there isn’t any open spaces in the chicken flautas. This prevents oil from leaking into the flautas and bubbling.  It also will help the flautas stay closed and fry up more easily and evenly.
• Use a toothpick to secure the flautas closed before frying if they are peaking open.  Fry them with the toothpicks intact then remove before eating.   You shouldn’t have to use toothpicks with quality flour tortillas.
• Make sure you test the oil first, especially if frying without an instant read thermometer.  To do this, tear off a bit of unused tortilla and add it to the oil.  If it boils, your oil is ready but if it boils and turns dark within a minute or so, your oil is too hot. You will have to remove from the heat, wait a few minutes, return to heat and try again.
• Adjust heat as needed so the flautas cook up golden and crispy.  If you find your flautas are cooking too quickly and surpassing the golden brown before the cheese is melted, then lower the heat.  You may need to start off at medium-high heat and lower to medium heat.
• To that end, resist the urge to stack the flautas or they won’t be as crispy.  I know I didn’t follow my own advice in the photos so I can speak from personal experience that stacked flautas will steam and you will lose that coveted crispy exterior very quickly.  It is best to serve the chicken flautas lined in a single layer with a little breathing room in between each flauta.

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