This bold Chicken Flautas Recipe features chicken, jalapeños, salsa and more rolled up in a flour tortilla and fried until deliciously crispy! They’re easy to make in just 30 minutes and are great for Cinco de Mayo, game day, and all other parties.
What’s in Chicken Flautas?
This is such a great 30 minute recipe that comes together easily with simple ingredients. Let’s take a look at a few things you’ll need:
- Chicken: I like to use shredded chicken for this easy flautas recipe, and it’s a great way to use up leftovers from roasted chicken.
- Jalapeños: Swap these with habanero or serrano peppers for even more spice!
- Salsa: I like to use homemade salsa whenever I can.
What toppings can you add?
I like to serve fried chicken flautas with shredded lettuce, cilantro, salsa, and sour cream. You can add any of your favorite toppings like jalapeños, guacamole, and pico de gallo.
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How to Store and Reheat
You can make the chicken filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze it. Reheat the chicken on the stovetop before adding to the tortillas.
These crispy chicken flautas are best served as soon as they are cooked, but if you have leftovers they can be reheated in the oven at 300°F for about 20 minutes until crisp.
How to Freeze
Let them cool and place in a container. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and then bake in the oven at 350°F or 10-15 minutes.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
- Make sure your tortillas are warm and pliable before rolling. Once you’ve heated the tortillas, keep them covered in a pan or plastic container so they stay warm.
- It’s best to roll quickly to avoid tearing of the tortillas. No worries if any of your flautas have small tears after rolling. You can still go ahead with the frying process.
Top Reader Review
“My family loves this recipe and it is now a family favorite. Top tier according to my son.” – Theresa
More Mexican Chicken Recipes We Love
- Fiesta Lime Chicken
- Chicken Tinga
- Crockpot Salsa Chicken
- Chicken Mole
- Chicken Taquitos
- Chicken Taco Soup
Fried Chicken Flautas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion diced
- 1 large jalapeño pepper finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1½ cups shredded chicken
- ½ cup salsa
- ½ lime juiced
- 1½ cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add in the onion, jalapeño peppers, salt, chili powder, and cumin. Sauté for a few minutes until softened. Stir in the shredded chicken, salsa, and lime juice. Remove from heat.1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ onion, 1 large jalapeño pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1½ cups shredded chicken, ½ cup salsa, ½ lime
- Warm tortillas by wrapping the stack of them in damp paper towels and microwaving for 1 minute.10-12 corn tortillas
- Place about 2 tablespoons of chicken filling, and a sprinkling of cheese, in the middle of each warmed tortilla. Roll the tortillas up tightly and place them seam side down on a plate.1½ cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place 4 flautas in the pan, seam side down, and fry for about 1-2 minutes. Then, flip the flautas and fry for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan as needed and repeat this process with the remaining flautas.½ cup vegetable oil
- Serve the flautas with your favorite toppings, such as lettuce, cilantro, salsa, and sour cream.
Notes
- Make sure your tortillas are warm and pliable before rolling. Once you’ve heated the tortillas, keep them covered in a pan or plastic container so they stay warm.
- It’s best to roll quickly to avoid tearing of the tortillas. No worries if any of your flautas have small tears after rolling. You can still go ahead with the frying process.
- Fried flautas can be frozen. Let them cool and place in a container. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and then bake in the oven at 350F or 10 -15 minutes.
- I like to use shredded chicken for this recipe, and it’s a great way to use up leftovers from Roasted Chicken.
How to Make Chicken Flautas Step by Step
Make the filling: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add in 1/2 diced onion, 1 large (or 2 small) finely chopped jalapeño peppers, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp chili powder, and 1 tsp cumin. Sauté for a few minutes until softened. Stir in 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken, 1/2 cup salsa, and the juice of half a lime. Remove from heat.
Heat the tortillas: Warm 10-12 corn tortillas by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 1 minute.
Roll the flautas: Place 2 tbsp of filling in the center of each tortilla and sprinkle with monterrey jack cheese (1 1/2 cups total). Place seam side down on a plate.
Fry the flautas: Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place 4 flautas in the pan. Fry seam side down for 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on all sides. Add remaining vegetable oil to the pan as needed to cook the remaining flautas.
My family loves this recipe and it is now a family favorite. Top tier according to my son.
Thanks for sharing your success!