Baked Chicken Flautas

Crispy, spicy, and packed with flavor, these baked chicken flautas are a healthier spin on a classic Mexican dish. 

What are flautas? 

Flautas are made by wrapping a filling (such as shredded chicken or beef) in a flour tortilla and then deep frying it to a crispy perfection. 

I’ve often seen the terms “flautas” and “taquitos” used interchangeably.

While both involve wrapping a filling in a tortilla and deep frying, the main difference is that flautas are typically made with flour tortillas while taquitos are made with corn tortillas. 

Now, all the flautas I’ve had in the past have been made with small taco-sized tortillas.

However, in many cases flautas are actually much bigger, made with burrito-size tortillas for a meal; whereas taquitos are usually smaller and served as an appetizer.

These baked chicken flautas are on the smaller side as I like how quickly they cook up. Plus, they can be served as either a meal or as an appetizer. 

As we’re baking them instead of frying, these flautas are lower in calories and saturated fat, but they are not authentic.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious though! They’re still packed with all the flavors you’d expect and have a nice crisp. 

Tips for making this recipe 

• These flautas are on the spicier side. To reduce the heat, use only one chipotle pepper in adobo and make sure the enchilada sauce that you use is mild. 
• While delicious the next day, the tortillas do get softer and lose their crunch the longer they sit. 
• You can also use corn tortillas, which do crisp up more than flour tortillas and are generally lower in carbs and calories. 
• Feel free to use a different filling than shredded chicken. For example, you can use ground chicken or turkey, shredded beef, or shredded jackfruit for a vegetarian option. 
• To save time, buy a rotisserie chicken rather than cooking and shredding your own. 
• To make this a complete meal, serve with a side salad or roasted vegetables. 

How to save leftover chipotles and enchilada sauce 

If you don’t feel like making a double batch of these baked chicken flautas, then you’ll likely have leftover enchilada sauce and chipotle peppers in adobo. Luckily, both can be stored for later use. 

Both the chipotles and enchilada sauce can be frozen in ice cube trays, or another small freezer-safe container, for up to 4 months. When ready to use, simply thaw them overnight in the fridge or pop them straight into a saucepan or slow cooker. 

For the chipotle peppers, I recommend chopping them before freezing to make them easier to use later.