One of my favorite meals my mom would cook was flautas (flutes in English). They are rolled up tortillas filled with chicken, fried to a crisp and topped with any salsa you may have at hand. Coming from a family of 7, it was an easy way for her to repurpose any left over proteins. I make flautas with chicken breast. It’s leaner and much easier to shred, but unfortunately can dry out once it hits the frying pan. Which is why I am about to give you my secret on how I keep chicken flautas moist and delicious by using potato. If frying is not an option for your health, an air fryer works just as well.. if not better! And you can sub the butter for cooking spray!
Ingredients:
3 chicken breast
Half an onion
Three cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
4 boiled and peeled potatoes
Half an onion, diced
Large tomato diced
2 Tbs butter
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
Salt
24-30 corn tortillas
Salsa Roja:
Three tomatoes
Half an onion
6-12 or more árbol chiles
2 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp of oregano
3 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pico de Aguacate: 2 avocados diced
3 Roma tomatoes diced
3 green onions sliced
Juice of one lime
I/2 cup of chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Mexican table sour cream
queso fresco (optional)
In a large pot place chicken, onion, garlic and salt and pepper and enough water to cover. Bring to a slow boil and cook chicken until tender. The slower you cook it, the more tender it will be. In a time crunch?, use an insta pot. In meantime, make your salsa roja by boiling tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chiles for 10 minutes. Add the boiled ingredients to a blender with vinegar, salt and oregano along with a bit of the water the tomatoes were boiling in. Blend until smooth.
To finish filling, melt butter in sauce pan and sauté onion and tomatoes for a few minutes and set aside. In a large bowl, mash the peeled, cooked potatoes. Add chicken breasts as you shred them into the bowl. Add sautéed onions and tomatoes and seasonings. Combine ingredients until it looks like a doughy mixture.
Taste and adjust for salt
Using 4-5 at a time, wrap tortillas in a generously moist cheesecloth and microwave for one minute. This will soften the tortilla as well as make them a bit sticky, so when you fill and roll the edges they naturally adhere and there’s no need for toothpicks. Place about 3-4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the side of tortilla that has the tougher, bubbly looking texture. Roll it up and gently press the body of the tortilla. This technique of pressing creates a flatter flauta, making it easier to fry with one turn and use less oil (see photo). Continue this process until all tortillas are rolled up and ready for the fryer. At this point you can either fry them up now, or store in an airtight container with a moist paper towel placed on top and refrigerate them until you’re ready to use that evening.
With about an inch deep of oil in a fry-pan on medium-high heat, place 4-5 flautas and fry them about 2-3 minutes each side or until a light brown. Place them on a rack to drain and allow them cool. If you’re making these ahead of time, you can keep them warm in the oven in a low setting. And if you’re using an airfryer, same concept of letting them cool on a rack and keep them warm in the oven until you’re done air frying each batch.
For the pico de aguacate, combine all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.
For assembly, on a plate add a couple spoonfuls of the salsa. Add flautas, pour sour cream and top with pico and crumbled cheese. Enjoy!
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