These homemade authentic Flautas are filled with savoury chicken, all wrapped up in flour tortillas and baked to crispy perfection. 

A plate with 7 chicken flautas topped with avocado, lettuce, pickled onions and radishes.
Flautas Mexicanas that everyone will love!

Mexican Flautas Recipe

I am so excited to introduce you to this baked chicken flautas recipe!  This easy Mexican dish uses pantry friendly ingredients to deliver an explosion of flavors and textures in each and every bite! 

In additional to making the flautas, you’ll need a few toppings like lettuce, Mexican pickled onions, guacamole, queso fresco which can be made ahead of time. This means you can make this sensational dinner any night of the week!

It’s the perfect recipe for when you’re short on time and/or short on ingredients but still want a sensational homemade Mexican dish. 

Why you’ll love it!

  • Family friendly: everyone crispy things AND you know your family so you can customize this flauta recipe just how they like it.
  • QUICK and easy: Having already cooked chicken will speed the process and have this dinner ready in less than 30 minutes!
  • Simple ingredients:  this recipe uses easy to find ingredients so you don’t have to make any special trips to a Latin market.
  • Customizable:  swap the chicken for cooked potatoes, chopped shrimp, shredded beef, etc.
  • You can bake them or fry them! Your choice 🙂
A plate with 7 chicken flautas topped with avocado, lettuce, pickled onions and radishes.

Flautas vs Taquitos

Don’t confuse Taquitos and Flautas! They’re similar but are not the same. The difference between these two is the type of tortilla. A taquito is made with corn tortilla while a flauta is made with a flour tortilla. Hence a flauta is larger in size than a taquito!

The fillings & toppings can be the same but it all comes down to the tortilla you use. Flautas’ origin is from the state of Sinaloa where flour tortillas are very popular like most Mexican northern states. This is where the flauta is the most popular too due to this fact. They’re the perfect way to use leftover flour tortillas.

Ingredients

  • Olive oil and butter – the butter gives great flavor to the chicken and adding olive oil to the butter prevents the butter from getting brown and smoky.
  • Chopped onion – White or yellow will work.
  • Chicken – Use a use rotisserie to speed up the process. Plus they taste amazing too!
  • Chipotle pepper – this is optional but it’s highly recommended!
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper – Grinding the pepper yourself always taste better!
  • The tortillas – Use flour tortillas that are about 6 to 8 inches big and not too thick. If they’re thick they will not crisp as well.
The ingredients for this recipe on a blue board.

Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

How To Make Flautas

  1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Cooking onions in butter in a gray skillet.

2. Lower heat to medium. Add the shredded chicken, chipotle pepper, salt and black pepper. Combine all ingredients well.

3. Cook chicken until it has been reheated through. About 5 minutes.

Cooking onions and chicken in butter in a gray skillet.

4. Remove skillet from heat to prevent the chicken from drying out.

5. Add about ⅓ cup of chicken to a tortilla and roll tightly to prevent from filling coming out at the ends.6 6″ flour tortillas

6. Place the tortilla’s seem down on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Repeat till all the wrappers are made.

Filling a flour tortilla with shredded chicken.

How to Bake

  • Preheat oven at 395 degrees F. Bake on cooling rack (over the baking sheet) for 10 to 12 minutes turning once at halfway point.
  • Note: Make sure flautas are not touching so that the hot air circulates and crisps all sides evenly.

How to Fry

  • Heat enough oil in a deep stock pot/Dutch oven or skillet to reach ½ inch up the sides. Heat to 350 degrees F.
  • Fry flautas, 3 at a time, until golden brown, turning a few times while frying. Drain on paper towels.

Serve & Enjoy!

Here are some of the optional toppings for ultimate flavor:

What to serve with flautas

Serve flautas for lunch, dinner or even as an appetizer! Either way I guarantee they’ll be hit. Here are some recipe pairing ideas for ultimate flavors:

A plate with 7 chicken flautas topped with avocado, lettuce, pickled onions and radishes.


How to Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerate – Refrigerate a batch in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze – Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container or freezer bags for up to 3 months.
  • To Thaw – Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

FAQs

Why are they called flautas?

Their look is long & skinny and their shapes resembles a flute which is flauta in Spanish.

What is the difference between chimichangas and flautas?

A flauta is a rolled taco made with flour tortilla then lightly fried or baked until crispy. Flautas originated in Mexico. While a chimichanga is a deep-fried large burrito that was originated in the United States and is very common in Tex-Mex and other Southwestern U.S. cuisine.

Where do flautas originate?

They originated in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico and gained popularity throughout Mexico. Specially in the northern states.

A plate with 7 chicken flautas topped with avocado, lettuce, pickled onions and radishes.
A plate with 7 chicken flautas topped with avocado, lettuce, pickled onions and radishes.

Flautas De Pollo (Chicken Flautas)

Servings 3 to 4 people
Ana Frias
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
These homemade authentic Flautas are filled with savoury chicken, all wrapped up in flour tortillas and baked to crispy perfection. 

Equipment

  • 1 medium non stick skillet
  • 1 medium baking tray with a cooling rack.
3 to 4 people

Ingredients  

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken use rotisserie for an easy recipe
  • 1 chipotle pepper chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 6 6" flour tortillas

Instructions 

Make the chicken filling

  • In a medium skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
    1 Tbsp olive oil, divided, 2 Tbsp butter, ½ cup chopped onion
  • Lower heat to medium. Add the shredded chicken, chipotle pepper, salt and black pepper. Combine all ingredients well.
    3 cups cooked shredded chicken, 1 chipotle pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • Cook chicken until it has been reheated through. About 5 minutes.
  • Remove skillet from heat to prevent the chicken from drying out.
  • Add about ⅓ cup of chicken to a tortilla and roll tightly to prevent from filling coming out at the ends.
    6 6" flour tortillas
  • Place the tortilla's seem down on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Repeat till all the wrappers are made.

Baked Flautas

  • Preheat oven at 395 degrees F. Bake on cooling rack (over the baking sheet) for 10 to 12 minutes turning once at halfway point.
  • Note: Make sure flautas are not touching so that the hot air circulates and crisps all sides evenly.

Fried Flautas

  • Heat enough oil in a deep stock pot/Dutch oven or skillet to reach ½ inch up the sides. Heat to 350 degrees F.
  • Fry flautas, 3 at a time, until golden brown, turning a few times while frying. Drain on paper towels.

Muy Delish Notes:

Refrigerate – Refrigerate a batch in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
Freeze – Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container or freezer bags for up to 3 months.

Add Your Own Private Notes

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1flauta | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




5 Comments

  1. Hello! How to bake the flautist if I don’t have a cooling rack to use in the oven? Could I bake them directly on the baking sheet pan?

  2. 5 stars
    I am making flautas tonight for our supper. I like them fried and we use salsa and sour cream in with the chicken a bit. I’m newly living in Abilene Texas and flautas is not on menus other than 2 places. Both have been in corn tortillas and baked… Very plain as well. I thought I would be in flautas heaven here but apparently I’ll have to make my own still lol love knowing where they originated and a more traditional recipe. I had begun to wonder if it was corn shells traditionally and I just had never had a real authentic Mexican flautas lol I definitely don’t like the corn shells much anyways. Not sure why it’s so different and hard to find here.

  3. 5 stars
    Delicious flautas without all the fat! Better baked than fried in tons of oil. Thanks for the recipe!