Baked Creamy Chicken Flautas
Flautas are the flour tortilla cousin of Taquitos and I personally love them. They are a little bigger, a little easier to make, and who doesn’t love that flour tortilla taste? They are usually fried but I HATE frying things, the mess of the oil, the smell that hangs around, and generally not being the best for your body. I have made something like these for years, they are great to make for a crowd, kids love them, and I can customize them. I love that I can make these for my kids and know they are getting something delicious, fun, and can make with ingredients we love. Dairy free cream cheese make these just as creamy and wonderful as the regular dairy cream cheese for my little one. Want them vegan? Swap chicken for black beans. Low carb? Use those low carb tortillas and maybe add some shredded cheese to the mix. Paleo? Use some grain-free tortillas and nut based cream cheese. I also like making a big batch and then freezing some for those times I just really do not want to cook. Any way you make them, you will love them.
Baked Creamy Chicken Flautas
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (vegan option - 4 cups black beans)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 can (7oz) diced green chiles
3 green onions, about 1/4 cup, sliced
1 cup corn
1 bell pepper, diced
16 oz cream cheese, dairy free if using
20-22 flour tortillas (gluten free, grain-free, or low carb options)
Avocado Oil spray
- Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a large baking sheet with oil.
- In a large bowl combine: chicken, taco seasoning, chiles, green onions, corn, peppers, and cream cheese. Adjust seasonings if needed.
- Place a tortilla down and scoop about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla, roll and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Continue until all the tortillas and filling is used. Spray the tops with more oil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned and crispy.
To Freeze
Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the flautas and place seam side down. Once all rolled, freeze them on the baking sheet for about an hour. Then place them in a freezer bag. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until the center is warmed through.
Look at all those beautiful ingredients that are in these flautas. You can change them up with what you have around the house. Black beans are a great chicken substitute if you are making these vegan.
I like to mix up the chicken and other stuff before adding the cream cheese but you can also just mix it all together. A stand mixer would also work great, you could shred the chicken in there and then add all the other stuff for a one bowl prep!
Doesn’t look like much but it is a flavor bomb!
I used my 1/4 cup measure to get the same amount in each tortilla. Just squeeze and roll. Make sure the seam is down on the baking sheet so they stay together.
If your tortillas aren't fresh or are hard to handle, wrap in a damp paper towel and pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds.
If you want to freeze these, just prep them the same way, just do not spray with oil. You freeze them on the baking sheet for a bit and then transfer to a bag. This way they stay together and won’t stick in the bag, making it easy to pull out a couple for dinner when a craving strikes
I love that these are baked, they get just as crispy without the frying. I try to avoid frying as much as possible, it’s a mess!
