Easy Chicken Flautas {Rolled Tacos}

Quick Summary

Flautas- these crispy rolled up tacos are filled with chicken and cheese and easy to make at home! Bake, fry, or pop them in the air-fryer for perfect, crispy flautas every time.

What is a Flauta?

If you haven’t had a flauta before, it’s time! Flautas are basically rolled up, crispy tacos. Tortillas are filled with meat and cheese and fried to perfection. Serve as an appetizer or main dish, and dip them into guacamole, sour cream, and salsa!

And if you are wondering if there is a difference between flautas and taquitos, the answer is yes. Flautas are made with flour tortillas while taquitos are made with corn tortillas. But they are very similar and if you want to switch up the tortillas and make these with corn tortillas, go for it!

I think you are going to love these easy, cheesy Chicken Flautas. My boys LOVE homemade flautas, we make them all of the time.

Flauta Fillings

Since there’s just a little bit of filling in each flauta, we make the seasonings count and each one is filled with lots of flavor. We fill the chicken flautas with:

Onion
Jalapeño
Shredded cooked chicken (we like to use rotisserie chicken to keep things easy)
Green Chiles
Fresh lime juice
Shredded cheese (use Mexican blend, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Pepper Jack)
Seasonings (ground cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and paprika)

And if you don’t want to make chicken flautas, feel free to use shredded beef or pork instead!

How to Make Flautas

First, cook the onion and jalapeño in a little bit of olive oil until softened.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked onion, jalapeño, chicken, seasonings, green chiles, and lime juice. Stir in the shredded cheese.
Use the freshest tortillas you can find, so they don’t tear. I also recommend heating them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds so they are pliable.
Place a flour tortilla on a flat surface. Add about 3 tablespoons of the filling to the bottom third of each tortilla then tightly roll up tortillas and place seam side down on the wire rack. Continue rolling until you are out of filling.

Bake, Fry, or Air Fry!

If you’ve had flautas in a restaurant before, chances are they were deep fried. This is absolutely delicious, but it isn’t the only option! Baking and air frying are both easy ways to cook crispy, perfect flautas.

Baked flautas: Place them on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet! Spray generously with oil. Bake in a hot oven until they get nice and crispy. I like this method because it is a healthier option and you can make a big pan of flautas. If you want them extra crispy, you can broil them for a minute or two but watch them closely!
Frying flautas: Heat canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet and use tongs to place the flautas one by one in the hot oil. Set them on a paper towel-lined plate after cooking!
Air fryer flautas: Spray each flauta with oil and make sure they aren’t touching in the basket. Cook the flautas for about 7 minutes, rotating them halfway through! You will have to make them in batches.

Flauta Toppings

Toppings make flautas fun for everyone! I love putting as many options as possible out so that everyone can personalize their plate. Some of the things I’d consider putting on the table:

What to Serve with Flautas

Flautas make a great appetizer for parties, but they can be a main dish too. If we are serving them as a main dish, I love to serve a few side dishes to make it a full meal. Here are a few of our favorites!

How to Store

Store any leftover flautas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, in a hot pan on the stovetop for a few minutes, or in the air fryer. You can also heat them up in the oven.

You can also freeze flautas. Let them cool completely. Store in a freezer container or bag for up to 3 months.

Taco Recipes You Might Like:

Main Dishes

Flautas

Flautas- these crispy rolled up tacos are filled with chicken and cheese and easy to make at home! Bake, fry, or pop them in the air-fryer for perfect, crispy flautas every time.

For the flautas:

1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 cups shredded chicken, we use rotisserie chicken
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 oz mild green chiles
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
12 flour tortillas

To bake the flautas in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeno. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked onion, jalapeno, shredded cooked chicken, cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, paprika, green chiles, and lime juice. Stir in the shredded cheese.
Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds so they are pliable. Place a flour tortilla on a flat surface. Add about 3 tablespoons of the filling to the bottom third of each tortilla then tightly roll up tortillas and place seam side down on the wire rack. Continue rolling until you are out of filling.
Make sure the flautas are in a single layer on the wire rack and that they are not touching. Spray generously with cooking oil or brush with oil. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until flautas are golden brown and crisp. If you want them extra crispy, you can broil them briefly, but watch them closely.

To fry the flautas:
Fill a large pot with canola or vegetable oil, enough to reach about 2-inches up the side of the pan. Heat over medium heat until the temperature reaches 375 degrees F. Use tongs to carefully place the flautas in the hot oil, holding until firm. Release and cook until golden brown about 2 minutes. You can probably cook 4 flautas at a time. When golden brown, remove from the oil and place on plate that has been lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with a little salt. To keep the flautas warm, place on a large baking sheet and place in a 200 degrees F oven.
To air fry the flautas:
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Spray the flautas generously with cooking oil or brush with oil. Working in batches, place seam side down in the air fryer basket, making sure the flautas aren’t touching and the basket isn’t crowded. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the flautas are nice and crispy. To keep the flautas warm, place on a large baking sheet and place in a 200 degrees F oven.
If you use smaller flour tortillas, use less filling and you will end up with more flautas.

Calories: 221kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 519mg, Potassium: 105mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 401IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 243mg, Iron: 1mg