These are my favorite Mexican treats. They are supper easy to do. Flautas are much like taquitos, except, taquitos are much skinnier and made with smaller corn tortillas and usually have cheese. Flautas are made with larger flour tortillas, and can have more filling in them, because of the larger tortilla used. I bake my flautas, which is much easier and healthy. These are filled with sauteed chicken in a spicy tomato sauce, and then baked until they are crispy.
Yield: Serves 4
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 can tomato paste
1 cup water
20 flour tortillas
Olive Oil
Prepare chicken by cutting up in small pieces. Salt and pepper chicken. Preheat skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and ad chicken to hot skillet. Let the chicken lightly brown on one side before flipping it. Then add the onion and garlic. Add salt and saute until tender. Then add all spices and tomato paste. Add water and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat until a very thick sauce has formed.
Then you can start to make your flautas. Take one flour tortilla on a plate and place some of the chicken mixture in a line on the tortilla. Then tightly roll the tortilla and secure with a toothpick. Repeat this with all the rest of the tortillas. The flautas should be about the thickness of a large cigar, maybe a bit bigger. You can place the flautas on a nonstick back sheet and bake at 450 degrees, until crispy. Serve with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and beans and rice.