Chicken Flautas

I was planning on making taquitos but then felt gipped on filling, so I opted for Flautas! They turned out AMAZING! Corn tortillas are rather finicky so make sure to read through this full post so that you will have a flawless experience!

First things first, let's make sure you have what you need on hand. I have made a list of everything you need!

TORTILLAS

Corn tortillas need to be handled with TLC but will always have a great end result! Once your oil is heated and BEFORE you add the filling to the tortillas, soak the tortillas in the oil for only 2-3 seconds. Make sure the tortilla is submerged. This will help the tortillas not break when you are rolling them. DON'T roll them too tight. You can see in the photo above that they were very loosely wrapped and were put edge side down to seal the flautas. You can also use pre soaked tooth picks to hold everything together. Pre soaked toothpicks help avoid fires. So definitely pre-soak for a few minutes in a bowl of water before cooking with them.

Flour tortillas can be used as well. If you go this route, you will need to use a pre soaked tooth pick to hold things together while you seal the edges. After the edges are sealed together and you're ready to flip the tortilla, you can remove the toothpick and shouldn't need it anymore.

FILLING

Flautas are so versatile. You can make any type of filling that your heart desires! If you are wanting something not as creamy you can try one of the following (I do not have measurements for these mixes so you would need to do it according to taste. The meat amounts would stay equal to two chicken breasts):

• Shredded Beef, green chilis, black beans, cheese, sautéed onions. Maybe a dash of hot sauce, if you're feeling spicy 😉.
• Ground beef, sautéed onion and bell pepper and Jalapeno with some taco seasoning. 
• Shredded beef, cheese, a dash of red enchilada sauce, and some chili powder.

SUGGESTED SIDES

There are a lot of fun sides that would pair beautifully with the Flautas. You can combine side dishes or just pick one! 

• Rice-A-Roni (cilantro lime rice) is so beyond amazing! Its moist and flavorful and fluffy!
• Shredded lettuce with tomato and a wedge of lime. We like plating the flautas on a bed of lettuce and tomato and topping them off with sour cream. Then we include rice or beans with it.
• Rice-A-Roni (Spanish rice) This rice has a small kick to it, so if we choose this rice to go with our Flautas, then I usually do a little side of refried beans to help balance the spice.
• Refried Beans with melted cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top. 
• Guacamole, salsa and taco dips. Its fun to make these with some other finger foods and just dip them in some salsa or guac or both if you're feelin it! My Taco Sauce recipe can be found HERE!
• Corn on the cob with some melted butter, salt and pepper.
• Pico-de-Gallo with a little salad.
• Cowboy Caviar. CLICK HERE for my super delish Cowboy Caviar recipe!

Dinner Time Conversation Starters: Sometimes its hard to have a conversation with our kids or even other adults for that matter. Here are some items you can discuss that go with the theme of the meal and some that are pretty general but definitely conversations worth trying to have!

• What are some things that made you smile today?
• Did you do anything that you felt was really difficult?
• Did you have any meaningful conversations with someone?
• What was something cool that you noticed in nature today?
• Is there anything you are needing help with? 
• Did you know that the worlds largest tamale was made by 80 people and was about 164 feet long! That's roughly the size of three semi trucks lined up. It took 1,000 banana leaves to wrap it up!