Chicken Flautas

One more day on my Mexican kick please! You can’t even believe how easy this recipe is. At least I couldn’t believe it. I remember eating flautas in high school. Like begging and begging my mom to buy them at Costco, and then once she had given in to our pleas, my brother and I would heat them up and gobble down the slightly soggy, sad little flautas for our after school snack.

Well, now I eat a far more fresh, delicious and grown up version at our neighborhood Oaxacan restaurant and they are a favorite of mine and of my kids. I feel like they are crispy little cigars of deliciousness! And certainly perfect finger food for game day, right??

But the fact that there are only a couple ingredients in the recipe is AMAZING! I also love that you could prep the chicken the day before and then have to do nothing but roll the chicken in tortillas and fry them before you want to serve them.

We had these earlier in the week, but they were so popular (and happened to fit Pia’s allergy list) so they made another premier during our Grammy Red Carpet Gaping. There is nothing like eating deep fried food while watching Taylor Swift in that size nothing gorgeous metallic gown and Beyonce in that fishnet leotard. WOWZA!!!! Anyways….

I would like to point out that these are dairy free unless you ADD dairy to the top (queso fresco or sour cream).

I have to admit that this week will really have an emphasis on the impending superbowl, Snacks, Sweets and lots of easy finger food! Plus I will do a roundup of Superbowl recipes (including all of the best of past years.) So get ready for lots of delicious moments this week!!

For the Creamy Spicy Avocado Sauce:
Combine the ingredients in the jar of a blender and puree until it is really smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt. Chill until ready to use.

For the Flautas:
Fill a large pot with salted water and add the chicken breasts. Boil the chicken breasts until they are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool until you can handle it comfortably. Remove the skin and bones and shred the meat with a fork. Set it aside and use the chicken broth for something else.

Now roll 2 tablespoons of chicken into a corn tortilla until it is a tight “cigar”. Use a toothpick to secure the cigar.

When they are all rolled up, prepare the oil.

In a large heavy skillet, heat ¼ inch of oil over medium heat. Add the flautas 4-5 at a time and cook them until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides, turning them as they cook. Continue to cook the rest of the flautas, adding more oil as needed.

That’s it!

Serve the flautas hot on a platter with a bowl of avocado sauce for dipping, or over a bed of shredded lettuce with cotija, salsa and sour cream and the avocado sauce over the top.