These Baked Chicken Flautas topped with a tangy cilantro-lime sauce will satisfy your craving for Mexican food, making them perfect for Cinco de Mayo, your next taco night or anytime you want a fun, Mexican-inspired meal!!
If you are looking for the perfect pairing for these flautas, wait until you taste these grapefruit margaritas - they are super tangy and refreshing!!
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Growing up in California, Mexican or southwestern-inspired dishes were hugely popular and I've always been a big fan! When I lived in Chicago I used to love walking over to Antique Taco, this somewhat trendy little spot in my neighborhood. It's a super casual place with some really unusual tacos and super tasty rosemary-infused margaritas.
Crispy flautas are one of my favorite Mexican dishes, however, I'm not a huge fan of fried food, so this version is baked to crispy perfection and then topped with my favorite Cilantro Lime Sauce.
Contents:
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Spicy Mexican Chicken - I recommend making this in advance. You'll need some boneless skinless chicken breasts, a couple of garlic cloves, a yellow onion, a can of beer, a bit of fresh lime juice, and a handful of dried spices - cilantro, ground cumin, ground chipotle.
- Greek yogurt: I recommend using low-fat yogurt for the best taste and texture.
- Jalapeno: This gives the cilantro lime sauce an extra kick.
- Fresh lime juice: You only need a small amount, the juice from less than half a lime.
- Fresh cilantro: While the chicken calls for dried cilantro, fresh will give you the best results in the cilantro lime sauce.
- Light cream cheese: Since you are heating it, use block cream cheese for the best results.
- Chihuahua cheese: You can find this in most grocery stores. It comes in a block, though it may be easier to find a pre-shredded version. A Mexican blend or mild cheddar can be substituted.
- Flour tortillas: Taco-sized tortillas work best.
- Spices: dried cilantro, sea salt, ground pepper
- Pantry staples: Sugar, olive oil spray
How to make this recipe
I love this dish because it’s really easy to make, which means it’s ideal for a weeknight dinner or a mostly make-ahead party appetizer.
This dish starts with my favorite base for Mexican food, this Spicy Mexican Chicken. It is really easy to make and you can throw what is leftover into quesadillas or even a salad.
Step 1 | Add the chicken, cream cheese, chihuahua cheese and dried cilantro to a large non-stick pan.
Step 2 | Continue cooking the chicken mixture until both cheeses have melted. The mixture will be very thick.
Step 3 | Roll the flautas. Once it's ready you'll add some of the chicken mixture to the center of a tortilla and roll tightly. Place the rolled flautas seam side down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Spray each flauta with a bit of olive oil to help them crisp up and you are ready to bake.
Step 4 | Bake the flautas. Place the prepared sheet of flautas in the oven and bake them for about 15 minutes - until the tortillas turn golden brown.
Serve. Once the tortillas start to turn golden brown, remove the flautas from the oven and let them cool just slightly before serving. Drizzle them with the cilantro lime sauce once they have cooled a bit.
While the flautas are baking you can mix up a margarita or two so everything is ready to go when the flautas come out of the oven!
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS
Getting certain parts of this recipe started ahead of time will cut down your prep time when you are ready to make the flauta.
- Make the Spicy Mexican Chicken during your weekly meal prep session. It will keep for several days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Make the cilantro lime sauce a day or two in advance. Extra time in the refrigerator helps the flavors to meld together.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between flautas and taquitos?
In Spanish, flauta means flute. Technically flautas are made with flour tortillas and taquitos are made with corn tortillas, often making them longer or more flute-like than taquitos. The two names are often used interchangeably.
How do I store leftovers?
You can wrap the cooked flautas in foil or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They are best reheated in a toaster oven or traditional oven at about 280°F.
Recommended Tools
Large baking sheet – Sheet pans are an essential kitchen tool. They are perfect for mixing up things like flour and milk before you add them to the sauce. They also have lids so if you need to store something you don’t need to pull out the plastic wrap, just grab a lid and put the bowl in the refrigerator.
Large non-stick pan – Since you are melting cheese in this mixture, using a non-stick pan makes clean-up much easier.
Olive Oil Sprayer – This is a super handy kitchen tool. I use it to spray oil on things that I want to crisp up when baking or even to just lightly dress a salad.
Serving Suggestions
These make a great appetizer or snack, but if you want to serve them as a main course, I recommend adding chips and guacamole along with your favorite margarita.
More Mexican-Inspired recipes
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Baked Chicken Flautas
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 3 ounces plain greek yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon minced jalapeno
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- pinch of sugar
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
For the flautas:
- 2 cups Spicy Mexican Chicken
- ½ cup light cream cheese
- ¾ cup shredded Chihuahua cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
- 8 taco size flour tortillas
- Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- Make the sauce. Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl. Refrigerate while you prepare the flautas.
- Make the filling. Add the chicken to a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the cheeses and still until both cheeses are melted. Remove from heat and all the cilantro.
- Roll the flautas. Place a tortilla on a large plate or another work surface. Place a few spoonfuls of the chicken in the middle of the tortilla. Roll tightly and place on a baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining chicken and tortillas.
- Bake the flautas. Lightly spray the rolled flautas with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove from the oven and carefully flip them over. Spray the bottom sides lightly with oil and return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until the flautas are lightly browned.
- Serve. Remove from oven and top with Cilantro Lime Sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April 2020. It was updated in May 2023 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom
Both the flautas and Margarita sound great. And Antique Taco sounds like a fun place to go! Glad they inspired this meal!
Melanie Smith
I want to eat these flautas right now. I would love it.
Monica
Baking these instead of frying is such an easier option not to mention healthier! By the way, the sauce . . . amazing!