Mexican Chicken Flautas

Flautas are crisp yet chewy and pack full of gooey cheese and tender chicken. Serve 'em up with a dip sauce or two and you've got a fiesta! 

Mexican Chicken Flautas

Ingredients

• 8 cups pulled chicken (about 1 whole rotisserie chicken)
• 8oz pepper jack cheese, shredded 
• 1 small onion, diced and sauteed 
• 4 tbsp salsa
• 12 5-6in flour tortillas
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 quart canola oil 

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, onion, and salsa. Spoon about 1/3 cup of filling onto each tortilla. Fold the tortilla over and roll tightly around the filling. Secure with a toothpick.

Add the avocados, sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill the avocado crema until ready to serve. 

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven uncovered over medium high heat. Drop a toothpick into the oil. If small bubbles form around the toothpick then the oil is ready. Drop 3 to 4 flautas into the oil. Cook for 2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip the flautas and continuing cooking for another 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on papertowels. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in an oven preheated to 200F. Repeat until all flautas are cooked. 

Serve the flautas warm with the avocado crema.

Makes 12

Notes from the Chef

-I'd encourage you to shred the cheese at home; cornstarch is found in prepackaged shredded cheese so it doesn't melt quite as nicely

-The sour cream flavor in the crema is quite bold; if you're not a fan of sour cream, serve the flautas with salsa, guac or hell dunk 'em in some queso