Mexican Flautas or Taquitos, what’s the difference? The basic idea is the same, they’re tacos filled with various ingredients of your choice, rolled like a cigar and then fried. The difference seems to be in name only, from what I can tell. It would appear that Taquitos is the name used is the United States whereas Flautas is what they are called in Colombia and Mexico, to say the least. If you have more information pertaining to the origin of Taquitos, please leave us a comment!
These Flautas de Pollo are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I love making and eating them, and kids love them too!
Buen provecho!
Ingredients
(About 4 servings)
Vegetable oil for frying
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup grated onion
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
12 soft corn tortillas
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 avocado, pitted and sliced (tossed with lime juice and salt)
1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
Salsa, to serve
Directions:
1.Heat the butter in a saucepan add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, tomato paste, cilantro and oregano. Stir and cook for two minutes more.
2. Add the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper, cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
3.Heat the tortillas on a nonstick skillet or oven, then wrap them in aluminum foil to keep them warm.
4.To assemble: spread one tortilla with cream cheese, then top with about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture, roll and secure with a toothpick. Process with the remaining tortillas.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and when oil is hot, place about three to four flautas into the oil, and cook for about 1 minute on each side.
7. Drain the flautas on paper towels. Remove the toothpicks and serve warm with avocado slices, queso fresco and salsa.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I love these – looks like the perfect textures and flavors…”cigars” I would gladly take!
Yum! Reading about these chicken taquitos is making me hungry! Love the combination of flavours!
Erica, I like the cream cheese in this flautas…great textures of crispy and creamy.
Thanks for this tasty recipe and have a great week
Sometimes I notice that a flauta is kinda of small and thin and a taquito is bigger and thicker? Wonder if the size is the difference? Either way I love eating them! Looks delicious.
Oh how this warms me – pure comfort, beautifully spiced and you don’t have to be a kid to love them!
I was going to say the same thing as Kim – I noticed flautas are a lot skinnier in my favorite Mexican restaurant. These look incredibly good – love your filling!
Erica, I made some mini flautas last year and we loved them. Ate them for game day snacks. I like your filling a lot more than mine. Fun to have cream cheese in them.
yum! the crumbled cheese is the perfect final touch!
To add even more confusion, my family thinks of taquitos as being a small tacos made from soft corn tortillas with a filling of carne asada or barbacoa topped with pico de gallo/cabbage/crema. Essentially a street taco.
Call them whatever you like, just give me some! They look delicious, Erica. Pinned it.
We made this recipe for dinner yesterday and my kids loved the filling. Very good. thanks
Thank you everyone for all your comments and feedback!