Baked Chicken Flautas make a great heavy hors d’oeuvres or a fun finger food meal. Flavorful chicken on the inside and a crispy shell on the outside, these are sure to please your hungry crowd.
To begin, place 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a saucepan or deep skillet. Pour in 3 cups chicken broth. Bring this to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and pulls apart easily. Drain the liquid from the chicken, reserving 1/3 cup. (Rather than discarding the broth, I recommend storing it in an air tight container in your refrigerator and using it the next day in another recipe.)
Shred the chicken with two forks. I do this right in the pan to avoid dirtying extra dishes.
In a small dish, combine the reserved broth with 1 teaspoon each of smoked paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, chipotle chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon each of fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and onion powder. Pour the mixture over the chicken and stir until it is thoroughly mixed in. I use tongs to do this. Stir in 1/2 cup each of finely shredded Colby and Monterrey Jack cheeses.
Begin preheating your oven to 425 degrees.
Grab a 9-inch tortilla and cut it in half with a knife or kitchen shears. Spoon some of the filling (about 1/4 cup) along the cut edge of the tortilla.
Roll the mixture into the tortilla and place it on a baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat. Depending on how much filling you put in these, your quantity will vary. I made 20 flautas, using 10 tortillas cut in half.
Lightly spritz or brush the outsides with some extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until the flautas are just beginning to turn golden on the edges.
Cool just long enough for them to be handled – about 5 minutes. Serve your flautas warm with guacamole, salsa, or sour cream for dipping.
Enjoy!
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