The ultra-crispy baked chicken flautas have fewer calories AND are easier to make than traditional versions. This recipe is a crowd favorite and has been pinned over a million times!
You guys, these baked taquitos are so good. SO. GOOD.
They’re really well seasoned (not spicy at all, but definitely not bland either). And baking them at a high temperature leaves them nice and crispy without any greasiness.
I even managed to sneak some vegetables into them.
You should make them ASAP.
I was worried that the flautas wouldn’t be filling enough on their own, so I served them with some refried beans. They ended up not really needing the beans, but it was a nice touch to round out the meal.
Taquitos? Flautas? What are these things called?
Taquitos and Flautas are deep fried tortillas wrapped around savory fillings.
Traditionally, taquitos are made with corn tortillas, while flautas are made with flour tortillas.
Since I used flour tortillas in this recipes, these are technically baked chicken flautas. However, the two works are often used interchangably and most people simply refer to both versions as taquitos.
Whatever you call them, they’re delicious!
The secrets to making healthier taquitos
I use a few tricks to keeping these delicious flautas on the lighter side.
- Bake instead of fry. Baking these taquitos uses less oil than frying, cutting both calories and fat. You can be them in a regular oven, like I did when I started making them, or in an air fryer.
- Cut the tortillas in half. Cutting the tortillas in half before you roll the filling up helps cut way back on calories and carbs! You’ll never miss that other half. Be sure to watch the video to see my rolling technique.
- Poach the chicken. You can make these flautas with chicken breasts or thighs. Whichever you use, poaching them will keep them extra juicy, for that perfect soft and creamy flauta filling.
What to serve with chicken flautas:
I love serving these chicken taquitos with Mexican rice or refried beans. They’re also great served on the side of a steamy bowl of tortilla soup.
More baked taquito ideas:
If you love baked taquitos, be sure to also try my:
- Baked Chicken and Hummus Flautas
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
- Baked Vegetable Taquitos
- Baked Breakfast Taquitos
You’ll also love my collection of healthy Mexican food recipes.
Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless Chicken Thighs (about 4)
- 16 ounces Beer or chicken broth
- 2 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper minced
- 3 cups Baby Spinach chopped
- 5 burrito-size Flour Tortillas 9 inches
- 6 ounces Quesadilla cheese or other soft cheese like Monterey jack shredded
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil or cooking spray
- Salsa for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
- Put the chicken thighs in a deep sided saute pan and cover with the beer and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it. Mix together the chicken and seasonings.
- Pour out all but 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the jalapeno and spinach and cook over low heat until for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.
- Cut the tortillas in half. Spoon 1/10th of the chicken (about 1 tablespoon) along the long edge of a tortilla. Repeat with the spinach and cheese. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the straight edge. Place seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Brush the flautas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for until 10 minutes, or until crispy. Serve with salsa.
WOW super yummy! Love the spicey kick of it all! would deff. do again and again 🙂
What a great idea to cut the tortillas!! The tortillas always have the bulk of the calories when I make these at home and I never could figure it out lol. Thanks!!
I’m making these now but have changed it up in the name of time & available resources! I’m using store bought rotisserie chicken and have added dry cilantro, dried onion, fresh lime juice in the cooking process & using frozen spinach instead of fresh. I’ve cooked it in beer (Mich Golden Light)until pretty much all of the liquid has evaporated. I’m also using Monteray Jack cheese. Adding Pico & sour cream for variety when they come out. As sides I’m making Zataran’s black beans & rice and refried beans. Looking forward to the outcome…smells good so far!
Flautas are the best! I can’t wait to try your version – I like the freeze them and give them to the boyfriend when he’s away for school – he loves them!
I made these yesterday…yummyyyy! I topped them with lettuce, tomatoe and a sauce made of sour cream, jalapeño and onions…
Made these tonight… delicious! Thank you for this recipe. This is something you could definitely make for company!
I made this tonight. SO GOOD!!! I kept looking at the pan because I wanted more but had to control myself. My 6 year old ate four – said he loved them. The seasoning is awesome. I may need to have a Mexican themed party soon….
Just wanted to let you know that we made these a few weeks ago with some left over chicken that we cooked in the smoker. They were delicious – the smoky chicken really added to the dish. This recipe is going into the rotation. 🙂
smoked chicken sounds divine in these! I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to bring our smoker out!
Fiber content?
Click the L on the nutrition information panel and it will expand to show a detailed breakdown of everything.
I made these last night and they were a hit! Thank you! I did add some refried beans to the flauta and thought it helped bind them while baking. I will make again.