Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas (Taquitos)

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

Baked flautas stuffed with seasoned, shredded chicken, spinach, and cheese are crispy, but don’t have the greasiness of fried versions. To shred poached chicken easily, put it into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium for 45 seconds. Store-bought rotisserie chicken can be substituted for the poached chicken to save time. You might also like Buffalo Chicken Taquitos

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Course: Chicken Recipes

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: baked flautas, baked taquitos

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 10 taquitos

Calories: 169kcal

Author: Lauren Keating

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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.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

Amount Per Serving (1 taquito)

Calories 169 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 47mg16%

Sodium 464mg20%

Potassium 258mg7%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 1019IU20%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 160mg16%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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