Did you know that the popular tamale dish in Mexico is more than 8,000 years old? Its name comes from the Indigenous Nahuatl word tamalii that translates to corn dough.
Another interesting fact about Mexican cuisine is that tomatoes were first cultivated by the Aztecs in Mexico.
The plate of nachos you get at every Mexican restaurant was first invented in 1949 by Ignacio “Nacho” Araya. Araya created the nachos from ingredients he found in the kitchen of his restaurant.
Another delicious part of Mexican cuisine is the flauta dish. If you’re interested in preparing a Mexican flautas recipe this guide will help you do it. Keep reading to learn more.
What Are Flautas?
Some people might call this dish taquitos and they wouldn’t be wrong. Flautas are tortillas that are rolled into the shape of a flute and fried until golden brown.
They’re a popular dish and different versions of flautas can be found in restaurants and home kitchens in Mexico. Mexican restaurants around the world include flautas on their menus too.
The many different tipos de flauta or types of flauta dishes are stuffed with different proteins and topped with a variety of veggies and sauces. While flauta dishes follow a similar recipe you can make them your own by adding some of your favorite ingredients.
Where Do Flautas Come From?
If you want to learn how to make delicious and authentic flautas you should also learn more about the origin of this dish. Flautas were first made and popularized in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Since Mexico is relatively close to the United States, Mexican food has made its way into the cuisine there. Other versions of flautas are also made in the U.S. Each region in Mexican has its own version of flautas too, it might be fun to try to recreate a few of those recipes.
Popular Toppings
If you’re looking for recipes for how to make flautas de pollo, the fun part is looking for different combinations of ingredients you can use to top the dish.
The most popular versions include pico de gallo layered on top. Pico de gallo can be made by chopping white onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and adding some salt and lime to taste.
Other toppings might include sour cream, crumbled queso fresco, chopped lettuce, sliced avocados, and salsa verde.
What Goes Inside a Flauta?
While the most popular protein for flautas is chicken you can also make flautas de carne or even vegan flautas. If using chicken, you can cook some chicken breasts or buy a rotisserie chicken and then shred it.
You can use a pressure cooker to cook your chicken or beef for easier shredding. If you’re going the vegan route you can make a potato mash or grill a mix of veggies like zucchini and yellow squash and then shred them for the filling.
Tips for the Tortillas
While the filling and the toppings are crucial to make the perfect flauta recipe, you can’t forget about the tortillas para flautas. The best tortillas for flautas should be made using the right tortilla press.
The Masienda tortilla press makes the perfect tortilla because it’s durable, flexible, and pressing is easy. You won’t have to struggle if you want to make your very own homemade tortillas.
If you’re using tortillas you have saved in the fridge make sure to heat them before filling and rolling so that they don’t crack. A tablespoon of filling is enough to avoid it from spilling out in the fryer. You should also ensure your tortillas are rolled tightly and secured with toothpicks.
How Long Is Cooking Time?
You’ll be happy to hear that making flautas is quick and easy! Once you’ve seasoned and cooked the chicken or veggies you’ll need to assemble the ingredients.
For the classic flauta recipe, you’ll need a cooked and shredded chicken breast corn tortillas, chopped lettuce, sour cream, oil for frying, salsa verde, pico de gallo, and toothpicks.
Once you added a tablespoon of the filling to the tortillas you can roll them tightly and use a toothpick to keep them from coming undone. Fry your flautas in oil on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Make sure to turn them often to brown them evenly.
Once cooked you can top them with your other ingredients and serve. Prep time should take about 15 minutes and frying and assembling should take another 15.
Should You Make Side Dishes?
While flautas can be served as their own meal, some people like to add some side dishes. You can make a salad or make some rice and beans to add to the meal. Mexican rice is typically made using tomato sauce and chicken broth.
You can experiment with different dipping sauces for your flautas if you don’t want to top them with anything. A cilantro garlic sauce, homemade salsa, guacamole, or a spicy chipotle ranch dressing are great choices.
Other Cooking Tips
When cooking the protein or vegetarian options for your flautas, it’s always best to make extra. You can keep frozen chicken in the freezer for a few months. Next time your family wants flautas for dinner you won’t have to worry about cooking the protein.
If you have leftover flautas you can always heat them in the oven for dinner the next day. They’ll stay fresh for up to 4 days in your refrigerator.
Tips to Make Your Next Mexican Flautas Recipe
Hopefully, this guide helped you learn how to make the perfect Mexican flautas recipe. The key is to fry the flautas until golden brown. You can be a bit more creative with how you top and serve the dish.
Did you find this article useful? Make sure you check out some of the other blogs on our site.
