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Spicy Chicken Flautas

Source of Recipe

From "The Complete Small Plates Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Take a soft flour tortilla, roll it around a savory, spicy filling (here, tender shredded chicken), and fry it until crispy and golden brown, and you have a flauta (Spanish for 'flute'). We cook the chicken directly in the spiced tomato sauce to keep it succulently juicy before shredding it, stirring it back into the sauce, and using it to fill 8-inch flour tortillas. Cutting off one-third of the tortillas ensures that the proportion of filling to crispy exterior is just right; 'gluing' the edge of the tortillas down with a flour-water paste keeps the flautas from spilling their filling everywhere during frying. A creamy avocado sauce is the perfect accompaniment for these oh-so-dunkable bites."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 avocados, halved, pitted, and chopped coarse
â—¦ ½ cup sour cream
â—¦ 6 tablespoons water, divided
â—¦ 5 tablespoons lime juice (3 limes), divided
â—¦ ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
â—¦ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
â—¦ 1 onion, chopped fine
â—¦ 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chili powder
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ ½ teaspoon table salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon pepper
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦ 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
â—¦ 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 12 (8-inch) flour tortillas
â—¦ 1 cup vegetable oil for frying


Recipe

Mash avocados, sour cream, 2 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons cilantro in bowl with potato masher (or fork) until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set avocado sauce aside for serving.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in jalapeños, chili powder, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and bring to simmer. Nestle chicken into sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using two forks. Stir chicken, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice into sauce.

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in bowl. Cut off bottom third of each tortilla (discard or reserve for another use). Wrap tortillas in damp dish towel and microwave until warm and pliable, about 1 minute. Lay 6 warm tortillas on clean counter with trimmed edge facing you. Mound half of chicken filling alongside trimmed edges. Working with one tortilla at a time, roll trimmed edge of tortilla up over filling, then pull back on tortilla to tighten it around filling. Brush remaining exposed tortilla with flour paste, then roll it up tightly around filling. Press on edges firmly to seal; transfer to prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining 6 tortillas and remaining filling.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Line plate with several layers of paper towels. Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet. Heat 1 cup oil in clean 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat to 325 degrees. Place 6 flautas, seam side down, in oil and fry, turning as needed, until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees. Transfer flautas to prepared plate, let drain briefly, then transfer to wire rack and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining flautas. Serve with avocado sauce.

Serves 6 (makes 12 flautas)