This meal is start to finish on the table in 30 minutes!
Who doesn’t like Taco Night? I know tacos are always a dinner favourite in this house, so I think you’re really going to love this Mexican-inspired dish. Flautas are rolled-up tortillas (hence the name, which means ‘flute’ in Spanish) that are baked or fried to golden perfection. I filled my flour tortillas with spiced black beans, ground chicken, poblano peppers, Monterey Jack cheese and cilantro. Served on the side is a homemade salsa and spicy crema! Buen Provecho!
Here is what you need!
- 1 Onion – minced very finely
- 1 Bunch of cilantro – dice up stems finely and reserve leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic – minced or rasped
- 1 Lime sliced in half
- 2 Tomatoes diced
- 1 Poblano pepper seeded and diced
- 1 can / 540ml Black beans
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream thinned out with 1 Tbls of water
- 1 cup Monterey Jack shredded
- 8 flour tortillas (medium sized)
- 1 pkg of Old El Paso chicken taco seasoning OR do what I do and just toss a bunch of seasonings into the mix like garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, onion, paprika, dried ancho, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, chili, Cayenne pepper etc…
Preheat your oven to 450 or 425 if using convection bake. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with some oil (this will make the flautas crunchy, I used garlic oil)
1. In a medium fry pan add 1 tsp of oil and then the ground chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add in 1 garlic clove minced and 1/2 of the onion cook until translucent and season with S&P.
2. In a separate bowl add drained and rinsed black beans, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 of the onion, cilantro stems, cheese, 3/4 of the diced poblano pepper and seasoning mix. Once cooked chicken is cool enough to touch add it to this mixture and mush together with your hands. My favourite part! 😉 Taste and check for seasonings… make this your own. Add more garlic or salt, cumin, chili powder anything! This is your dinner… a recipe is just a guideline remember!
3. Now it’s flauta time! Lay out of the eight tortillas on your counter divide the chicken and black bean mixture evenly on the eight tortillas. I put the mixture about a third of the way down onto the tortilla and then I rolled them up like giant cigars. Once rolled up put them on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper brush the tops with oil this will make them crispy and pop these bad boys into your preheated oven for 15 minutes.
4. Now that these flautas are in the oven getting bubbly and crispy now it’s time to make your sides, so take your diced tomato, the rest of the onion the rest of the poblano and put it in a bowl season with salt and pepper and squeeze in half of the lime. Add in cilantro leaves and voila salsa done. The Crema is just as easy. Either use Mexican crema or take your sour cream put it in a bowl add a tablespoon of water use the rest of the lime juice from the other half of the lime and add a squeeze of Sriracha. Done.
5. Pour a glass of wine, or make a margarita and relish in the fact that your dinner is almost ready.
6. Take the flautas out of the oven and slice in half… they will be crispy on the outside and melty and delicious on the inside 🤤 serve with your homemade salsa, crema and I served mine with a side salad.
Buen Provecho!
For The Love Of Food 