Enjoy easy air fryer chicken flautas with less oil and the same flavor! This is a kid-friendly dinner that everyone will love.
Air Fryer Flautas
If you’ve ever wondered how to make flautas in an air fryer, you’ll get great results! Traditionally fried until crispy and golden, flautas are essentially rolled tacos filled with flavorful ingredients and served with homemade guacamole or tangy sour cream. My Lighter Air Fryer Flautas don’t use a fryer, but instead use an air fryer, giving them an irresistible crunch with much less oil. Looking for more easy air fryer recipes? Try the Chicken Chimichanga, another family favorite.
Why I Love Making Flautas in the Air Fryer
I love flautas, but never order them because they’re fried. This easy air fryer version is much healthier. Made with shredded chicken, warm spices, and melty cheese, it’s golden and crispy in just minutes! Additionally, cooking flautas in an air fryer makes the tortillas crispier than if you bake them in the oven. Perfect for weeknights, game nights, or meal prep, this recipe is perfect for kids but packs enough flavor to keep adults happy, too.
- Healthier than fried foods: Air fryers require much less oil.
- Child Friendly: My daughter loves them!
- Easy cleanup: Lining your air fryer with parchment paper makes cleaning easier.
- Dietary Restrictions: Good for weight management, gluten-free (if using GF tortillas), high in protein
What is flauta?
Flautas are fried tacos filled with meat and cheese. They are very similar to taquitos, but the biggest difference is the type of tortilla used. Flautas typically use flour tortillas, while taquitos use smaller corn tortillas. But you can choose whatever you want. I often use flour tortillas because they are elastic and easy to handle.
materials needed
The ingredients for the air fryer flauta recipe are as follows. See recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Chopped Chicken: Save time by using store-bought rotisserie chicken or air frying chicken breasts at home. There is also a method for grilling chicken breast.
- lime juice for brightness
- garlic For a rich and savory taste
- cumin Because there is smoke
- Gently diced green pepper: Drain the liquid to prevent the filling from becoming too thin.
- Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese It melts when you cook the flauta and helps keep everything together.
- flour tortilla Cooked perfectly in the air fryer, the flauta will have a crispy skin.
- Olive oil spray: Spraying the air fryer basket will help prevent the tortillas from sticking, and spraying the top of the flauta will help them become crispy and golden brown.
How to Air Fry Flautas (Step by Step)
To get dinner on the table faster, you can prepare the chicken mixture the day before. See recipe card below for printable instructions.
- To make the flauta filling: Combine chicken, lime juice, cumin, drained peppers, and cheese.
- Roll the flauta: Place chicken mixture in bottom third of tortilla. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Air Fry Flautas: Place the flautas in a single layer in the basket and air fry at 400°F for 8 to 9 minutes or until golden brown. Flip halfway through.
Tips for Perfectly Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Flautas
- Don’t fill it too much This prevents the filling from leaking out and keeps the flauta rolled.
- Spray lightly Using oil makes them brown and crispy.
- Cook in batches for best results. To make flautas crispy, you need space for hot air to circulate between the air fryers. So, arrange everything in one row and don’t overcrowd the basket.
Time Saving Tips
Place the chicken breasts in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and quickly shred. Let the machine do the work for you!
Do you have an air fryer? are you okay!
Bake the flautas on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 400°F for 15 minutes.
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- Change your protein Use pork carnitas or leftover taco meat instead.
- Vegetarian Flute: Replace the chicken with rinsed and drained canned black beans.
- Enhance Flavor: Add other spices such as chili powder or onion powder.
- Make it spicy: Use hot green chiles, add chopped jalapenos to the filling, or serve with hot sauce or spicy salsa.
- Cheese Options: Swap pepper jack for Monterey jack or cheddar cheese.
- Gluten Free Flautas: Substitute with corn tortillas or your favorite gluten-free tortillas.
Storing and reheating flautas
Here are the best ways to refrigerate, freeze, and reheat flautas.
- Store refrigerated for up to 4 days.Then reheat in the oven at 350°F for 7 to 9 minutes or in the air fryer for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Freeze raw flautas: Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flash freeze to prevent them from sticking together. Then, place it in an airtight container or ziplock bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Flautas fried in frozen air: After cooking, allow the chicken flautas to cool completely and then follow the freezing instructions above.
If you’re in a hurry, you can reheat them in the microwave, but the tortillas will become softer and more soggy, so I highly recommend using an air fryer or oven.
- To reheat in the air fryer: Preheat product to 400°F for 3 minutes. Air fry frozen flautas, turning halfway through, for 11 to 12 minutes.
- Reheat in the oven: Preheat to 400°F. Place frozen flautas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until heated through.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
For more dinner ideas using the air fryer, check out: five delicious An air fryer chicken recipe to inspire your next meal!
For more air fryer recipes, check out my two cookbooks for my favorite appliance: The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook and Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners!
produce: night soil
Serving Size: 2 flute
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Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine chicken, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and drained peppers and mix well. Add cheese.
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Place one tortilla on a clean work surface. Add about 1/3 of the stacking cup to the bottom third of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up from the bottom, surrounding the filling, and place seam side down on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas.
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Spray olive oil into the air fryer basket. Working in batches, arrange the flautas in a single layer in the air fryer basket, seam side down. Drizzle the top with olive oil and cook the flautas at 400˚F until golden brown, 8 to 9 minutes, turning halfway through.
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To serve: Place 2 flautas on a plate and top with pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and fresh cilantro, if desired.
Final step:
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Do you have an air fryer? Bake the flautas on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 400°F for 15 minutes.
clothing material: 2 flute, calorie: 357 calorie, carbohydrate: 35 g, protein: 27.5 g, province: 11.5 g, Saturated Fat: 4.5 g, Cholesterol: 68 mg, sodium: 778.5 mg, fiber: 0.5 g, sugar: 3 g
