← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless chicken breasts or thighs
• ¼ white onion
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• ½ tsp Dried oregano
• 16 corn tortillas
• 250 ml vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• 2 handfuls shredded lettuce
• 120 ml Mexican crema or sour cream
• 60 g Queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• salsa verde or your favourite salsa, to serve

Method

1. Cover the chicken and onion with water, add the salt and simmer gently for 15–20 min until cooked through (75°C / 165°F). Cool slightly, shred finely and season with the chilli powder, oregano and a little of the broth so it is moist.
2. Warm the tortillas a few at a time, wrapped in a damp tea towel in the microwave for 1 minute, or briefly on a hot pan. They must be soft or they will crack when rolled.
3. Lay a line of chicken along the lower edge of each tortilla and roll up tightly. Secure with a toothpick if they unroll.
4. Heat about 1 cm of oil in a frying pan to 180°C (350°F). Fry the flautas seam-side down first, in batches, for 3–4 min, turning, until deep golden and crisp all over. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. Pull out the toothpicks and serve hot, topped with lettuce, crema, cheese, avocado and salsa.

Tips

• Leftover carnitas, barbacoa or mashed potato with cheese all make great fillings.
• To bake instead, brush with oil and bake at 220°C (425°F) for 15–20 min, turning once.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Mexican Please Rick Bayless