My Pantry Shelf

Day by day, our children are taking over our lives with a force that eclipses their small stature.  First was the living room, invading the space with a pulsing tide of toys and other detritus.  Slowly their influence oozed into our music, favoring 90’s grunge rock for no explicable reason.  The most recent conquest was the meal plan.  Though they are both enthusiastic eaters of most dishes I serve, they now each direct the selection of one dinner a week.  What seemed benign at first quickly spiraled into many successive nights of pesto pasta, hamburgers, and spaghetti and meatballs.  My kids, who would eat anything, had a very short list of items they would actually request.  Luckily with some gentle encouragement, they happily incorporated some new meal variations that keep them (and their parents) satisfied.

Baked Chicken Flautas are crispy, crunchy flour tortillas wrapped around a moist, mildly spiced bean and chicken filling.  They hit on all of my children’s favorite notes: finger foods, beans, cheese.  They are tasty enough to appeal to the adult set as well.  Whip up some Chipotle Salsa for a dip to make these flutes really sing.  Feel free to change the filling around.  Not a fan of beans?  Leave them out and increase the chicken.  What to make them vegetarian?  Omit the chicken and add crumbled tofu or corn to the mix.  Really, anything you would throw in a taco can be rolled up in these tortillas and baked.  We ate these for dinner, but they would be great as a party appetizer as well!  So, how about you?  What are the family pleasing meals that grace your table?

Baked Chicken and Bean Flautas

inspired by Healthy Delicious

makes twelve flautas

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup minced white onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 cups cooked pinto beans

1 poblano pepper, roasted, seeded, and cut into strips

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

4 ounces grated cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese

1/2 cup minced cilantro

6 12-inch flour tortillas, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Over medium heat, saute the onion until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and stir.  Add the spices and salt.  Stir those around as well.  Add the chicken, beans, and peppers.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warmed through.  Taste to correct seasonings.

Remove mixture from heat.  Stir in the cheese and cilantro.  Brush or spray a baking sheet with oil.  Lay out 1/2 of a flour tortilla. Scoop 1/4 cup of the filling onto the tortilla.  Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling.  Place each flauta seam side down on the baking tray.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.  Brush or spray oil on the flautas.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for 5 minutes more.  The flautas should be crispy and beginning to brown.

Serve with Chipotle Salsa.

Print this recipe: Baked Chicken and Bean Flautas

You may also like:

Chicken Mole

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Grilled Tomatillo Salsa