Chicken Flautas -- Crispy, Golden, and Made With the Same Hands That Learned Tamales

December 2020. We are nine months into this. My pandemic beard has gone from novelty to fact. The kids have adapted in ways that are both impressive and slightly alarming — Elena declared that school was better from home because she didn't have to wear shoes, which is the most seven-year-old opinion I've ever heard and also not entirely wrong. Marco built an elaborate Lego city on the dining room table that has survived three weeks. We eat around it. Priorities.

The spring football season is now confirmed for February. Eight weeks, compressed schedule, abbreviated playoffs. It's not the fall season. It's something. I called Williams on Sunday and we built the spring schedule together on a shared document, two coaches on a video call planning a season that nobody has ever planned before. There was something good about that. Problem-solving in the void. This is what coaches do.

Diego has been in the weight room at home more days than not. He built a setup in the garage — some weights I had, a bench from a sporting goods store, a pull-up bar he installed himself. He trains in the morning before online school. I don't ask him to. He just does. I'm trying not to make too much of it in front of him because he needs to own this without the weight of my attention on it. But when he's done and comes in for breakfast, I notice the look on his face. That's earned tiredness. He knows the difference between the tiredness of doing something and the tiredness of not doing it.

Tamales over video call with Mom this year. She walked me through the dough consistency over FaceTime, her hands visible on the screen making adjustments to hers while I adjusted mine. Seventeen hundred miles of distance made thinner by a phone camera. The tamales came out well. She said they looked right. I said they tasted right. She said those were the same thing. They are.

The tamale lesson over FaceTime with my mom stayed with me long after the masa was cleaned off the counter. There’s something that happens when you cook food that came from someone who loves you—it recalibrates things. These chicken flautas came out of that same space: crispy, rolled, golden, the kind of food that fills a kitchen with a smell that makes kids wander in from wherever they’ve been. They’re not tamales, but they speak the same language, and on a weeknight when Diego comes in from the garage with that earned tiredness on his face, they’re exactly right.

Chicken Flautas

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4 (about 12 flautas)

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works great)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, drained
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 small (6-inch) flour tortillas
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
• Salsa, guacamole, and sour cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Mix until everything is evenly combined and the cream cheese is fully incorporated.
2. Warm the tortillas. Wrap the flour tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30–45 seconds to make them pliable and prevent cracking when rolled.
3. Fill and roll. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling in a line along one edge of each tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and secure with a toothpick if needed. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
4. Heat the oil. Pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a large heavy skillet (cast iron works well) and heat over medium-high until it reaches 350°F, or until a small piece of tortilla sizzles immediately when dropped in.
5. Fry the flautas. Working in batches, place flautas seam-side down in the hot oil. Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden brown and crispy all over. Do not crowd the pan.
6. Drain and rest. Transfer finished flautas to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack. Remove toothpicks. Let rest for 2 minutes before serving so the filling sets slightly.
7. Serve. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 740mg