Our Air Fryer Flautas are filled with seasoned chicken, salsa, sour cream, and plenty of cheese! They crisp up nicely in the air fryer! Our recipe is delicious on it’s own, but it’s fun to pile on the toppings!
Wondering what the difference between a flauta and a taquito is? It’s all in the tortilla!
Taquitos use small corn tortillas and flautas are made with large flour tortillas! Both are deep fried (or, in our case, air fried) until crispy on the outside and they’re usually filled with a mixture of meat or beans, cheese, and spices.
Our Air Fryer Flautas are a major favorite around here – loaded with seasoned chicken, salsa, and plenty of cheese. And all the fun topping just make these chicken flautas extra tasty!
You could easily turn these into taquitos by using corn tortillas. No need to even change the filling, just know that corn tortillas are a bit more fragile. You can see our tips and tricks for those in our recipe for air fryer taquitos!
If you’ve got leftover tortillas after this, give our Buffalo Chicken Flautas a try next!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Chicken – We use rotisserie chicken for this recipe. You could also shred the meat from our air fryer whole chicken!
Shred your chicken while it’s still warm. It pulls apart much easier! Store in a ziptop bag in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months and use in a variety of recipes.
Tortillas – We’re using 8 inch flour tortillas in this recipe. The low carb variety work well, if you’re watching carbs.
Filling ingredients– Salsa, sour cream, cream cheese, taco seasoning, lime juice, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and shredded Cheddar all go into this dish.
Topping options– Depending on your taste you may choose to add the following for topping or dipping your flautas into:
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Crumbled Queso Fresco
- Shredded Lettuce
- Pico de Gallo
- Green Onion
- Cholula, for drizzling over the top
How to Make Chicken Flautas in an Air Fryer:
- Make the seasoning mix: Stir together the salsa, sour cream, cream cheese, lime juice, and taco seasoning in a bowl. Be sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so that it mixes in nicely.
- Combine your filling– Add the chicken and cheese to the seasoning and stir to combine. You can use any mix of cheese you like here. We do cheddar and Monterey jack.
- Fill the tortillas– Wrap your stack of tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave them for 20 seconds to soften the tortillas. Add the filling down the center of each tortilla and roll them up tightly. Brush the outsides of the tortilla with olive oil.
- Air fry the flautas– Place your flautas in the air fryer. Be sure to leave a bit of space between them for air to flow or the edges won’t crisp up. You will likey need to cook these in batches. Air fry for 7 minutes at 400 degrees F. Flip halfway through cooking. When done, the flautas should be browned and cripsy.
Shop our Favorite Air Fryers!
We’ve tested loads of air fryers over the years and narrowed it down to the best of the best! Whether you’re looking for a basket style air fryer that fits nicely on your countertop or you want the toaster oven style air fryer, we’ve got the recommendation for you!
FAQ:
Yes, flautas use larger flour tortillas while taquitos are made with small corn tortillas.
It is perfectly acceptable to eat flautas with your hands. Dip them into your favorite dip or just eat them as is. If you’d like to load them with toppings, as shown, you’ll want to enjoy these with a knife and fork.
Put them back in your air fryer at 375 degrees F for 3-5 minutes.
Karly’s Tips & Tricks!
You will likely need to work in batches while cooking in the air fryer. Keep cooked flautas warm in a 200 degree oven on a baking sheet while cooking the rest. Subsequent batches will cook faster as the air fryer will be hot.
Like a little spice? Add minced jalapeno, pepper jack cheese, or cayenne pepper to your filling!
More Mexican Inspired Favorites:
Air Fryer Chicken Flautas
Equipment
Ingredients
For the flautas:
- ½ cup salsa
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 3 cups shredded chicken cooked
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 12 8-inch flour tortillas
- Olive oil for brushing on the flautas
For topping:
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Crumbled Queso Fresco
- Shredded Lettuce
- Pico de Gallo
- Green Onion
- Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Add the salsa, sour cream, cream cheese, taco seasoning, and lime juice to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Stir in the chicken and cheese to combine.
- Wrap the stack of tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds to make the tortillas soft and pliable.
- Spoon filling into the bottom third of each tortilla and tightly roll up the tortilla.
- Brush the outsides of the tortillas with olive oil.
- Arrange the flautas in a single layer in the air fryer, leaving room between each for air to flow. You will likely need to work in batches.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking, or until flautas are browned and crispy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with us on Instagram @air.fried and tag us #air.fried
Comments & Reviews
Sallyjojo says
Had these last night and they were great! Made as written. Reheating some for lunch. Thanks for sharing!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed these! Thanks for the review!