Flautas (Tacos Dorados)

Easy·25 min

Corn tortillas tightly rolled around shredded chicken or beef and deep-fried into crisp golden tubes, then crowned with cream, salsa, lettuce, and crumbled cheese.

A classic Mexican antojito, also called tacos dorados or taquitos, of small rolled tortillas filled and fried, long part of Mexican street-food tradition.

The first bite cracks like glass into a shatteringly crisp corn shell, then sinks into warm, savory shredded chicken. Cool crema and tangy salsa soak the surface, balancing crunch with creamy, bright heat.

Rolling the tortillas tightly and frying in hot oil dehydrates the surface starches into a rigid, glassy crunch while sealing the filling steamy inside. Toppings are added off the heat so they stay cool and fresh against the hot shell.

Variations

chicken, shredded beef (deshebrada), potato, flour-tortilla flautas, larger flautas vs smaller taquitos

On the Palate

Where Flautas (Tacos Dorados) sits in the Mexican flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 cups shreddedLettuce

1 cupSalsa

for fryingVegetable Oil

How it's made

8 steps · 25 min

1
15 min
Poach chicken with onion and salt, then shred the meat finely once cool.
2
3 min
Warm the corn tortillas briefly so they roll without cracking.
3
6 min
Place a line of shredded chicken along one edge and roll each tortilla tightly into a tube.
Watch out
Roll each tortilla tight around the chicken with no air gaps — a loose roll unwinds in the oil and drinks up grease instead of crisping.
4
3 min
Secure each roll with a toothpick to hold its shape.
5
8 min
Fry the rolls in hot oil, turning, until crisp and deep golden all over.
Watch out
Fry in properly hot oil, turning, until the shell is deep golden and glass-hard all over — too cool and they soak up oil and stay limp.
6
2 min
Drain on paper towels and remove the toothpicks.
7
3 min
Arrange on a plate over shredded lettuce and drizzle generously with crema and salsa.
Watch out
Add the lettuce, crema and salsa only after frying, off the heat — piled on cold, they keep the shell crisp instead of steaming it soft.
8
2 min
Finish with crumbled queso fresco and serve right away while crisp.