Chicken Flautas with Black Beans

This one is good for something different than tacos and burritos for mexican food night. Since I'm not a fan of frying things at all (I always make a huge mess and get splattered one too many times) I baked these and they were really good that way. I made guacamole to go along with them as well...which is always better than store bought stuff They also taste great dipped in sour cream and salsa. I also got 8 flautas out of this recipe and used canned chicken instead of cooking a chicken breast.


Ingredients

6 10-inch flour tortillas
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. cooking oil
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 ozs.)
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
Cooking oil for frying
3 cups shredded lettuce
Purchased guacamole (optional)
Bottled salsa (optional)
Dairy sour cream (optional)
Cilantro leaves (optional)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap tortillas tightly in foil. Heat in oven about 10 minutes or until heated through.

2. Meanwhile, for filling, in a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in the 1 teaspoon hot oil until tender. Stir in chicken, black beans, 1/2 cup bottled salsa, the cheese, and 2 tablespoons cilantro.

3. For each flauta, spoon about 1/2 cup filling across each warm tortilla about 1-1/2 inches from one edge. Roll up tortillas as tightly as possible. Secure with wooden toothpicks.

4. In a very large, deep skillet, heat 1-1/2 inches of cooking oil to 365 degrees F. Fry flautas, two at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp and golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Keep fried flautas warm in a 300 degrees F oven while frying remaining flautas.

5. To serve, remove toothpicks. Halve flautas crosswise. If desired, serve with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro.

6. Baked Flautas: Prepare filling and shape flautas as directed. Place flautas on a large baking sheet and brush with 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and heated through. Serve as directed.

7. Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare filling and shape flautas as directed. Cover; chill for up to 24 hours. Fry or bake as directed. Makes 6 flautas.

From bhg.com