Street Corn Chicken Flautas Recipe (2024)

ThisStreet Corn Chicken Flautas Recipe turn everyone’s favorite Mexican side dish into the perfect finger food! Creamy corn (laced with lime, cheese, mayo, and cilantro) + seared chopped chicken are rolled into flour tortillas, baked and served with an easy citrus crema. Heaven on earth.

Mexican finger foods are a favorite of ours around here, so be sure to check out these Crispy Beef Street Tacos, these Creamy Chicken and Jalapeño Empanadas, and this Cheesy Corn and Chipotle Dip.

Street Corn Chicken Flautas Recipe

What do you get when you combine creamy lime-laced corn, juicy chopped grilled chicken, salty cojita cheese, and flour tortillas?

Street corn chicken flautas.

My new favorite kid-friendly and husband-approved finger food/meal/snack. Because these could seriously be any of those. And I could also eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So basically what I’m saying, is make these, pronto.

By now, I’m guessing your now what street corn, also know as elotes, is. If you don’t, you’re in for a treat. Typically you take an ear of sweet corn, slather it in mayo mixed with lime juice and a few spices, then cover it in crumbled cojita cheese and chopped cilantro. Sometimes the corn is already removed from the cob and the whole mix is tossed together in a bowl and served warm. I prefer the later.

What is Street Corn?

My version includes:

• fresh summer corn. From the cob of course.
• light mayo, sour cream, and just a hint of cream cheese.
• lime juice
• cumin, chili powder and plenty of salt
• a LITTLE bit of butter + onion and garlic
• crumbled cojita cheese

While you could just stuff the street corn inside flour tortillas and be done with it, I’m trying to get a little bit more portion and iron into Davis’ slightly iron-deficient body, so I added in a little bit of chicken as well. You could use a rotisserie chicken, but I just picked up a few chicken tenders, seared them in a little bit of olive oil before I cooked the onion and garlic, and then chopped it up super fine before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.

What is a flauta?

Similar to a taquito, a flat includes a tortilla wrapped around filling, rolled and fried. For me and the area we live in a taquito uses corn tortilla and a flauta uses flour tortillas. For this chicken flauta recipe we went with flour tortillas ,but you could easily use corn tortillas as well.

Ingredients in Street Corn Chicken Flautas Recipe

Chicken. I like to use chicken tenders because as their name implies, the are more tender than a full chicken breast. They also cook up in virtually no time at all making this chicken flautas recipe a cinch.

Olive oil and butter. I cook the chicken in a little bit of olive oil and then use butter to cook the corn and onion a little bit later.

Onion and garlic. Onion and garlic are an essential ingredients in chicken flautas, don’t skip!

Corn. I like to use corn straight from the cob, but if it’s not in season, then by all means use frozen corn and defrost it.

Cream cheese. Light cream cheese works great!

Mayo. Again, go with the light version here. Mayo is an essential ingredient in Mexican street corn, so don’t skip it.

Cotija cheese. Cotija cheese is crumbly Mexican cheese. It’s taste and texture is similar to feta, so if you can’t find cotija, you can use feta.

Spices. You’ll need a little bit of cumin, chili powder, and of course, salt and pepper.

Cilantro. Mexican street corn requires plenty of chopped cilantro. If it’s not your thing reduce it to your taste.

Lime juice. Fresh lime juice adds a little zip of acid to this chicken flautas recipe. I also like to squeeze little bit over the top when they’re done.

Tortillas. Again, I like to use flour tortillas here, but you could use high-quality corn tortillas (that don’t tear!), or whole-wheat tortillas instead.

Sour cream. For dipping. Because I can’t eat this chicken flautas recipe without a little bit of sour cream.

How to make Street Corn Chicken Flautas

• Sear well-seasoned chicken tenders in olive oil. Cool and chop finely.
• Saute a onion in a little bit of butter. Add corn and garlic. Cook until bright yellow and sweet.
• Transfer everything to a bowl and add in cream cheese, mayo, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cojita cheese. Toss until combined.
• Spoon a couple tablespoons of filling on to tortillas, roll up, secure with a few toothpicks and back until golden brown and crispy.
• While the flautas cook, whisk sour cream, lime juice, water, and salt together in a small bowl.
• Drizzle the flautas with crema, sprinkle with more cheese and cilantro. Enjoy!

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success.

• If corn isn’t in season, feel free to swap out frozen corn. Be sure to thaw completely.
• Whole-wheat flour tortillas will also work
• If you can’t find cojita cheese, feta work great in place of it.
• When rolling the tortillas, be sure to wrap tightly so the filling doesn’t spill out. Don’t overstuff!
• Spray the baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Also spray the tops of the flautas to make sure they get super crispy.
• The recipe calls for all light ingredients (light sour cream, light mayo, light cream cheese), but full-fat also works. This is just what I use in day-to-day life.
• Make sure to use two toothpicks to hold the flautas together while baking. Remove them before serving.

Can I fry the flautas?

Definitely. I’m not big into deep-frying unless it’s absolutely necessary, and here, I think the oven makes them plenty crispy. However, if you feel the need to fry, go for it! You could also save a little bit of fat and calories by pan-frying them in just a shallow amount of canola oil instead. Definitely a personal choice.

What to serve with Street Corn Chicken Flautas

• This Goat Cheese Avocado Dipwould be PERFECT to dip those chicken flautas in. Creamy avocado, tangy goat cheese + that street corn. A match made in heaven!
• If you really want a feast, whip up these Slow Cooker Poblano and Honey Lime Chicken Tacos. The slow cooker does all the work for you, so it’s perfect for entertaining.
• We love Roasted Mexican Spaghetti Squash, if we want to add an easy vegetable. Easy to throw together and a crowd pleaser.

If you love these, be sure to check out these similar recipes!

• Our Classic Chicken Enchiladasare SO good. They’re basic, in the best way possible. Lots of seasoned chicken, plenty of vegetables, a tangy homemade enchilada sauce, and of course, plenty of cheese.
• These Shredded Beef and Ancho Chile Enchiladasare a labor of love, but worth it for a fancy weeknight Mexican fiesta. The flavor is unreal.
• Another simple, but delicious recipe is our Best Spicy Shredded Beef Puffy Tacos. So good.

Street Corn Chicken Flautas

Yield: 20 flautas

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Street Corn Chicken Flautas turn everyone’s favorite Mexican side dish into the perfect finger food! Creamy corn (laced with lime, cheese, mayo, and cilantro) + seared chopped chicken are rolled into flour tortillas, baked and served with an easy citrus crema. Heaven on earth.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb chicken tenders (or about 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3 1/2 cups corn kernels
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 oz light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup light mayo
• 1 cup cotija cheese, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground chili powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 2 1/2 tbsp lime juice, divided
• 20 fajita-sized flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• toothpicks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray two large baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Season chicken tenders generously with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet to a medium-high heat. Sear chicken. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and let cool slightly. Chop finely. Add to a large bowl.
4. Turn the heat on the same pan down to medium. Add butter and onion. Saute the onions for 1-2 minutes until translucent. Season with a little bit of salt. Add corn and garlic. Toss to combine. Season again with a little bit of salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to toss the corn. Cook until bright yellow, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer corn and onion mixture to the bowl with the chicken. Add the cream cheese, mayo, 1/2 cup cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt, cilantro, and two tablespoons of lime juice. Toss until cream cheese has melted and all ingredients are combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Place a few tablespoons of filling on the top third of the tortillas. Roll and wrap tightly into flautas. Secure with two toothpicks. Place on the prepared baking sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
6. While the flautas cook, add sour cream and remaining lime juice to a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of water. Whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. The sauce should be able to drizzle, if it's too thick, add little bit more water.
7. Drizzle cream over hot flautas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and more cilantro.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 1546Total Fat: 64gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 36gCholesterol: 274mgSodium: 2122mgCarbohydrates: 136gFiber: 11gSugar: 9gProtein: 104g