Chicken Flautas with Roasted Corn Salad

alternatively titled "Chicken Wu-tahs," because my 3 yr old thinks he's hilarious

This recipe is so fun! It’s easy to make, easy to eat, full of flavor, and doesn’t dirty many dishes. And what better time to make a fresh corn salad than the last week of July?

This recipe is from Caroline Chambers’ excellent Substack, What To Cook. The only modification I made was to delete the “crema verde” — a mix of sour cream and salsa verde— as I didn’t think the flautas needed a dipping sauce. They were plenty juicy and flavorful on their own!

Chicken Flautas with Roasted Corn Salad
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6

For Dietary Restrictions

• Gluten free: use corn tortillas

• Dairy free: use dairy-free sour cream and dairy-free cheese

Kids Can Help

• Wash veggies, measure ingredients, and mix chicken filling and corn salad ingredients together. Older kids can help roll the flautas!

Ingredients

For the flautas: 

• 1½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken

• ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese

• ¼ cup sour cream

• 3 Tbsp salsa verde

• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

• ¼ tsp chili powder

• Salt to taste

• 8-10 8-inch flour tortillas

For the corn salad:

• 4 ears of corn

• 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes

• 1 large avocado

• 1-2 Tbsp lime juice

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• ¼ tsp salt, or more to taste

Tools

• Parchment paper

• Cutting board

• Chef knife

• Medium-sized mixing bowl

• Large baking sheet

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Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Mix the filling: place the shredded chicken, cheese, sour cream, salsa, chili powder, and half of the cilantro in a bowl and mix to combine. Taste and add salt if needed. 

Step 3

Make the flautas: place a large scoop of filling in the center of each tortilla, flatten vertically, then roll it tightly and place on the parchment paper, seam-side down. 

Step 4

Place the corn on the baking sheet next to the flautas (or on its own sheet, if you’re out of room) and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tortillas are lightly browned all over.

Step 5

Meanwhile, make the corn salad: wash and halve the tomatoes and cube the avocado (the easiest way to do this is to score the avocado all the way around with a knife, twist each side to detach it from the pit (scoop it out from the other side with a spoon. Slice the flesh while it is still in the skin, then scoop out the pieces into the bowl!) Add the lime juice, olive oil, remaining cilantro, and salt, and stir to combine. 

Step 6

When the flautas and corn are done cooking, allow the corn to cool for a few minutes, then slice the kernels off and add to the salad bowl with the tomato and avocado. Mix gently, then taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve immediately with the flautas.