Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

Here's a recipe for an easy, healthy and tasty dinner that provides plenty of leftovers.  I used this recipe and made 22 flautas.  That gave us enough for dinner, for lunch the next day, and I put 10 more in the freezer for another dinner/lunch combo or to pull out a few at a time for lunches at home.  That's a lot of meals with only one prep time...my favorite!!

I originally got the recipe here.  I have made several changes to adapt it to what works for me, so I thought I would share my version.  The original recipe gives directions for baking the chicken.  When I make it, I usually use precooked, shredded chicken from my freezer (I cook chicken breasts in bulk in the crockpot, shred it and freeze it in about 2 cups serving sizes.  The recipe I usually use has disappeared from the internet, but this recipe is similar). 

I'm not very good about using exact measurements when I cook, but I will do my best to include them here. Also sometimes instead of the spices listed in the recipe, I substitute with 2 Tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning (which I usually keep premixed in the cabinet, so it's easier than measuring everything out.  I'm all about not having to measure much!).

Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

2 (maybe 2 1/2) cups precooked, shredded chicken
1 cup chicken broth (may need a little more)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
4 oz can diced green chiles
2-3 cups chopped fresh spinach
10-12 flour tortillas (I usually use whole wheat)
6 ounces of cheddar cheese (or preferred Mexican cheese)

Preheat the oven to 425. (The original recipe calls for 450, but in my oven, the flautas get overly brown and 425 seems to work better for me).

Combine chicken and chicken broth and cook over low-medium heat until warm.  Add all the spices and continue heating, stirring occasionally.  If it looks dry, add more chicken broth.  (I am pretty liberal with the chicken broth because I do not like dry chicken!).  Add in the green chiles and the chopped spinach, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat.

Cut the flour tortillas in half.  Spread about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture on the straight edge of the tortilla.  Sprinkle with cheese, and then tightly roll up the tortilla.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the finished tortillas on the baking sheet.

Spray a light coating of cooking spray on top of the finished flautas.  Cook in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until they reached the desired brownness/crispiness.  I have found that they start to brown quickly towards the end, so I keep an eye on them after 10 minutes.  Sometimes I flip them over and cook for an additional five minutes, and sometimes I don't. 

To Freeze:  Fill the tortillas and roll them up.  Wrap them tightly in foil and put in freezer.  You can pull them out a few out at a time for lunches or cook them all at once.  I follow the same cooking directions as above and cook them directly out of the freezer.  It may take a few more minutes to cook through, but I have found that they cook well from frozen.