white cheddar chili crisp flautas WITH LIME CREMA

Ingredients

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

8 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese (2 cups)

1¼ cups sour cream or plain yogurt

1(4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained if very liquidy

1 to 3 tablespoons chili crisp (crisp only-drain off the oil)

Kosher salt

10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Nonstick cooking spray

1 lime

Toppings: shredded iceberg lettuce (optional), pico de gallo

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, cheese, ¾ cup of the sour cream, the chiles, 1 tablespoon of the chili crisp, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Take a little nibble. Is it delicious? If so, proceed. Does it need a little more oomph? Stir in some more salt and maybe some more chili crisp. Keep seasoning until it's delicious.

3. Spread ¼ cup of the chicken mixture down the center of a tortilla, then roll it very tightly, and place it seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken filling is gone.

4. Spray the flautas really well with cooking spray. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden and crispy all over.

5. Meanwhile, halve the lime and squeeze the juice of 1 half into a small bowl. Stir it together with the remaining ½ cup sour cream (see Tip) and a little pinch of salt. Taste and add more lime juice or salt as needed.

6. Let the flautas cool for 5 minutes, then top with shredded iceberg, if you like, and drizzle with the lime crema! Serve with pico de gallo on the side.

Notes

SWap Corn tortillas are tricky here-they dry out and crack, and it's just not great. If you need a gluten-free option, I'd rather you used something like a Siete grain-free tortilla.

tip For the crema, if you have mayo and something like sour cream or yogurt, use ¼ cup of each. If you have something thicker, like cream cheese or labneh, you can use a tiny bit of water to make it more saucy.

riff These are very riffable-the basic equation is a precooked protein + something creamy + cheese + some sort of flavor. Swap out the chopped chicken for 2 (15-ounce) cans of drained and rinsed black beans or pinto beans, or 1 pound of cooked ground meat, • Swap the white cheddar for shredded Mexican blend or Jack cheese. • Flavor add-ins range from salsa verde, harissa, a can of diced green chiles plus a little taco seasoning (that one will yield a more traditional

flauta), or even honey mustard for McDonald's Snack Wrap vibes (in the best way possible).

bulk it up Roast shucked corn on the baking sheet right alongside the flautas for an easy side. Slather with butter, salt, and lime juice when they come out of the oven.