Hungry Girl's Chicken Flautas?!


Hungry Girl is a great resource for low-calorie recipes, but as with most things, it's all checking your nutrition labels and making the best choices at the grocery store. I learned that the hard way when I tried to make Hungry Girl's Chicken Flautas. The Hungry Girl (HG) wants fat-free cheeses, corn tortillas and plenty of spices. My little downtown grocery store has none of this. 
Let me cut to the chase - this 188 calorie recipe became a 420 calorie recipe out of no where! Mostly, I blame the tortillas, only afterward did I realize that flour tortillas have more calories than corn tortillas.
It is still a great recipe even with my inadequate groceries, and it makes me think I want to start an under-500 calories series. It is a bit overdone, but being informed is always a good thing!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
4 oz. cooked and finely chopped skinless lean chicken breast
3 tbsp. diced onion
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (I sprinkled some red pepper flakes on the mixture instead)
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. salt
Four 8-inch flour tortillas
2 tsp. chopped cilantro

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine picante sauce with cheese and mix well. In another bowl, combine chicken, diced onion, and seasonings; mix well. Set both bowls aside.

Dampen two paper towels, and place tortillas between them. Microwave for about 1 minute, until tortillas are warm and pliable. Set aside.

Place one tortilla flat on a clean dry surface (keep the rest between the paper towels), and spread 1/4th of the saucy cheese mixture (about 1 tbsp.) onto the bottom third of the tortilla. Top with 1/4th of the chicken mixture (about 3 tbsp.). Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. cilantro. Tightly roll tortilla up from the bottom around the filling. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese mixture, chicken mixture, and cilantro, for a total of 4 flautas.

Carefully transfer flautas to the baking sheet, seam side down. Spray the tops with nonstick spray. Bake in the oven until tortilla edges are lightly browned and crispy, 15 - 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Adapted from: http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/2033

Allergens: Wheat, gluten, milk
Nutrition (1/2 recipe): 420 calories, 12 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 69 mg cholesterol, 1269 mg sodium, 274 mg potassium, 48 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 28 g protein, 10% vitamin A, 18% vitamin C, 15% calcium, 18% iron, 22% copper, 26% folate, 22% manganese, 16% niacin, 12% phosphorous, 14% riboflavin, 25% selenium, 28% thiamine, 

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