Feeding Friendship: Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

The ingredient for this round of Feeding Friendship was:

Beer!

We're on a budget for Lent (more on that in another post!), but Mike just happened to purchase some beer as a "splurge." He kindly donated one and a half beers to complete my recipe! He's a fan of Fat Tire and we both agreed it would be good in some Baked Flautas!

The recipe comes from Healthy. Delicious. and has been on my "Things to Cook!" Pinterest board for a couple weeks. I was excited to see that it included beer so I could try it for Feeding Friendship!

Mike took some leftovers to work for lunch and actually e-mailed me to tell me how good they were! Even a couple days later!

Here's how to make 'em:

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs (about 4)
16 ounces Beer
2 cups Water
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced
3 cups Baby Spinach, chopped
10 taco-size Flour Tortillas
6 ounces Queso Quesadilla or other melting cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or cooking spray
Salsa, for serving


Preparation
1) Preheat the oven to 450F.

2) Put the chicken thighs in a deep sided saute pan and cover with the beer and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3) Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it. Mix together the chicken and seasonings.

4) Pour out all but 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the jalapeno and spinach and cook over low heat until for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.

5) Spoon 1/10th of the chicken (about 1 tablespoon) along the long edge of a tortilla. Repeat with the spinach and cheese. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the edge with the filling. Place seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

6) Brush the flautas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for until 10 minutes, or until crispy. Serve with salsa.

Each flauta has approx. 180 calories, 9 grams fat, 6 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 18 grams protein