Eleven ingredients and under forty minutes, in one skillet used twice.
This wrap is hot all the way through. The chicken is cooked first, the cheese melts inside the tortilla on the griddle, and nothing cold goes in at any point.
The Griddle Only Melts Cheese
A wrap on a griddle gets a few minutes a side over moderate heat - enough to toast a tortilla and melt two cheeses, and nowhere near enough to cook raw chicken inside one. So the safety check comes before assembly: CHICKEN MUST REACH 165°F BEFORE WRAP ASSEMBLY.
- Seasoned with the garlic1 lb CUBED CHICKEN BREAST with 3 MINCED GARLIC CLOVES, 3/4 tsp SALT and 1/4 tsp BLACK PEPPER. The garlic of the recipe name is on the chicken, not in a sauce - there is no sauce in this wrap.
- Seared in the skilletSEARED IN 1 tbsp OLIVE OIL UNTIL BROWNED. Cubes rather than whole breasts, so they colour on several sides and come up to temperature quickly.
Check before you continue
165°F, before anything is wrapped — An instant-read thermometer in the largest chicken cube
This is the only point at which the chicken can honestly be checked. Once it is inside a folded tortilla under a cup of melted cheese, a thermometer reads the cheese as much as the meat. For assembled wraps you are reheating: REHEAT THE FULLY ASSEMBLED WRAPS UNTIL THE FILLING IS STEAMING HOT AND THE CHEESE IS MELTED.
- Filled and folded tightDivided among 4 LARGE FLOUR TORTILLAS with 1 cup SHREDDED LOW-MOISTURE MOZZARELLA, 3/4 cup SHREDDED CHEDDAR, 1/3 cup FINELY DICED RED BELL PEPPER and 2 tbsp CHOPPED PARSLEY, then FOLDED INTO TIGHT WRAPS. Two cheeses: white mozzarella and orange cheddar.
- Griddled, then cut1 tbsp BUTTER melted in a skillet, the wraps GRIDDLED SEAM-SIDE DOWN, TURNING UNTIL THE TORTILLAS HAVE DARK TOASTED PATCHES AND BOTH CHEESES ARE FULLY MELTED, then CUT IN HALF AND SERVED HOT WITHOUT LETTUCE, TOMATO OR OTHER RAW VEGETABLES.
How to Make It
Chicken seasoned with garlic and seared to 165°F
Season the chicken with the garlic, salt and pepper and sear in the olive oil until browned and 165°F.
Divided among tortillas with both cheeses, pepper and parsley
Divide the cooked chicken among the tortillas. Add the mozzarella, cheddar, diced red pepper and parsley.
Folded into tight wraps
Fold into tight wraps.
Griddled in butter until dark-patched and fully melted
Melt a little butter in a skillet and griddle the wraps seam-side down, turning until the tortillas have dark toasted patches and both cheeses are fully melted.
Cut in half and served hot, with nothing raw added
Cut in half and serve hot, without lettuce, tomato or other raw vegetables.
Ingredient Notes
- Low-moisture mozzarella and cheddar
- A cup and three quarters of a cup, shredded. The white cheese is mozzarella, the orange is cheddar.
- Chicken breast, cubed
- One pound, cooked to 165°F before it goes anywhere near a tortilla.
- Minced garlic
- Three cloves on the chicken. That is where the garlic in the name lives.
- Butter for griddling
- A tablespoon in the pan - enough to give the tortillas their dark patches.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the chicken to temperature first means the griddle only has to melt cheese.
- Mozzarella brings the stretch and cheddar brings the colour and the sharper taste.
- Diced red pepper adds a little sweetness without any of the water a raw salad brings.
- Folding tightly keeps the melted cheese inside rather than in the pan.
- Butter on the griddle browns the tortilla in patches, as the photograph shows.
Success Tips
- Shred both cheeses yourself so they melt smoothly rather than staying in strands.
- Start each wrap seam-side down, which seals it before you turn it.
- Keep the heat moderate so the cheese melts before the tortilla burns.
Serving Ideas
Four griddled wraps, each cut in half to show chicken cubes in melted white and orange cheese with red pepper and parsley, the tortillas patched dark from the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which cheeses are these?
Low-moisture mozzarella for the white and cheddar for the orange, both shredded and both inside the wrap.
Can I add lettuce or tomato?
No. This is the hot melted-cheese wrap, and raw vegetables would steam inside it on the griddle.
Does the chicken cook on the griddle?
No - it is seared to 165°F before assembly. The griddle only toasts the tortilla and melts the cheese.
