Eleven ingredients and just over half an hour, in one skillet and one grill pan.
The wrap is built around raw vegetables, so the hot chicken has to cool first. That five to ten minutes is the whole reason this wrap tastes fresh rather than wilted.
Why This Recipe Works
- Grated garlic and paprika cling to cubed chicken and season every side.
- Cooling the chicken briefly stops it steaming the lettuce inside the wrap.
- Warming the tortillas just to flexible keeps them from cracking as they roll.
- Two colours of tomato keep the filling visible when the wrap is cut.
- Toasting the seam alone holds the roll shut without heating the vegetables through.
One Cooked Thing, Three Raw Ones
Everything in this wrap except the chicken is raw, and that sets the order of work. The wrap stays fresh and vegetable-forward, so the cooked element is deliberately cooled before the two tracks meet.
In the skillet
- Until 165°F
1 lb CUBED CHICKEN BREAST tossed with 1 tbsp OLIVE OIL, 3 FINELY GRATED GARLIC CLOVES, 1 tsp PAPRIKA, 1/2 tsp DRIED OREGANO, 3/4 tsp SALT and 1/4 tsp BLACK PEPPER, then SEARED OVER MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT UNTIL BROWNED AND 165°F.
- 5 to 10 minutes
COOLED SO THE LETTUCE STAYS FRESH. The cooling is built into the step itself; it is not an optional pause.
On the board
- While the chicken cools
2 cups CHOPPED GREEN-LEAF LETTUCE, 1 cup DICED RED AND YELLOW TOMATOES and 1/3 cup DICED RED ONION. All raw, and all still crisp when the wrap is rolled.
- Just before rolling
4 LARGE FLOUR TORTILLAS WARMED JUST UNTIL FLEXIBLE - enough to roll without cracking, not enough to dry out.
Rolled, then only the seam sees heat
Each tortilla FILLED WITH LETTUCE, TOMATO, RED ONION AND CHICKEN - and the instruction is explicit: DO NOT ADD CHEESE OR SAUCE. ROLLED TIGHTLY, then the SEAM SIDE TOASTED BRIEFLY ON A DRY GRILL PAN TO CREATE LIGHT GRILL MARKS WITHOUT WILTING THE VEGETABLES. Briefly, and on the seam only - the marks are light for that reason.
How to Make It
Chicken tossed with oil, garlic, paprika and oregano
Toss the chicken with the olive oil, garlic, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper.
Seared to 165°F, then cooled 5 to 10 minutes
Sear in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned and 165°F. Cool 5 to 10 minutes, so the lettuce stays fresh.
Tortillas warmed just until flexible
Warm the tortillas just until flexible.
Filled with lettuce, tomato, onion and chicken - no cheese
Fill each tortilla with the lettuce, tomato, red onion and chicken. Do not add cheese or sauce.
Rolled tightly, seam toasted briefly for light grill marks
Roll tightly, then toast the seam side briefly on a dry grill pan to create light grill marks without wilting the vegetables.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breast, cubed
- One pound, seared to 165°F and then left to cool before it meets the lettuce.
- Garlic, paprika and oregano
- Three grated cloves, a teaspoon and half a teaspoon. This is the whole seasoning - there is no sauce.
- Green-leaf lettuce
- Two cups chopped. It is the bulk of the filling, which is why the chicken has to be cool.
- Red and yellow tomatoes with red onion
- A cup of diced tomato and a third of a cup of onion, both raw and both in the photograph.
Success Tips
- Spread the fillings across the middle third of the tortilla so the ends can fold in.
- Roll firmly before toasting; a loose wrap opens on the grill pan.
- Keep the grill pan dry - oil there would fry the tortilla instead of marking it.
Serving Ideas
Four wraps, each cut in half to show seasoned chicken cubes with green-leaf lettuce, red and yellow tomato and diced red onion inside a lightly grill-marked tortilla.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a sauce in these wraps?
No. None is visible in the photograph and none is part of the recipe - the seasoning is on the chicken.
Can I add cheese?
Not in this version. This is the fresh, vegetable-forward wrap.
Can I make them ahead?
If you do, cool the chicken promptly and keep the assembled wraps at 40°F or below, since they contain cut tomato.
