Featuring classic Southwestern seasoning, a tangy and creamy sauce, and an unexpected crunchy surprise, our recipe for Southwestern Chicken Wraps is a wonderful choice for a lunchtime recipe. You can make a batch of these on the weekend and have lunch for the work-week. It's also a great dinner choice.
Although the tortilla has been around for centuries, the wrap in its modern form was invented in the 1980s. Bobby Valentine, a manager of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, owned a restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut. His banker came for lunch at the restaurant in 1982, and, like always, the banker ordered the turkey club.
Southwestern Chicken Wraps Recipe
Are you looking for a portable lunch option that is new and exciting? Our recipe for Southwest Chicken Wraps combines the delicious flavors of Southwestern seasonings and protein-rich chicken in a creamy sauce along with the satisfying crunch of corn chips. This lunch wrap is fresh tasting, crunchy, and very filling.
Equipment
- Plastic Wrap aluminum foil to roll these wraps for a tasty lunchbox treat
- Saucepan
- stove
- Small Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup salsa
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
Wrap Ingredients:
- 4 to 6 large tortillas (whole wheat or classic white flour, your choice)
- 1 ½ cup shredded lettuce
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 diced avocado
- ½ to ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 to 8 uncooked chicken tenders
- 1 cup crushed corn chips
Instructions
- First, cook the chicken by placing it in a saucepan and covering it with water.
- Put the saucepan on the stove and bring it to a full boil.
- Cover the saucepan with the lid, turn off the heat, and leave it there undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- When the time is up, remove the chicken from the pot and put it on a plate to cool.
- When it is cool enough to handle, shred it into a bowl, discarding any bits of gristle or fat. Set the chicken aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, salsa, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin. Set this aside.
- Now you can assemble the wraps. Lay a tortilla flat on a plate.
- Spread a tablespoon of the sauce on the tortilla on the bottom half of the tortilla within an inch of the edge of the tortilla.
- Top the sauce with ½ cup shredded chicken, ⅓ cup of the lettuce, a tablespoon of the chopped tomato, a spoonful of the avocado, and a sprinkling of cheese.
- Add two tablespoons of crushed corn chips over the top of the mixture. Top all of this with another spoonful of the sour cream sauce.
- Fold in the sides and roll the wrap up the tortilla. Repeat with the rest of the wraps.
- Cut the wrap in half and serve warm or cool.
Notes
Unfortunately, the toaster was broken. In an act of culinary creativity, Bobby Valentine grabbed a tortilla from a stack that was sitting in the kitchen. He put all the turkey club ingredients on the tortilla, topping it with melted cheese, and rolled it up.
He called the new wrap a “Club Mex Wrap.” The new style of sandwich was a hit, and it soon became a regular menu item. Unfortunately, the restaurant does not currently serve the Club Mex Wrap. However, it added several other wraps to the menu that you can still order today.
Our recipe for a Southwestern Chicken Wrap combines the classic Southwestern flavors of cumin, garlic, and chili powder with the freshness of a typical sandwich wrap. The chicken is moist and tender, the sauce is tangy and smooth, and the corn chips give an unexpected and very satisfying crunch.
These wraps are a wonderful alternative to the boring lunchtime sandwich. You can roll these wraps in plastic wrap or aluminum foil for a tasty lunchbox treat. You can make these wraps ahead of time on the weekend and have lunch ready to go later on in the week.
The corn chips might not be quite as crisp, but the wraps will still be tasty and fresh. Additionally, if you double the recipe and slice each wrap into four to six chunks, these would be a wonderful party appetizer.
In our recipe, we use poached chicken breasts. However, if you are in a rush to get dinner on the table, and you want to use this recipe, you do have an alternative. You can use a large can of diced chicken with the juice drained from the chicken.
Just proceed with the recipe as directed. Alternatively, you can use meat from shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken strips instead of using poached chicken breasts.
The sauce in this recipe is out of this world. If you have extra sauce, don’t throw it out. You can use it as a topping for tacos or fajitas. It would also make a delicious topping for a grilled chicken breast or for a pasta salad. Your kids may want to dip their chicken nuggets in it as well.
In our recipe, we use lettuce, tomato, and avocado in the wrap. However, if you want to substitute other ingredients, feel free to do so. Onions, jalapeños, bell peppers, black beans or drained canned corn are other ingredients that will fill you up and give you extra nutrition.
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