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Perfectly Packed Chicken Pesto Wraps: Easy, Nutritious, and Delicious
Preparing the Ingredients
Let’s start with the preparation of our ingredients. The first key step is handling the vegetables, particularly the lettuce. You’ll need about 1 to 1.5 heads of baby cos or baby Romaine lettuce. Stack the leaves and then shred them finely. The culinary term for this is chiffonade, which results in nice, thin strips. Since lettuce is a layered vegetable, there might be dirt trapped between the leaves. After chopping, give the lettuce a good rinse to ensure it’s clean.
Next, take 200 grams of cherry tomatoes. You can also substitute baby plum or grape tomatoes if you prefer. Slice these in half lengthwise or through the middle. If you want smaller pieces, you can quarter them.
For the garlic, you’ll need one clove. Run it along a microplane to create a paste. I recommend using garlic paste as it mixes more uniformly in sauces, avoiding those unpleasant chunks of raw garlic.
Now, take 1 teaspoon of capers. Simply rinse them from their brine, but don’t worry about removing all the liquid as it adds extra flavor. Roughly chop them to ensure no whole caper pieces remain.
Prepping the Chicken
For the chicken, use 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Butterfly them by slicing horizontally to create two open halves, then cut them again to form even-sized fillets.
In a bowl, add 1 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and dried Italian herbs to the chicken. If you like some heat, add a bit of chili powder—this is optional. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the chicken, then season generously with salt and cracked black pepper (about 20 cracks worth). Use your hands to mix it all together, ensuring each piece is well-coated and not stuck together.
Making the Pesto
In a blender or mortar and pestle, combine 5 grams (0.2 ounces) each of pine nuts and Parmesan Reggiano, two cloves of garlic, and about 2 cups of fresh basil leaves (roughly one bunch). Squeeze in the juice of 1/4 lemon, ensuring no seeds get in. Add about 3 tablespoons (60 mL) of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper (about 10 cracks worth). Blend at high speed until you achieve a pourable, thick consistency. You might need to scrape down the sides of the blender bowl and add more olive oil as needed.
Creating the Sauce
For the sauce, mix 3/4 cup of mayonnaise with the grated garlic, 20 grams of grated Parmesan cheese, the chopped capers, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Squeeze in another quarter of lemon juice (again, seed-free). Season with a little salt and cracked black pepper (about 10 cracks worth). Mix everything well until all the flavors are combined.
Cooking the Chicken and Assembling the Wraps
Heat a large pan over high heat and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Cook the chicken pieces for about 3.5 to 4 minutes on each side until they are thoroughly cooked. If your pan is not large enough, cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding. Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest.
While the chicken rests, take your washed and dried lettuce and place it in a bowl along with the cherry tomatoes. Add about two-thirds of the sauce you made and mix it well.
After the chicken has rested for about five minutes, slice it up. You can leave them in slices or dice them, depending on your preference. Place the chicken in a bowl and mix it with the basil pesto until well-coated.
Wrapping It Up
Spread the remaining sauce across five large tortilla wraps. Distribute the pesto-coated chicken evenly (about 220 grams per wrap) and add the lettuce and tomato mixture. Make sure each wrap has a good amount of tomatoes for that added freshness.
Fold each wrap over itself, tuck in the sides, and roll it up tightly. If anything pops out, just tuck it back in. Wrap each completed wrap in food-safe paper, airtight bags, or a meal container.
These wraps can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. They are best enjoyed fresh, but you can also toast them if preferred. Avoid freezing the wraps as they tend to fall apart and the lettuce becomes soggy. However, you can freeze the pesto chicken mixture and make fresh wraps when desired.
Once ready to enjoy, you can slice them in half at an angle to elevate the presentation. The wraps are moist, flavorful, and packed with nutrition.
Final Thoughts
These chicken pesto wraps offer a perfect balance of savory flavors without becoming overbearing. They are easy to make, incredibly delicious, and highly versatile—you can enjoy them hot or cold. With this recipe, you’ll have nutritious wraps ready in no time, making them perfect for any meal of the day. Enjoy!
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