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Chicken Pesto Wraps: A Nutritious and Easy Recipe for Any Meal
Ingredients Preparation
To begin, let’s gather all the necessary ingredients. It’s important to prep our vegetables first and save the chicken for last to avoid cross-contamination. We’ll need about 1 to 1 and 1/2 baby cos or baby Roma lettuces. Stack them up and shred them into thin strips. The culinary term for this is chiffonade. After chopping, rinse the lettuce thoroughly as dirt can often nest inside the leaves.
Next, take 200 grams of cherry tomatoes. You can also use baby Roma or grape tomatoes. Slice these in half lengthwise or in the middle. Feel free to quarter them if you prefer smaller pieces. Then, take one clove of garlic and run it along a microplane to create a paste. Opt for pasted garlic as it mixes through the sauce more uniformly, avoiding unwanted chunks.
For the capers, we’ll need one teaspoon. Wash them from their brine and roughly chop them, ensuring no whole capers remain. Finally, it’s time to prep the chicken breast. Using 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of boneless, skinless chicken, butterfly the breasts by slicing them horizontally, then cut them in half to create even-sized fillets.
Making the Pesto
Now let’s move to making the pesto. In a blender, combine 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of pine nuts, 5 grams (0.2 ounces) of Parmesan Reggiano, two cloves of garlic, and about two cups of fresh basil leaves, which is roughly equivalent to one bunch. Squeeze in the juice of one-fourth of a lemon, making sure no seeds fall in. Add three tablespoons (60 mL) of extra virgin olive oil and season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper (approximately ten cracks). Blend on high until you achieve a thick but pourable consistency. You might need to scrape down the sides and adjust with more olive oil as necessary.
If you don’t have a blender, a mortar and pestle will work just as well, sticking to the traditional method of making pesto. Once the pesto is smooth, transfer it to a container.
Preparing the Sauce
To make the sauce, add three-fourths of a cup of mayonnaise into a mixing bowl. Then, incorporate the grated garlic, 20 grams of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, the chopped capers, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Squeeze in another quarter of a lemon and season with salt and cracked black pepper (ten cracks worth). Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients, resulting in a smooth, flavorful sauce.
Cooking the Chicken
Now, let’s season the chicken breast. In a bowl, add one teaspoon of onion powder, one teaspoon of garlic powder, and a generous teaspoon of dried Italian herbs. Optional: add a pinch of chili for some heat. Drizzle two teaspoons of olive oil over the chicken, and then generously season with salt and twenty cracks of black pepper. With clean hands, mix everything to ensure the chicken is well coated and separated.
To cook the chicken, heat a large pan over high heat. Add two teaspoons of olive oil before placing the chicken pieces into the pan. If your pan isn’t large enough, cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding. Sear the chicken for about three and a half to four minutes on each side until fully cooked. Once done, set the chicken aside to rest.
Assembling the Wraps
After rinsing the lettuce, place it into a bowl along with the cherry tomatoes. Add about two-thirds of the sauce and mix thoroughly using either your hands or tongs.
Once the chicken has rested for about five minutes, slice or dice it depending on your preference. Place it into another bowl and mix with the prepared basil pesto until well coated.
To assemble the wraps, take five burrito-sized tortillas and spread the remaining sauce evenly across them. Add the pesto chicken (approximately 220 grams per wrap) and the lettuce-tomato mix. Ensure an even distribution of tomatoes.
To wrap, fold the tortilla over the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll tightly. If something spills out, tuck it back in.
Storing and Serving
For storage, wrap the completed wraps in food-safe paper, airlock bags, or airtight containers. These wraps can last in the fridge for up to four days. They are best enjoyed fresh, but you can also toast them if you prefer. Avoid freezing the assembled wraps as this will cause the lettuce to become soggy. However, you can freeze the pesto chicken mix for up to three months and prepare fresh wraps when ready to serve.
To serve, cut the wraps in half, preferably on a diagonal for an appealing presentation. The inside reveals a beautifully layered, juicy, and flavorful pesto chicken mix.
That’s it! You’ve made delicious, nutritious chicken pesto wraps. Enjoy them fresh or toasted, hot or cold. They are perfect for any meal and incredibly easy to make. So dig in and savor every bite!
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