The Infinite Wrap Formula (+ 2 Wraps to Start)
Chances are you've made wraps before, but most people try a few styles and stick to those for the rest of their lives. A wrap is so versatile that if you know the principles of what a good wrap is made of, you can make any wrap you like with what's in your pantry or fridge. Here's the golden formula, plus two of my wraps to get you started: the chicken shawarma-style wrap I was craving today, and a vegan one, because my girlfriend also needs to eat.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs (not breasts, thighs are more juicy)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon (the other half goes in the sauce)
- to coat homemade taco spice mix (don't buy the pre-packaged seasonings, making your own is easy and skips the junk you don't want in your belly)
- 1 onion, in strips
- a handful young melting cheese, grated
- optional hot sauce, ready for dripping
- 1–2 homemade tortillas (you do have a homemade tortilla, right? See my flatbread recipes)
- 1 bell pepper, julienned
- a sprinkle salt
- some tomato and cucumber, cut up (always salt your tomatoes)
- a few pickled peppers, in strips
- 2 tbsp low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- a squeeze lemon (the other half)
- a few cracks salt and pepper
- some cucumber, in a jar
- equal parts water and vinegar, boiled, with some salt
- 1 flour tortilla
- a block tofu, in the same taco spice mix, grilled
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- some plant-based cheese
- a few pickled onions (same pickling method as the cucumber)
- some tomato
- the same sauce yogurt garlic sauce made with soy yogurt
- a handful cilantro
- some bell pepper and onion, for the grill
Method
The chicken wrap
- 1
Add the chicken thighs, olive oil, juice of half a lemon and the taco spice mix to a bowl. Rub that meat like you've never rubbed it before (glove on, or wash your hands after). Marinate at least 30 minutes.
- 2
In those 30 minutes, prep the rest. Bell pepper and onion in strips into a pan with a sprinkle of salt on medium-low, browning slowly, roasted peppers with caramelized onion, I kid you not, you have to make these.
- 3
Mix the sauce: yogurt, cumin, crushed garlic, a squeeze of the other lemon half, salt and pepper. I keep my sauce as low-fat as possible, my girlfriend keeps telling me what I look like when fatty mayo drips past my beard.
- 4
Cut the tomato and cucumber (salt the tomatoes), cut the pickled peppers into strips. Don't like spicy? Toughen up, the acidity is necessary. Or quick-pickle instead: boil equal parts water and vinegar with some salt, pour over cucumber in a jar, and let it sit at least 10 minutes. Keeps very long in the fridge.
- 5
Grate the cheese and keep the hot sauce ready.
- 6
Iron skillet on medium-high: chicken 4 minutes per side without touching, for a nice sear, or cook to an internal 75°C at the thickest part (bought breasts after all? 65°C for optimal juiciness). Rest 5 minutes under aluminum foil.
- 7
Warm the tortilla in a skillet on low-medium for 1 minute, flip, and immediately throw on the cheese to melt. The warm peppers and onions on top make it melt even faster.
- 8
Move to the cutting board. Slice the chicken into strips and build: chicken, tomato and cucumber, pickled peppers, a drizzle of the garlic sauce, a drip of hot sauce. Wrap it as well as you can.
- 9
Sear the wrap one more minute on the opening to seal it, it also gives the tortilla a lovely crunch. Cut in half and behold.
The vegan wrap
- 10
Toss the tofu in the same taco spice mix and grill it.
- 11
Grill the zucchini, pepper and onion alongside. Chop and save some cilantro for later.
- 12
Plant-based cheese on the tortilla, grill it in the pan, then add the veggies and tofu.
- 13
Pickled onions, tomato, the soy-yogurt version of the garlic sauce, cilantro on top. Roll it up and eat it up.
8 tools I used.
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