Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Spicy shredded chicken with ranch, celery, and blue cheese crumbles in a flour tortilla.
Buffalo Chicken Wraps earns a permanent place in the rotation on arithmetic alone: a quarter of an hour from starting to sitting down, 6 ingredients, 4 steps, and 28g of protein a serving for 370 calories. The method is forgiving enough to improvise around once you have cooked it once.
Why this one works
A sandwich is the fastest route from hungry to fed, and it travels. These are built to be assembled quickly and to survive a lunchbox.
There is barely any cooking here. It is mostly assembly, which makes it a sound choice for the evenings when turning on the stove feels like too much.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
- 4 flour tortillas
- Ranch dressing
- Celery, diced
- Blue cheese crumbles
Notes on the key ingredients
Warm bread and tortillas before filling them. Thirty seconds in a dry pan makes them pliable instead of cracking.
Substitutions
- No tortillas? Use lettuce cups, pita, or a rice bowl base.
Instructions
- Toss chicken with buffalo sauce.
- Warm tortillas.
- Layer chicken, ranch, celery, and blue cheese.
- Roll tightly and slice in half.
Tips for getting it right
- Lay everything out before you start. Assembly goes fast and it is easier when nothing is still in the fridge.
- Taste before it reaches the table. Salt levels vary with the brand of broth, cheese and sauce you used, and this is the last point at which you can fix it.
- The ingredient list is short, so each item is carrying real weight. This is a recipe where the quality of what you buy shows up directly on the plate.
Storage, make-ahead and reheating
- Fridge: store the components separately for up to three days. Assembled, it will go soft within a few hours.
- Freezer: not recommended. The fresh elements turn watery on thawing.
- Packing a lunch: keep anything wet in a separate pot and combine at the last moment.
- Making it ahead: the prep work keeps well even when the finished dish does not. Chop and measure the night before and the 15 minutes on the night drops to closer to ten.
Variations
Make it vegetarian
Swap the protein for a tin of chickpeas or white beans, rinsed and added at the same point, or for pressed firm tofu browned first in a hot pan. Use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.
Dial the heat down
Halve the chilli element and serve something cooling alongside, such as plain yoghurt, sour cream or sliced avocado. Children will eat it happily at that level.
Make it gluten-free
Use a certified gluten-free pasta or grain, swap soy sauce for tamari, and check the broth, which is the ingredient that most often hides wheat.
Stretch it further
Adding a handful of greens, a tin of beans or an extra cup of cooked grain takes this from four servings to six without much change to the 15 minute timing.
What to serve with it
- A cup of soup
- Crisps or salted chips
- Crunchy raw vegetables with a dip
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 370 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 28g |
| Servings | 4 |
| Total time | 15 minutes |
Figures are estimates and will vary with the brands and exact quantities you use.
Common questions
How long does Buffalo Chicken Wraps take to make?
About 15 minutes from start to finish, including prep. If you chop and measure ahead of time, the active cooking is closer to 9 minutes.
Can I make this ahead of time?
The prep work can be done a day ahead, which cuts the time on the night substantially. The finished dish is best eaten soon after cooking, though leftovers keep for a few days.
How many does this serve?
Four as written, at 370 calories and 28g of protein a serving. It scales up cleanly if you have the pan space; just avoid crowding, which steams rather than browns.
Will children eat this?
Generally yes, though it helps to serve the stronger components on the side rather than mixed through, so they can be added or avoided plate by plate.