YUM! Chicken Wraps with Pico de Gallo and Buffalo Bleu Sauce

Let me tell you, these wraps are fantastic. I whipped them up on a whim years ago and they have since been a mainstay in my meal rotation. They are quick and easy and superbly delicious. The hubs raves for them and he’s a picky eater! I scored with this one.

What makes these wraps so great is they are versatile. If you are wary to feast on fried, they’re pretty good with grilled chicken too. But seriously, who are we kidding? Fried is fantastic and okay every now and then. Plus, these are “healthy” fried because they are pan-fried in coconut oil, and I can go on and on about the health bennys of coconut oil but I’ll save that rave for another post.

Also, you can switch up the add-ins and have a completely different taste. Like this: omit the Buffalo bleu sauce, switch the arugula for romaine, swap the cheddar for feta and instead of pico de gallo,  make a “Mediterranean-style” salsa with tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, red onion, oregano and red wine vinegar. There you go – you have a little taste of Greece.

But for now, here is my tried and true recipe for chicken wraps with homemade pico de gallo and Buffalo bleu sauce. Make them. Thank me later.

P.S.  I included step-by-step pictures and the ingredient list and instructions follow. 

For the chicken – chicken breasts, eggs, flour, Panko bread crumbs, paprika, salt and pepper. Oh, and coconut oil for frying. Be sure you use coconut oil, it’s in a league of its own over other cooking oils.

I like to use all-natural skinless, boneless chicken breasts and cut them into strips. If you wanna save time and effort you can use chicken breast tenders. They work just as well.

The dredging station. Shake in seasoned flour, bathe in whipped eggs, and coat in crunchy Panko. I like to used a covered bowl and coat the chicken in flour by shaking it in the bowl. Much faster and more efficient. Less mess too. 

I test the oil by dropping a Panko flake in it. If it bubbles up immediately the oil is hot enough. My pan is relatively small so I only cook 3 pieces of chicken at a time. You can do more in a bigger pan but don’t overcrowd the pan. If the pieces touch you’re crowding them.

Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side. They should be cut thin and will cook quickly.

This is what they will look like. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt while they are hot. Aren’t they pretty? Resist the urge to eat them before it’s time to assemble the wraps.

Fresh and easy! That is exactly what this pico de Gallo is…oh, yeah and delicious too. My secret…a little lime zest added for extra pop. Try it, you’ll never make your pico salsa without it again. Probably not, anyway.

Chop. Chop. Chop. And do a better job at seeding your tomatoes than I did.

Dice. Dice. Dice. Do your best to keep the onions the same size dice as the tomatoes.

The secret to my success. I once won second place at a salsa challenge with this pico de gallo. No joke. And zest was the key!

Juicy! This tool is awesome and works much better than squeezing with your bare hands. Especially if you have a paper cut.

I love cilantro. I’ve heard some people don’t like it at all. I just don’t understand that. You can put as much or as little of it as you’d like. I suggest a lot!

I only used half of this jalapeno and I removed all the seeds. I just love these wraps so much I’d rather my mouth not be on fire while I eat them. The choice is yours. To burn or not to burn.

Jax got in on the action. You really didn’t think I wasn’t going to include a picture of her in this post, did you? Yay Baby!

Beautiful, edible confetti. Make lots of this and eat it along side the wraps with tortilla chips.

Easiest sauce on earth. Two ingredients. I seriously love Frank’s wing sauce. I truly do put that $h!t on everything!

Lovely layers. This is what it looks like, waiting to be rolled and devoured. Sometimes I can’t wait and just fold and eat – giant taco style.

You will have extra chicken. Make leftover wraps with it or deconstruct them and simply eat the elements as a salad. YUM!

I’d love to know how much you loved these! So drop me a line after you make them, leave me a comment here or on Yay Baby’s Facebook page. Here is the ingredient list and instructions. Enjoy.

Crispy Chicken Wraps with Pico de Gallo and Buffalo Bleu Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
3 eggs
2 teaspoons Paprika, divided
1/4 cup coconut oil
kosher salt & black pepper
3 heaping tablespoons coconut oil for frying, more as needed
4 tomatoes
½ large yellow onion
1-2 limes (depending on how juicy they are)
1 bunch cilantro
1 jalapeno
4 burrito-size flour tortillas
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 cups baby arugula
½ cup refrigerated store-bought bleu cheese salad dressing
¼ cup Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce

For the chicken:

1. If using chicken breasts, trim away fatty parts and cut breasts into long strips.
2. In a medium bowl with a lid, mix flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. In a shallow dish mix panko with remaining paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Beat eggs in a shallow dish.
5. Melt coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
6. Working in batches, put chicken strips in bowl of flour mixture, cover and shake to coat each piece, repeat until all chicken pieces are done.
7. Place floured chicken pieces in egg bath, a few pieces at a time. Coat each side and shake off excess egg.
8. Roll chicken pieces in Panko until covered with a thick crumb coat.
9. Gently place chicken pieces in hot oil a few pieces at a time, turning heat to medium high. Do not over-crowd pan.
10. Flip chicken to other side when crumbs turn a crispy golden brown, approximately 4 minutes. Continue to cook on other side until chicken is thoroughly cooked. 8-10 minutes total .
11. Place chicken on paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
12. Put cooked chicken in warm oven until ready to assemble wraps

**You may need to add a bit more coconut oil if it runs low during the batch cooking.

For the pico de gallo:

1. Thoroughly wash tomatoes.
2. Cut in half and seed tomatoes. Discard seeds.
3. Dice tomatoes into small pieces and put into a bowl.
4. Peel and dice onion, try to keep the dice similar in size to the tomatoes. Add to bowl.
5. Tear off leafy tops of cilantro in a big handful, discard stems.
6. Chop cilantro using a rocking motion with the knife on the cutting board. Add to bowl with tomatoes and onions.
7. Wash limes. Using a microplane grate the zest directly into the bowl with the onions and tomatoes.
8. Slice limes in half and juice into the bowl, careful to catch and discard the seeds.
9. Cut jalapeño in half and scoop our seeds. I only I use half but feel free to use it all for extra heat. Finely mince the jalapeño and add to the bowl.
10. Add salt and pepper to taste.
11. Mix thoroughly, cover and chill until ready to use.

For the Buffalo bleu sauce:

1. Mix together the bleu cheese dressing and the Franks wing sauce.
2. Chill until ready to use.

Assembling the Wraps:

1. Warm tortillas in microwave or on stove top.
2. Place a big dollop the Buffalo bleu sauce on the warm tortilla and spread all around reaching to the edges.
3. Take a handful of arugula and distribute over the sauce.
4. Place 2-3 chicken strips on the mound of arugula.
5. Sprinkle the cheese over the warm chicken.
6. Add a big scoop of pico de gallo over the top of the chicken.
7. Roll like a burrito and secure with a tooth pick.
8. Slice on the diagonal and serve.

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I know you want to make these wraps. And if you leave a comment in last Friday’s post you could win a $25 Safeway gift card to buy all the ingredients! There is still a few days left to get your comment in. Don’t miss out.