Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wraps

It's still summer and quite hot outside, so I pulled out another recipe we love from my recipe file labeled sandwiches.  I consider a wrap a sandwich because the filling is enclosed in a tortilla (which is sort of like bread) and it is held while eating it.  For those of you who don't like spicy foods, this is not super spicy.  The heat doesn't come from the salsa, but from the cayenne pepper, so you can adjust the amount you use to suit your taste.

This sweet and spicy wrap gets 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.  It comes under the healthy food category as it has fresh spinach leaves and cucumber and the chicken is a lean meat.  I found this recipe in a Pillsbury recipe book at the check out stand in the market in 2010.  The recipe indicated that Shreya Sasaki of San Diego, was the author.

The sweet component in this wrap comes from the spread.  In a small bowl, I mixed together mayonnaise, honey and finely diced cucumber.

I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator until I was ready to build the wraps.  It's always a good idea to keep any food items containing mayonnaise in the refrigerator for as long as possible and discard any leftovers that have been at room temperature for a long time.

To prepare the chicken, which is the spicy component, the recipe called for 1.25 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to be cut into 1/4-inch strips and cooked in a frying pan in olive oil.  The evening I made this, I didn't have much time to put dinner together, so I used the already cooked chicken strips that can be found in most markets, plus Costco.  I still put the chicken in a skillet to heat  and to make sure the seasoning and salsa got cooked into the meat.

Once the chicken was heated through, I added the salsa and cayenne pepper, stirring until everything was completely combined.  I then turned off the heat and let this mixture cool a little while moving on to the next step.

I heated my flour tortillas in the microwave so they wouldn't break when folding the wraps.  I took the spread from the refrigerator and spread about 2 tablespoons of this mixture down the middle of the tortilla.

Using the baby spinach that comes washed and ready to use straight from the bag, I placed a small handful on top of the spread.

On top of the spinach, I placed some of the chicken.

Instead of rolling it, I chose to fold it into an open burrito.  I begin by folding up the bottom.

Then I fold in the left side.

Finally, I fold in the right side and secure it with a toothpick.  I have found that this recipe makes more of the spread than we need for one meal, so I usually make up another batch of the chicken later in the week and we have it again.  I also like to keep some of the spread, chicken and spinach leaves in the refrigerator for a quick wrap that can be put together in no time.  Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wraps

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.25 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips

2/3 cup mild salsa

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

8 soft taco size flour tortillas

4 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves (about 4 oz.)

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, cucumber and honey.  Cover; refrigerate until needed.  In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot.  Add chicken; cook, stirring frequently, 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Stir in salsa and cayenne pepper.  Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until flavors are blended.  Microwave 4 tortillas at a time on High for 20 to 30 seconds or until warm and pliable.  Spread each tortilla with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mayonnaise mixture; layer with 1/2 cup loosely packed spinach leaves and 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture.  Fold or roll; serve.