A typical conversation this summer for me and Chanel has been about what to eat for lunch. Seriously. We go through this conversation nearly every day we are together. After walking early in the morning with the kiddos to beat the heat, we are generally pretty hungry, but also really hot. The combination of those two things makes us irritable (hangry, perhaps) and indecisive. Being hot does not make anything that could be very filling sound particularly appetizing.
During one of these endless conversations, Chanel finally said she wanted buffalo chicken. I immediately said no. It's not really a secret, but I'll share it again for those who don't know: I hate messy foods. I absolutely can not eat things that make me messy while I am eating them, it ruins the whole experience to me, not enhances it. This mean that things like wings, ribs, drippy ice cream cones, and the like are immediately off the list.
The second she said Buffalo chicken, I thought of all the sticky wing sauce and nixed that right away. But she persisted. So we finally worked out a way to appease us both - shredded buffalo chicken wraps! They came out with immense flavor, moist-fall-apart chicken, and wrapped up with veggies for a super filling, but light lunch. The final bonus? They all came together really fast and with not a whole lot of ingredients.
Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Makes about 4 Large Burritos
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 2-3 cups of chicken broth
- 1-2 cups of buffalo sauce (we used Frank's)
- 4 large burrito-sized tortillas
- Spinach, for garnish
- Red onion, sliced, for garnish
- Avocado, sliced, for garnish
- Blue cheese crumbles, for garnish (optional)
- Blue cheese dressing (we used Brianna's, my absolute favorite)
- 2 tbs. butter
In a stock pot, over high heat, combine 2 cups of chicken broth with 1 cup of buffalo sauce. Add your chicken breasts*, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly, so it is gently boiling, cover and boil until the chicken is cooked through.**
*If this amount of liquid isn't enough to cover the tops of your chicken, add more chicken broth and/or buffalo sauce depending on your spice preference. I do not recommend attempting to boil chicken in just the sauce alone, it will stick and burn to the bottom of your pot and your chicken will not absorb enough moisture.
**Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, cooking time will vary. You will want to stir the pot every five minutes or so to ensure your chicken doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Crock Pot Variation: I'm sure you could achieve the same results with a crock pot. I would set the crock pot on low and let it cook for six hours, tear the chicken in to smaller pieces, then cook on high for 30 minutes to an hour, if need be.
While your chicken is cooking, prepare and slice your wraps. We used chopped spinach, sliced red onion and avocado.
Once you chicken is cooked, you will want to use two forks to pull it apart into smaller chunks, while it is still simmering in the pot. You are not shredding it all the way, just pulling it into the smaller pieces it will break into with little effort. Allowing the smaller pieces to simmer in the sauce for longer will make the chicken pieces more moist and flavorful. Continue this process every five minutes or so until the chicken is very tender.
Remove the pot from the heat, and using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken from the pot to a mixing bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken to your desired size. Give it a taste and drizzle some buffalo sauce over it and toss together.
Heat a large non-stick skillet (or flat top) over medium-high heat.
Assemble your wraps. We layered chicken, topped with spinach, onion and then avocado. We drizzled a little buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing over top. Then we wrapped up our burritos.
Melt your butter in the skillet, it should be bubbling. Place your wraps seam side down onto the skillet and using a flat spatula, apply pressure to the top to keep it from rolling over or popping open. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown, then carefully roll it over, and using your spatula to keep the bottom closed, repeat this process for the top side of the burrito. Transfer to a plate, drizzle with blue cheese dressing, buffalo sauce, and garnish with some avocado and enjoy!