How to Make a Healthy Crispy Chicken Wrap

Dried Cranberries, Lettuce, and Carrots Add Nutrition

Oct 30, 2009 Sapna Nayyar-Pellicane

Crispy chicken does not have to be unhealthy if frozen chicken nuggets of 200 calories or less are used. Whole-wheat tortillas and an interesting salad make it healthy.

Wraps are popular sandwich choices. They are basically flatbreads rolled up and served as sandwiches. Like their bread sandwich counterparts, they can use a wide variety of fillings, depending on individual taste.

According to New York State-based registered dietitian Karen Collins in a 2009 article on infozine.com, "one-ounce flatbreads and tortillas used for wraps often contain 70 to 90 calories, equal to one slice of bread." Some two-to three-ounce wrap breads, on the other hand, contain 110 to 60 calories, Collins adds. Portion size and choice of filling therefore make a big difference in the calorie and nutrient content, she concludes.

This recipe will make use of a light mayonnaise and/or low-fat blue cheese salad dressing spread, frozen chicken nuggets that have no more than 100-200 calories and no more than 30-70 calories from fat, dried cranberries, lettuce, and grated carrots. It will also use whole-wheat tortillas for the wraps. This is a far cry from many of the restaurant versions, which often use deep-fried chicken pieces, full-fat mayonnaise and/or full-fat blue cheese, a large amount of cheese, and white-flour tortillas. Chicken is a good source of protein but also becomes a high-fat source if deep-fried. Baking pre-cooked chicken nuggets or chicken wings takes some of the fat out and focuses more on the protein content.

Ingredients & Preparation Tips

• Frozen chicken nuggets or boneless wings with a calorie content of 200 or less should be used, and with no more than 30-70 calories from fat. Honey barbecue varieties of nuggets and/or wings can also be used alone or in combination with the regular variety.
• Romaine or iceberg lettuce can be used. Lettuce should be a proper green, firm and crisp to touch, and not wilted. Ready-made green salad can be substituted.
• Carrots should be bright orange and have a firm and crisp texture. Baby carrots are best, as they entail less work due to their small size. The cook could also use the grated carrot in a ready-made green salad. Special caution should be exercised while grating carrots. The last bit of the baby carrots can be carefully chopped off.
• Dried cranberries should be used. They should be a bright maroon-red and not shriveled-up.
• Light mayonnaise and/or low-fat or fat-free blue cheese salad dressing should be used. These light versions are more nutritious and just as tasty as the full-fat versions.
• Whole-wheat tortillas are recommended, as they contain more fiber than their white-flour counterparts. They are usually available in packs of 8 or 10 in grocery and convenience stores alike.

Healthy Crispy Chicken Wrap

Ingredients:

• 2 whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise, such as Miracle Whip or Hellmann's Mayonnaise (per tortilla)
• 1 tablespoon fat-free or low-fat blue cheese dressing (per tortilla), optional
• 1 packet (1 cup) iceberg or romaine lettuce, or ready-made green salad with grated carrots
• 1 cup baby carrots, grated, if using only lettuce
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 4 small chicken nuggets or 2 boneless chicken wings (per tortilla)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven and bake chicken nuggets and/or boneless chicken wings according to package directions.
2. Rinse the lettuce or packaged salad.
3. Rinse the baby carrots if using instead of ready-made salad. Pat dry with paper towel, and grate the baby carrots. Chop the remainder of the carrots. Add to the lettuce.
4. Add the dried cranberries to the lettuce and the carrots.
5. Briefly warm up a tortilla on a skillet on very low heat. Remove from heat and spread a thin layer of mayonnaise, and blue cheese dressing if using.
6. Scoop out a manageable portion of the salad. Top with the chicken nuggets and wings, and roll up. Cut in half and serve immediately. The wraps can be eaten either by themselves or with soup.

This healthy version of a crispy chicken wrap yields 4 small servings.

The copyright of the article How to Make a Healthy Crispy Chicken Wrap in Healthy Cooking is owned by Sapna Nayyar-Pellicane. Permission to republish How to Make a Healthy Crispy Chicken Wrap in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Crispy chicken can have fewer calories

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