Buffalo Chicken Wraps

 

It’s game time and you need something to serve at your next tailgate or game-viewing event. Your homemade buffalo wings are a huge hit with everyone, but they’re messy and hard to eat. It may seem like a dilemma, but believe it or not, there’s a simple solution. Turn those buffalo wings into a wrap! Yes, with pre-game planning, you can serve buffalo chicken wraps that will nourish any hungry fan!

The key to making this recipe easy and healthy is cooking the chicken in the slow cooker. This process takes a few hours, but saves you time when it comes to assembly. Slow cooking chicken in an aromatic broth makes it tender and flavorful without having to add extra fat or calories. Making a creamy blue cheese slaw out of low-fat Greek yogurt, a little bit of blue cheese and fresh celery and carrots is a fun way to add flavor and crunch. Top it all with hot sauce and your friends and family won’t even be thinking about those messy chicken wings.

This meal makes enough to serve a small crowd. If it’s just the two of you for dinner tonight, go ahead and make the whole recipe. Any leftovers can easily be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Save some carrots and celery along with the blue cheese dressing and store them separately in the refrigerator. Then simply toss just before serving.

Food Safety Tip: Did you know that you don’t need to wash your chicken? It’s true! Splashing water from washing the chicken actually spreads bad bacteria like Salmonella to your sink, countertops and other work surfaces and tools. Use chicken straight from the container and toss any packaging into the garbage. Then of course be sure to wash your hands, kitchen surfaces, cutting boards and utensils thoroughly with warm, soapy water.


Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Recipe by Sara Haas, RDN, LDN

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • ½ yellow onion, washed, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • ¼ cup hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
  • ¼ cup plain, low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 large or 3 medium celery ribs, washed, cut into thirds horizontally then thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 8 whole wheat tortillas

Directions

  1. To cook the chicken, add the onion, garlic and bay leaf to the slow cooker. Place chicken on top of the onion mixture and then pour broth over the top. Cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and transfer to a cutting board. Use two forks to pull chicken apart and shred.
  2. To prepare the sauce, in a mixing bowl whisk together the hot sauce, vinegar, olive oil and garlic.
  3. To prepare the slaw, combine the blue cheese and the Greek yogurt in a bowl. Gently mash the blue cheese with a fork and work into the Greek yogurt. Stir in the lemon juice and add the carrots and celery. Toss until vegetables are coated in dressing.
  4. To serve, place a ½ cup chicken down the middle of each tortilla. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of hot sauce and top with ¼ cup of slaw. Roll up tortilla and then slice in half. Serve immediately.

 

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Sara Haas
Sara Haas, RDN, LDN, is a Chicago-based dietitian and co-author of the Fertility Foods Cookbook. Read her blog, The Cooking RD, and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.