For all of my school counseling career taking lunch to work was a daily activity. No grownup wants to fight their way through a school cafeteria line to pay for a Styrofoam cup of lukewarm tator tots. Lunch from home was usually a salad comprised of lettuce or spinach and whatever leftovers were hanging around. Almost anything could make the cut from grilled beef to cold baked beans. Microwave meals could be a standby, but not really practical since that required a long wait in the teachers’ lounge for a turn to heat up your lunch. It was a happy event when tortilla wraps suddenly became popular and easily available. All of that salad stuff could just get wrapped up the night before and be ready to go in the morning. It was pretty practical plus wildly convenient to have a handheld salad at the ready. I loved that concept so much that even though I rarely take a lunch anywhere, wrapping up a meal has become a fun way to serve dinner, to say nothing of being a family favorite. The hands down winner in this house is the easily customizable Chicken Caesar Wrap. It starts with grilled or baked chicken – usually that means leftovers from a previous dinner. Harking back to the days of the Sunset Caesar at Sunset Grill, no Caesar salad feels right without sundried tomatoes, that are simple to make at home. They take a second to get in the oven and then an hour left undisturbed to roast. Yes, sundried tomatoes are available at the store, but it these are awfully good!
Hardboiled eggs are another choice, plus toasted almonds and extra parmesan cheese. Then, of course, there is the salad. Who doesn’t love a good Caesar salad and it’s so easy to make. It starts with a big bowl -add a couple of spoons of mayonnaise (a great sub for raw egg) a squirt of lemon juice, a minced garlic clove, Worcestershire Sauce, parmesan cheese, and that wonderful ingredient – a squirt of anchovy paste. Mix it up, add in chopped romaine lettuce and that’s it. Time to serve.
Put out your big bowl of salad, a pile of flour tortillas, and a platter with chicken, tomatoes, eggs, cheese, and almonds. Add anything your crowd might like – black olives, croutons, and bacon bits all come to mind. The next step is to call everyone to the table to make their own wrap. No complaining – everyone gets what they want – and the cook gets the compliments. If you have a busy day or two this week, take this recipe for a wrap and roll. You’ll be very happy you did. Enjoy!
Ingredients (easy to double)
Cooked chicken breast, chopped into bite sized pieces (2-3 breasts is usually enough for 3 to 4 people – grilled, baked or rotisserie)
2 heads Romain lettuce, chopped
Flour tortillas
Dressing
3 Tbsp mayonnaise (prefer Canola oil type)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (more for serving)
2 Tsp anchovy paste or 1-2 jarred anchovies, mashed to a paste
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: sundried tomatoes*
Choices for serving: hard boiled eggs, toasted almonds, parmesan cheese, black olives, croutons, bacon bits
Directions
In a large salad bowl, combine dressing ingredients (may refrigerate until ready to serve).
Toss in lettuce and gently mix to coat.
On a serving platter arrange chicken, tortillas, and other choices for wraps.
Invite guests to make a Chicken Caesar Wrap – starting with a tortilla, adding salad and chicken, then any other ingredients to make it just the perfect wrap!
*Sundried Tomatoes:
1-pint cherry tomatoes, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp each salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Bake for one hour. Cool before removing from pan.
