I still had a few carrots in my fridge and half of a rotisserie chicken, so I decided to mix them up into a delicious chicken Caesar salad and stuff them into a wrap. These Chicken Kale Caesar Wraps were the perfect no-cook, cold lunch or light dinner for this hot weather. No, wait, “hot” is an extreme understatement. Scorching? Steam bath? Let’s just say it’s so hot that I don’t feel like cooking or eating anything hot. …But I still need to eat something other than popsicles.
What Kind of Kale Should I Use?
I used Lacinato kale, or “dino” kale, for these wraps because it’s just a tiny bit more tender than the curly variety. For that reason I really like to use it in recipes where the kale is not cooked. Plus, Lacinato kale leaves are fairly flat and smooth, so they’re much easier to cut and work with. Even though Lacinato kale is slightly more tender, it still holds up really well to the dressing, so you can keep the dressed filling for the wraps in the fridge for a few days without much change in texture. I love that!
What Else is in the Wrap?
I also added some shredded carrot for color and texture, a little bit of Parmesan for extra umami, and my leftover chopped up rotisserie chicken to make a fairly well rounded filling for the wraps. I almost grabbed a bag of croutons to toss in there for extra crunch, too, but at the last minute decided to keep them simple. Even though sesame seeds are very Caesar salad-like, I think they would be an interesting addition to these wraps. And, if you *happen* to have extra bacon or bacon bits (I don’t know has extra bacon laying around, but IF you do…) OMG that would be so good in the wraps.
What Kind of Caesar Dressing Should I Use?
Some Caesar dressings are creamy, some are more like a vinaigrette (like this one from Ken’s Steakhouse). For these wraps I prefer a creamy Caesar dressing. This time I used a creamy caesar made by Girard’s, but Ken’s also makes a nice creamy Caesar.
How Long Do The Wraps Stay Good?
If you plan to make these Kale Chicken Caesar Wraps ahead of time, I suggest mixing up the filling and refrigerating that separately from the wrap itself. Then just fill and fold the wrap the morning of or night before you plan to eat it. The mixed filling should hold up for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Kale Chicken Caesar Wraps
Servings 4 wrapsIngredients
- 1 bunch lacinato kale (about 5 cups chopped) ($1.50)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($1.15)
- 2 carrots ($0.24)
- 1/2 rotisserie chicken (2 cups chopped) ($3.50)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.41)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ( $0.03)
- 1/4 cup creamy Caesar dressing ($0.53)
- 4 large tortillas (burrito size) ($1.20)
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the kale leaves by running a sharp knife along each side of the stem from top to bottom. Stack the de-stemmed leaves, then cut crosswise into thin strips. Place the chopped kale into a colander and rinse well with cool water. Let as much water drain away as possible. Use a salad spinner of blot with a clean, lint-free towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Place the cleaned and dried kale into a large bowl.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Peel the carrots, then shred them using a large holed cheese grater. Remove the chicken meat from the carcass, then roughly chop into small pieces. Add the chickpeas, carrots, chopped chicken, and Parmesan to the bowl with the kale.
- Add 1/4 cup Caesar dressing to the bowl, then stir until everything is evenly coated. Add one heaping cup of the salad mix to the center of a large tortilla. Add some freshly cracked pepper, if desired. Fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll it up like a burrito. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to a day.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Kale Chicken Caesar Wraps – Step by Step Photos
I like Lacinato kale for salads because it’s just a bit more tender than curly leaf kale and it’s flat shape makes it a little easier to work with. I used one bunch, but since all bunches vary in size, it ended up being about 5 cups once chopped. Before chopping, remove the stems by running a knife down each side of the stem from top to bottom.
Once the stems are removed, stack the leaves and cut crosswise into strips (about 1/4 inch thick).
Rinse the kale really well and allow as much water to drain away as possible (I like to give the colander a little shake).
You really want the kale to be dry so that the dressing sticks to the leaves instead of getting watery and sliding right off. Plus, watery wraps are not good. So, use a salad spinner or roll the chopped kale up in a clean, lint-free towel to absorb excess moisture.
Peel two carrots, then shred them using a large holed cheese grater. Also drain and rinse one 15oz. can of chickpeas.
Pull the meat from half of a rotisserie chicken, then give it a rough chop so that it is in small pieces. It should be about two cups once chopped.
Add the kale, chickpeas, carrots, chicken, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan to a bowl.
Add 1/4 cup of creamy Caesar dressing, then stir until everything is coated in dressing. I thought I was going to have to add more dressing at first, but I just kept stirring and eventually, the dressing was distributed.
Add about one heaping cup full of the salad mixture to the center of a large, burrito-sized tortilla.
Fold in the sides, then roll the filling up like a burrito. Enjoy! Chicken Kale Caesar Wraps – I light lunch for HOT days!
This will definitely be one of my go to recipes for lunches I can pack for work! I had to sub spinach for the kale and turkey for the chicken but it still turned out so good and it was insanely easy to make.
So I just wanted to add that I ended up getting 7 wraps out of this recipe even though it says 4 servings. And that was with my burrito size tortillas being so full I could barely wrap the filling!
If you don’t have caesar dressing, you can make your own mini batch for this recipe. A lot of caesar salad recipes online include a small batch of dressing (I used mayo, lemon juice, garlic, fish sauce, and EVOO).
I put the dressing in little condiment cups so the mix would hold up longer in the fridge for meal prep, then mixed everything together and put it in the tortilla the day of.
Also, I pan fried one large chicken breast for this instead of rotisserie. Flavor Mosaic’s website has a really good rotisserie chicken seasoning.
Beth, these were fantastic when we were camping! I made the filling ahead of time and all we had to do was wrap them up for lunches. Thank you for another great recipe!
These are great! I recommend making a batch and using them for quick work week lunches.
Such a delicious recipe. For once I didn’t mind taking the same thing for lunch every day. Thanks for sharing!
Totally delicious and keeps well for multiple days of lunches. The chickpeas are a nice touch.
Hey Beth, just wanted to say thanks for another terrific recipe! Your website has become my go to source for healthy and delicious recipes for my family. Your instructions are easy enough to follow even for a (very) amateur cook like myself and it’s always great to save some money at the grocery store too. Thanks for all that you do!
Thank you, Jeff!