Ginger-Peanut Chicken Salad Wraps

As far as I’m concerned, this post could very well be titled “ginger peanut lime sauce.” Because one taste of this sauce – this amazing, Asian-inspired, creamy dreamy sauce – will cause you to forget all about making wraps and instead instinctually ladle it into a gigantic soup bowl and slurp to your heart’s content, stopping only to wash it down with an icy cold pint of more wonderful ginger peanut lime sauce.

After all, what’s not to love about peanut butter, aromatic fresh ginger, lime juice, soy, garlic and red pepper whirled together into a fresh, citrusy, heavenly sauce? If you’re worried that a liquid meal would deprive your teeth of their God-given potential, give them something to sink into by filling in the blank.

“_____ with ginger peanut lime sauce.”

You choose. Beef? Pork? Tarantulas? I’m not one for exotic fare, but I swear, even raw, slimy snails would be nothing short of stupendous smothered in a sauce like this.

Or, of course, you could make these chicken salad wraps, because after all, they’re delicious, no matter how outshined they are by their own sauce. Chicken, cucumber, red pepper and cilantro make a perfect combo of flavors smothered in peanut butter based goodness and swaddled in lettuce and tortilla. 
 

I recommend making a double batch of sauce. Since this is a light recipe, the wraps surely won’t be drowning in sauce and if you like a little extra for dunking, you’ll be left empty handed. Plus, once you taste it, you’re going to wish you had extra to pour over veggies, noodles or shrimp later in the week.

Another tip: Store leftovers separately or all your sauce will soak into the chicken and the water from the cucumbers will dilute the flavors. Instead, store cucumbers and peppers together, and store the sauce separate from the chicken, then mix right before serving.

We absolutely loved this dish. I’m already contemplating future additions and tweaks. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that fresh, crunchy bean sprouts, matchstick carrots or chopped peanuts would be heavenly in this wrap. Next time, I’m definitely adding a little of each, maybe in lieu of the red pepper as it’s not my all-time fave veggie.

And for an extra healthy lunch, I may just loose the tortilla and make lettuce wraps. (No tortilla means room for more sauce!)

As I licked every last drop from my plate and fork, I wondered to myself if the chicken was a little jealous that the sauce, something that is supposed to merely enhance it, but instead stole the show? One will never know. However, I for one got jealous (enraged) when my hubby took it upon himself to lick the sauce bowl clean. He can have the brownie batter-lined bowl and the frosting-coated spoon, but don’t come between a girl and her ginger peanut lime sauce.

Ginger-Peanut Chicken Salad Wraps

Cooking Light, June 2000

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wrap)

Cookbook Note: You can substitute slices of breast meat from prepackaged rotisserie chicken, which makes the preparation easier, but the dish will be a little higher in fat and sodium.

Ingredients:

1  teaspoon  olive oil

6  (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

1  cup  chopped seeded peeled cucumber

3/4  cup  chopped red bell pepper

1 1/2  tablespoons  sugar

1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger

3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice

1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper

1  garlic clove, crushed

1/4  cup  creamy peanut butter

2  tablespoons  water

3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro

8  (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

4  cups  chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken from pan; cool. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place chicken, cucumber, and bell pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

Place sugar and the next 6 ingredients (sugar through garlic) in a blender, and process until smooth. Add peanut butter and water; process until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Add cilantro, and toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; top each serving with 1/2 cup lettuce, and roll up.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 280 (19% from fat), Fat: 5.9g (sat 1.1g,mono 2.7g,poly 1.6g), Protein: 25.8g, Carbohydrate: 30.5g, Fiber: 2.4g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Iron: 2.5mg, Sodium: 572mg, Calcium: 29mg.

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