Why You’ll Love This this Grilled Chicken Wrap
This grilled chicken wrap delivers that perfect balance of smoky, tangy, and fresh flavors that’ll make your taste buds do a little happy dance.
The mayo-based sauce gets a bright kick from white wine vinegar and lemon juice, while the pickle-tossed cabbage adds just the right amount of crunch and zing.
Plus, you can prep everything ahead of time and just roll these bad boys up when you’re ready to eat, which is basically my love language when it comes to weeknight dinners.
Ingredients List
You’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients to whip up these flavor-packed wraps that taste way fancier than the effort required.
- 2 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
- 1/2 cup canola mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
- 2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 2 teaspoons pickle juice
- 4 light flatbread sandwich wraps
- 4 sandwich cut pickles
Health Considerations:
- Using light flatbread wraps keeps the calories in check without sacrificing taste
- Canola mayo provides a lighter option than regular mayonnaise while still delivering that creamy texture
- The cabbage adds fiber and crunch without any extra calories, basically letting you feel virtuous while eating something delicious
- Grilling the chicken instead of frying keeps things on the healthier side, though to be frank, we’re mostly here for the flavor
Step by Step Directions
These wraps come together in about 20 minutes and deliver restaurant-quality flavor with minimal fuss. For the best grilled chicken results, consider using a premium outdoor grill that provides consistent heat distribution and temperature control.
- Prep the grill: Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Make the mayo mixture: Combine mayo, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and lemon juice in a small bowl, stirring well.
- Prepare the cabbage slaw: Combine 1 tablespoon vinegar, cabbage, and pickle juice in a medium bowl and toss.
- Season the chicken: Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
- Grill the chicken: Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill 6 minutes on each side or until done.
- Shred the chicken: Let cool, then shred the grilled chicken.
- Mix chicken with mayo: Combine shredded chicken and mayo mixture in medium bowl, tossing to coat.
- Assemble the wraps: Place 1 flatbread on each of 4 plates and divide chicken mixture evenly among flatbreads.
- Add toppings: Top each with 1/4 cup cabbage mixture and 1 pickle, then roll up.
- Serve: Cut each wrap in half diagonally before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use different wraps: Spinach tortillas, whole wheat wraps, or even lettuce cups if you’re doing that low-carb thing – though I’ll always vote for the regular flatbread because life’s too short.
- Add crunch: Crushed chips, toasted nuts, or crispy onions give these wraps some serious texture contrast that makes every bite interesting.
- Make it a salad: Skip the wrap entirely and serve all these components over greens – same flavors, different presentation, and you can tell yourself it’s healthier.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
These wraps are pretty satisfying on their own, but sometimes you want to turn lunch into more of a proper meal situation.
- Crispy potato wedges or sweet potato fries – something about that hot-cold contrast just works, plus you get to dip things in ketchup like you’re twelve again.
- A simple side salad with vinaigrette cuts through all that creamy mayo nicely, and honestly makes the whole plate look more grown-up if you’re trying to impress someone.
- Corn on the cob or grilled vegetables – since you already have the grill fired up, might as well throw some more stuff on there instead of wasting all that beautiful heat.
- Fruit salad or watermelon slices – the sweetness plays really well against the tangy pickle flavors, and it’s invigorating when these wraps get a little rich.
- Coleslaw – I know there’s already cabbage in the wrap, but hear me out, sometimes more cabbage is the answer, especially if you make it with a different dressing.
- Chips and dip – because sometimes simple is better, and who doesn’t love an excuse to break out the good salsa or that spinach artichoke dip you’ve been hoarding.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
A few little tricks can turn these wraps from good to absolutely crave-worthy, and trust me, some of these I learned the hard way.
- Don’t skip the chicken cooling step – I know you’re hungry, but hot chicken will make your mayo all weird and runny, plus it’ll wilt your cabbage into sad, limp submission.
- Pat that chicken completely dry before seasoning – wet chicken and grill grates aren’t friends, and nobody wants to eat rubber chicken that stuck to everything.
- Make extra mayo mixture because you’ll probably want to dip your potato wedges in it later, and also because measuring is annoying so why not just double it.
- Let the cabbage mixture sit for at least 10 minutes – the pickle juice needs time to work its magic and soften things up just enough.
- Warm your flatbreads for like 20 seconds in the microwave – cold, stiff wraps crack when you roll them, and then all your beautiful filling falls out like some kind of lunch tragedy.
- Roll tightly but not aggressively – think firm hug, not wrestling match, because nobody wants their wrap to explode mid-bite.
- Cut with a really sharp knife – dull knives just smush everything together into an unappetizing mess, and presentation matters even when you’re eating alone in your kitchen.
Nutritional Facts
Each wrap delivers a solid balance of protein and flavor without completely derailing your day. Here’s what you’re working with per serving:
- Calories: Approximately 385 per wrap
- Protein: 28 grams (thanks to that generous chicken portion)
- Carbohydrates: 32 grams (mostly from the flatbread)
- Fat: 18 grams (the mayo does its thing, but it’s not outrageous)
- Fiber: 4 grams (cabbage pulls its weight here)
- Sodium: 890 mg (pickles and mayo are the main culprits)
- Sugar: 3 grams (naturally occurring, nothing added)
- Cholesterol: 75 mg (standard for chicken breast)
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams (pretty reasonable for a mayo-based dish)
- Iron: 8% daily value (chicken and cabbage combo)
- Vitamin C: 15% daily value (cabbage is surprisingly good for this)
- Calcium: 6% daily value (mostly from the flatbread)
Fun “Did You Know?”
Beyond those nutritional numbers lies a collection of surprising facts that’ll change how you think about this simple wrap. Did you know chicken wraps originated from Middle Eastern flatbreads that traveled through Mediterranean trade routes?
The cabbage in your wrap contains more vitamin C than oranges, while pickle juice actually helps prevent muscle cramps during exercise.
Grilling chicken creates heterocyclic amines that give it that distinctive smoky flavor, and mayo was originally invented as a sauce for meat in 18th-century France.
Your simple lunch connects you to centuries of culinary evolution and unexpected nutritional powerhouses.
