Wraps can be a simple way to serve grilled chicken, beef strips or leftovers. The chicken portobello wraps are topped with feta cheese and can be served with some fruit skewers.BRANT SANDERLIN/STAFF

Chicken wraps are a deliciously fast dinner feast

Web posted May 19, 1999

 Recipe

By Karin Calloway
Special Columnist

Quick as a stir fry and as much fun as burritos, today's recipe for chicken portobello wraps is an interesting recipe for supper success.

Wraps are popular lunch fare in restaurants, and they're simple to make at home. Combine boneless chicken breasts, portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese, then wrap them in a large flour tortilla for an unusual, restaurant-style dinner.

Preparation time is minimal. Purchase stir-fry-ready chicken, sliced portobello mushrooms and bagged baby spinach. You can use bagged sun-dried tomatoes, which you can reconstitute in water in your microwave, or a jar of the sliced, sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil.

Crumbled feta cheese, which is readily available at most supermarkets, saves another step.

The chicken is stir-fried for a few minutes in a large, hot skillet with garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Diced portobellos are added, and the mixture is sauteed until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. The sun-dried tomatoes and spinach are stirred in, and the mixture is covered to allow the spinach to cook down a bit. Then, simply place some of the mixture on a large flour tortilla, top with some of the crumbled feta, and fold like a burrito.

Stir-fry-ready meats are a boon for busy cooks. They provide just the right amount of meat, usually about 3/4 pound, for entrees that include vegetables, pasta or rice. Check the package to make sure the pieces of chicken are not too large. If they are, simply slice the chicken into pieces about a 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long.

Today's recipe, like last week's, calls for 5 ounces of bagged spinach. This is about half the amount available in most bags at the supermarket. If you want just the right amount for this recipe, look for the bagged organic spinach at your grocery store, which usually comes in 5-ounce bags. Or go ahead and get the bigger bag and toss the extra spinach into your next green salad, adding extra color and vitamins.

Be creative and think of other ways to ``wrap up'' your dinner. Next week, I'll give you a quick fajita recipe, but you can experiment with other combinations. Any stir-fry that doesn't have much sauce makes a great filling for wraps. It's also a great way to jazz up your leftovers. Almost any combination of leftover grilled meat or poultry, combined with vegetables and topped with cheese, would work. Imagine lamb with roasted red peppers, eggplant and feta, or steak with sauteed Vidalia onions and brie.

Serve your wraps with a side of chips or deli pasta salad and fruit skewers made from store-cut fruit from the produce department. For dessert, serve some ready-made cheesecake-flavored yogurt or pudding.

Chicken Portobello Wraps

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 pound stir-fry ready chicken breasts or 2 boneless, skinless breast halves cut into 2-inch strips

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic

6 ounces portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2 -inch-long strips

1/2 cup bagged sun-dried tomatoes* or 1/2 cup sliced, oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes, drained

5 ounces fresh spinach, washed and drained well

4 burrito-sized tortillas, at room temperature

4 ounces feta cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until chicken is cooked through. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until spinach is wilted.

Place 1/4 of mixture in center of each tortilla. Top each with 1/4 of the feta cheese. Fold in sides of tortillas and roll up, burrito-style. Slice in half and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

* If using bagged sun-dried tomatoes measure 1/2 cup (packed) of tomatoes and slice using a knife or kitchen shears. Place tomatoes in a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl and cover with water. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain well.

Karin Calloway is a corporate chef and free-lance writer. You can write her in care of Newsroom, The Augusta Chronicle, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30913. Or send e-mail to karingca@aol.com.