Crispy Chicken Wraps with tender and crispy breaded chicken strips. Fill the wrap with a layer of spicy mayo, crisp romaine lettuce leaves, tart pickles, and tangy homemade pickled red onions. Or load whatever you want into your crispy chicken wrap and serve it for lunch or dinner. Try this wrap with a green salad, pasta salad, or some loaded fries on the side.
These crispy chicken wraps make for the perfect lunch with spicy mayo, crisp romaine lettuce, pickles, crispy chicken strips, and pickled red onions all stuffed into a large flour tortilla.
To make the chicken strips super crispy, they are dipped into a flour batter and then coated with light and flaky panko breadcrumbs - the superior breadcrumb in my opinion. Panko breadcrumbs are made from crustless bread and the result is light and airy little flakes.
To fill the wrap I use romaine lettuce because I prefer it but you could also use shredded iceberg lettuce if you like that. I like the tangy crunch of pickles and pickled red onion with crispy chicken strips - the textures and tastes go together well especially when the chicken is spicy!
These chicken wraps come together pretty quickly - the chicken takes the longest but even that's only about 15-20 minutes of breading and frying. Mix together some mayo and Sriracha hot sauce and the wrap is ready to assemble.
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The secret to crispy chicken for this Crispy Chicken Wrap recipe is using chicken fillets (strips) so that the chicken fries quickly without burning. I also use panko breadcrumbs which are lighter, flakier, and crispier than traditional breadcrumbs. Finally, I add cornstarch to the batter which helps it crisp up better than flour alone.
Panko breadcrumbs are a type of flaky breadcrumb used in Japanese cooking to yield a super light and crispy coating on fried or baked recipes.
Ingredients
About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- the chicken: you can use either precut fillets from the grocery store or buy chicken breasts and cut them into strips.
- the breading: the chicken is lightly battered in a flour and spice batter and then coated with panko breadcrumbs for the crispiest coating.
- the wrap: this wrap starts with a sauce of spicy mayo then lettuce leaves, pickles, and pickled red onions, along with the crispy chicken strips. I love pickles with chicken burgers or wraps but you can use whatever you want in this wrap.
Instructions
Prep Tips
- prep your breading area with: a bowl with breadcrumbs, a bowl with the flour batter, and a plate to lay the breaded chicken on
- have all of your fillings out and ready to go once the chicken is done.
The crispy chicken is shallow fried in oil for this recipe. I don't use a thermometer when shallow frying, I just set my heat to about medium and test the oil with chopsticks. If the oil bubbles around the chopsticks when you stick them in standing straight up, the oil is ready.
If nothing happens when you put the chicken in, the oil isn't hot enough. If it splatters like crazy and quickly browns, the oil is too hot.
You can use a cooking thermometer to get the temperature right for frying. Chicken strips can be fried at 350°F - 375°F (175°C - 190°C).
To start, mix the dry ingredients for the batter. The dry ingredients are flour, cornstarch, and spices.
Add the water, stirring it in little by little until you have a thick pancake-like batter. You may or may not need all of the water.
Dip each chicken fillet in the batter to coat.
Then add each battered fillet to the breadcrumbs and turn to coat. As always, save one hand as the wet hand to dip the chicken in batter and place it in the breadcrumbs. Use your other hand as a dry hand to coat the battered fillet in breadcrumbs and move them to a plate for cooking.
Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on the first side and then flip. I like using chopsticks but you could also use tongs.
Cook the chicken for another few minutes on the other side, until fully cooked. You'll need to do this in 2-3 batches, depending on how much chicken you have. Move cooked chicken pieces to a cookie cooling rack and sprinkle with a touch of kosher salt.
To assemble the wrap, spread with spicy mayo.
Then layer on the lettuce, pickles, pickled red onion, and then a few of the crispy chicken strips.
Fold in two sides of the tortilla.
Fold the bottom side up and over.
Keep rolling until the wrap is closed.
Cut the wrap in half and serve.
What to serve with these Chicken Wraps?
- Pearl Couscous Salad or Chickpea, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Roasted Broccoli and Carrots or Roasted Root Vegetables
- Spicy Garlic Noodles or Sesame Noodles
RECIPE TIP: Health Canada recommends cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
Substitutions
> Want it spicy? Either add some cayenne powder or hot sauce to the batter when mixing or coat the fried chicken strips in buffalo sauce (an even mixture of melted butter and a Louisiana-style hot sauce like Frank's hot sauce)
> Want different fillings? Try iceberg lettuce or spinach instead of romaine. Try a different sauce like mayo and mustard or my ranch dressing recipe. Skip the pickles and add sliced tomato and cucumbers.
Equipment
You don't need any special equipment to make this recipe. To fry the chicken, I use a large wide skillet and then I shallow fry it instead of deep frying. I find this easier than deep frying, especially for people who are new to frying.
I like to use wooden chopsticks to turn the chicken strips over while frying. I find this gives me the control I need but you can use a pair of tongs instead if it's more comfortable for you.
Always flip the chicken away from you in case the oil splatters and spits!
Storage
Store leftover chicken in the fridge and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes or until hot.
I would not recommend making the wraps too much ahead of time as the chicken won't be crispy anymore.
More recipes with chicken
Recipe
Crispy Chicken Wraps
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken fillets (or chicken breast cut into strips)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 4 large Flour tortillas
- â…“ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Make the batter: Mix together the flour, cornstarch, and spices. Add cold water, a little at a time, whisking. You should have a thick batter.
- Coat the chicken: Dip each chicken fillet in batter and then in panko breadcrumbs. Save one hand as your wet hand to dip the chicken in the batter and then drop it into the breadcrumbs. Use the other hand as your dry hand to coat the chicken in breadcrumbs and move it to a plate for cooking.
- Fry the chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a bit of oil to shallow fry the chicken. Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.
- Assemble the wrap: Spread spicy mayo onto the wrap and then layer on the lettuce, pickles, pickled red onions, and chicken strips. Fold the wrap up and cut in half to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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Heidi
Do you think this would keep in a lunchbox for my husband. I was thinking of making the chicken ahead and cutting it the morning of and having it as a cold chicken wrap. I would think if I used lettuce against the wrap it would keep it all from getting soggy.
Jacqueline Piper
Yes I think if you used the lettuce like that and kept the sauce inside (or on the side), then the chicken might not be as crispy as when you first serve it but the wrap wouldn't get soggy, so I think that would work well 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Jacqueline