BBQ Chicken Naan Wraps

So it has been quite a while since I've posted anything.  I feel like I'm doing and making a thousand different things that I want to share, but the problem is that I'm so busy doing them that I don't have any time left over to actually share anything about them! :)

One thing that I've wanted to post for a long time now is this delicious recipe that has become a weekend staple for Chad & me.  We've been making it almost every weekend for months now (sometimes twice a week even), and every time we have it Chad always pauses halfway through and says, "Yeah, this has got to be one of my favorite meals ever."  We've dubbed this awesomeness: BBQ Chicken Naan Wraps.  I was not at all familiar with naan until late last summer when Chad's mom introduced us to this delicious bread!  She made us a very similar recipe that was so good we decided we had to recreate it!

There are so many reasons I love this meal besides the fact that it tastes amazing.  It is so easy and fast to make that it's one of those "last minute" meals for me (or in our case lately, a great "weak end to the weekend" meal, for when we have a lot of things to get done and I don't want to or have the time or energy to spend all evening in the kitchen).  Plus, it's super easy to customize it to your own specific tastes just by making small changes.  For us this is also a tag team meal so it involves both of us, and not only do I love that I don't have as much work to do, but also that we're spending more time together.  I defrost and season the chicken, and then while Chad is doing the actual grilling, I get out all the yummy condiments. Easy peasy.  Another reason I'm really happy about this meal is that I've been trying to make sure Chad & I eat healthier lately, and while I haven't calculated the calorie aspect of it, I'd say this is fairly healthy based on everything that goes in it!

This recipe is something that, had I seen it in a cookbook or food blog, I would have skipped right over it.  It just doesn't seem like my style of food, but I'm so glad that I gave it a try that first time!

To start off this meal, I usually just grab 1 boneless skinless chicken breast out of the freezer and defrost it in my microwave.  If you're wondering size-wise, I usually go for one that is around 7-10 oz.  Then I cut that into usually about 5-8 long, thin strips.  I try to keep them small enough that they can easily fit into a wrap, but large enough that Chad doesn't lose them down the grates of the grill.  Also, sometimes at my grocery store they have chicken "cutlets" which are great for this as well because they are usually already about the same size and shape as the strips I cut out of the chicken breast.  If I'm using those instead of the chicken breast, I usually grab about 3-6 depending on how big they are. (I sometimes cut any of the larger cutlets into 2 smaller strips or do this later after they've been grilled, when I put them on the naan).

(At this point let me just say that this recipe is not really a recipe at all.  I pretty much just eyeball everything that I use so please view any measurements I mention as mere suggestions and ballpark guesses of what I probably use - I really never measure any of the ingredients for this particular meal.  You really can't go wrong.)

So after those are nicely portioned, I very generously sprinkle Garlic Powder and Season All over them, making sure they are very well covered.  Then flip them over and do the same to the underside.  I probably use about a tsp of each of the seasonings, but since I don't measure, this is about how they look when I'm done:

 

Then I just pour over them a few globs of Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse BBQ Sauce and rub that into them with my fingers.  Again, flip them over and make sure they are completely covered.

Meanwhile Chad comes and whisks those away to the grill.  He usually has the grill preheated to about 450-500 degrees F. and does them for about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Mmm! The BBQ sauce on these gets the outsides so crisp and smoky around the grill lines and it's still so tender and moist inside - the flavor is great!

There are 4 types of Stonefire Naan according to their website.  My grocery store carries 3 of them, and the 4th one (Sweet Chili flavor), I don't feel at all tempted to try anyway.  But I have used all 3 of the other flavors to make this wrap and they are all equally delicious, so really just pick whichever one sounds best to you.  The options are: Original, Garlic, & Whole Grain.

On the top sorta bubbly side of these, I sprinkle a small amount of garlic powder because Chad and I both looove garlic, but you can skip this step if you're not wild about it, especially if you're already using the "garlic" flavored naan.  (Although, I usually just end up going ahead and sprinkling garlic powder on that one, too).  Then flip it over to the bottom flat side and pour a small about of olive oil onto each piece of Naan.  I usually just rub this all around the back surface with my fingers to spread it out, but you can use a basting brush if you prefer.  I probably only use about a 1/4 tsp of this - you really just need enough to slightly moisten the back simply so it doesn't stick to the grill grates.

Chad adds these to the grill during the last two minutes of cooking the chicken, flat oiled side down.  He says they shouldn't stay on the grill for anymore than 2 minutes at the absolute longest or they will get hard and crumbly.  At 2 minutes though, they are soft and warm, with gorgeous grill lines on the bottom-side.

After the grilling is done, assemble the wraps by laying the naan on its flat grilled-side down, and then add half the grilled chicken to each and the condiments of your choice.  Really you can use whatever you want, but the ones I recommend are: mayo, lettuce, tomato, sweet onion, olives (Kalamata, green, or black), 7 day sweet pickles, and shredded cheese (cheddar & Monterey Jack is great on this).  My absolute favorite combination of these is mayo, tomato, sweet onion, 7 day sweet pickles, and shredded cheese.

I don't know if you have access to 7 day pickles - they are usually pretty easy to find at local markets or produce stands - but if you can't find them, I highly recommend finding a recipe and making them yourself just to put them in this wrap.  There is something about the way their tangy, sweet flavor melds with the BBQ chicken that is just amazing.  It's good without them, but I'm almost tempted to say that they are what really make this wrap so delicious for me!

So really it's as fast and easy as that.  The pictures don't do it justice! You just have to try it for yourself! Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Naan Wraps

Yield: 2 large wraps

Ingredients:

1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (about 7-10 oz.) -or- about 3-5 chicken cutlet strips

1 tsp (or to taste) Garlic Powder

1 tsp (or to taste) Season All

1/4 cup (or to taste) BBQ Sauce (I use Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse Barbeque Sauce)

1 package Stonefire (Original, Garlic, or Whole Grain) Naan

1/2 tsp olive oil, divided in half

1/4 tsp garlic powder, divided in half

Condiment suggestions:

Mayo (I use light)

Lettuce

Cherry Tomatoes, sliced or diced

Sweet Onion, slivered or diced

Olives (Kalamata, Green, or Black)

7 Day Sweet Pickles

Shredded Cheese