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
