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Southwestern Chicken Wrap – easy lunch ideas are hard to come by. These chicken wraps come together in minutes, you can make them ahead, and the creamy spicy sauce makes them extra tasty!

This Crispy Southwest Chicken Wrap is an easy family dinner or easy lunch recipe that will be ready to serve in just 25 minutes! It comes packed with crispy or grilled chicken, fresh vegetables, black beans, and a delicious southwest dressing. This chicken wrap recipes is sure to become part of your family dinner rotation!

Do you ever have days when you can’t think of exactly what you should serve for lunch or dinner? I’m pretty sure this problem is widespread.

Southwestern Chicken Wraps are so good and are loaded with health-promoting ingredients. This recipe could easily become your go-to default lunch solution.

The Best Southwest Chicken Wrap

I like to keep our family dinners, and lunch recipes simple and easy, and this Southwest Chicken Wrap is one of our favorites. I love how versatile wrap recipes can be. Simply add in your protein, layer with your favorite veggies, and top with a delicious homemade dressing.

This Southwest Chicken wrap is easy enough to have prepared for any weeknight dinner, or meal prep and have them for an easy on the go lunch.

I am all about easy dinners ideas and lunches. If I can make something that is perfect for dinner and doubles as easy lunch ideas I am super happy. And these chicken wraps make life easier when everything else is crazy busy. Plus they have my favorite Mexican flavors and my ultimate weakness….Fritos!

I am on a wrap kick lately, and love that they can be a make ahead meal or an easy last minute dinner.

So if you are looking for make ahead meals as we get into back to school and the end of summer remember this chicken wrap recipe.  My son loves taking them for his lunch at school, and I love that I can make them on the weekend and he can take them all week long.  Weekday mornings are super easy that way.

Ingredients Needed For Southwestern Chicken Wraps

Makes 8

• 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 cup corn kernels frozen, thawed
• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup sour cream
• 8 burrito-size tortillas

Southwest Chicken Wrap Instructions

1. In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, corn, black beans, spinach, bell pepper, and cheese until equally mixed.
2. In a smaller bowl, stir together the taco seasoning, salsa, and sour cream. Add the combined dressing to the chicken mixture and toss until blended.
3. Divide the mixture and place a portion in the middle of one tortilla. Roll the burrito, tucking the sides, until completely rolled up.
4. If desired, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

TORTILLA TIP:

For more pliable tortillas and a better-finished result, (aka no splitting or cracking) warm your tortillas up just a little right before rolling the wraps. 

You can do this by loosely laying a tortilla inside of a damp paper towel and microwaving it for 10-15 seconds. Immediately put the filling into the middle and roll the wrap-up burrito style. 

Warm every single tortilla right before filling, so they don’t have a chance to cool off before you use them. If you’ve never rolled burritos or wraps before, check out an instructional YouTube video. 

I have a weakness for Fritos corn chips, so they are the crunch in these Southwestern chicken wraps.  You can use rotisserie chicken, chicken strips, grilled chicken…you name it. It all works. The sauce it what brings it all together and makes it amazing.  And it is super simple too!  Seriously just sour cream, taco seasoning and salsa. But it is so good!  I make a similar dressing for Taco Pasta Salad and that combination just works!

CAN YOU MAKE THIS CHICKEN WRAP RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME

Yes, you definitely can.  I completely assemble the wraps and then secure with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 2-3 days.  The fritos might not be as crunchy, but it is still delicious and great to grab and go for work or school.

What kind of chicken can I use in this wrap?

For the chicken wrap you can use frozen breaded or grilled chicken tenders, fresh grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, or leftover chicken. If you are using breaded chicken you calories and fat are going to be a little higher than if you were to use grilled chicken tenders. The thing I love about this recipe is how easy it is to throw together.

What are the best tortillas to use for a wrap?

There are quite a few different varieties of tortillas that you can use. I wouldn’t recommend using corn tortillas because they will fall apart once you add the southwest dressing and toppings. My favorite flour tortillas to use are whole wheat, protein, low carb, or spinach tortillas.

HOW SHOULD I COOK THE CHICKEN FOR THIS CHICKEN WRAP RECIPE?

Here are some of my favorite leftover chicken to use:

• Rotisserie
• Frozen chicken strips (these air fryer frozen chicken tenders work great!)
• Grilled chicken breasts
• Chicken thighs

Basically, any baked, grilled, roasted, or air fried chicken will work!

Making wraps is perfect for using leftovers too! For a faster and easier start to finish, buy a package of already cooked, shredded chicken.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STORE THESE SOUTHWEST CHICKEN WRAPS AND HOW LONG WILL THEY KEEP?

Once your wraps are made and rolled up, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Another way to store for later is to make your filling and store it in an airtight covered container in the fridge for 4-5 days. When you want to serve, just warm up a tortilla, add filling and roll a fresh wrap or wraps to eat right then.

How to store leftover Southwest chicken wraps

Southwest chicken wrap ingredients are best stored in separate containers to prevent all the ingredients from getting soggy. Store them in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you are ready, re-heat chicken and assemble wraps like the recipe instructions below.

How to grill a chicken wrap?

If you prefer your wraps to be crunchy on the outside and melty cheese on the inside, trying to grill your wrap on a grill or in a skillet.

• After rolling your wrap tightly, place seam side down on a hot grill or skillet.
• Flip it over after 2-3 minutes and grill the other side.
• If your wrap starts to open a bit, just stick a toothpick in the middle!!

CAN I FREEZE THESE SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN WRAPS?

I don’t recommend freezing them. The fresh ingredients, especially the vegetables, will not hold up well if they’re frozen. There’s no way to avoid sogginess when they thaw out.

You can certainly use cooked meat that has been frozen and then thawed out for this recipe. This is an excellent shortcut and will not compromise the outcome at all.

IS THERE A WAY TO MAKE A VEGAN VERSION OF THESE SOUTHWEST CHICKEN WRAPS?

Yes! There are lots of ways to convert this recipe to make it vegan or vegetarian friendly. You can simply swap out the chicken for a plant-based product, like baked tofu and sub in vegan cheese and vegan sour cream.

Leaving out the meat and filling in the gaps with more veggies and more beans will work, too. Vegan options are getting better and better and easier to find all the time.

DOES IT MATTER WHICH KIND OF TORTILLAS I USE FOR THIS RECIPE?

I don’t recommend corn tortillas for these wraps, but any large flour-based tortillas will do great. Whole wheat, white or the flavored varieties that have some spinach or sweet potato included are just fine.

Choose gluten-free if you need to. If you’re not a fan of flour products, that’s not a problem either. Make your wraps using fresh lettuce leaves instead!

Can I make this chicken wrap into a salad?

Yes!!! One of my favorite things to do if I’m not feeling like a wrap, is to make a nice hearty chicken salad. Simply layer lettuce, tomato, corn, black beans, cheddar cheese, and chicken. Top with a drizzle of the Southwest dressing, and you have yourself and delicious salad recipe.

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