First posted: Jan 3, 2017
Quick Cajun Chicken Wraps
A Cajun spice mix is a blend of Native American, French, Spanish and African flavours that’s unique to the US state of Louisiana. It’s fiery and packed full of flavour and on the whole, pretty amazing. It’s also a way to dress up a fairly ordinary set of chicken strips and turn them into something worth having a party for.
Cajun food embodies a lot that I love when it comes to food – it’s about cooking simple, eating local and making sure there’s enough to share. Besides being great for feasting, these make snazzy lunch-box fillers, just what we need as we all head back to our desks after the holidays. Also, there’s a recipe for Avo Mayo here that you HAVE to try.
Ingredients
Cooks in: Serves:4
For the Filling- 2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced lengthways
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- mixture of 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, ground coriander, sweet paprika and dried thyme (or use a pre-mixed Cajun seasoning)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole sweetcorn on the cob (optional)
- 4 tortilla wraps (see below)
- 1/2 cup avocado mayonnaise (see below)
- fresh salad greens, for serving
- 1 lemon or lime, quartered
- 1 egg
- 1/2 clove garlic (optional)
- 1/2 avocado, de-pipped, peeled and roughly chopped
- juice of 1 lemon or lime
- small handful fresh basil or coriander leaves
- 3/4 cup mild flavoured oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup warm water, plus a little extra if necessary
- 2 cups plain flour (or wholewheat, or half of each)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
What to do
For the Filling 2. Remove from the heat, set aside and slice into 1 cm slivers on the diagonal. 3. In the same pan, chargrill the sweetcorn in a little olive oil and then slice off the kernels. 4. Wipe the pan clean and heat the wraps for about 45 seconds on each side. Lay flat, spread with about 1 Tbsp avocado mayonnaise, scatter over a few fresh greens and top with the chicken slices. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and serve immediately. For the Avocado Mayonnaise For the Homemade Tortillas (Wraps) 2. Add the remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix well with a whisk or spoon to evenly distribute the baking powder. Add in three-quarters of the butter and water mixture, and mix until combined and it has a breadcrumb consistency. Then continue mixing until you have a smooth dough, adding in the extra butter water if necessary. 3. Rest the dough, at room temperature and covered with clingfilm, for about 15 minutes. 4. Divide the dough into about 10 golfball-sized pieces, roll out to 5 mm thick (or roughly the same size as your pan) and cook individually in a dry pan over medium-high heat until both sides are golden and blistered. Wrap in a clean dishtowel to keep warm. Note: You can also use a food processor to make these, mixing until the dough comes together in a soft ball, then kneading for 2–3 minutes on a lightly floured surface before covering and allowing to rest.
1. Season the chicken breasts and then generously coat them in the Cajun spice mix. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan and fry the chicken breasts for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through.
1. Add all the ingredients, except the oil, to a jug blender, turn on the mixer and then slowly drizzle in the oil. It should emulsify and thicken to the usual consistency of mayonnaise within a minute.
Makes about 10 | Preparation time 5–10 minutes | Resting time 30 minutes | Cooking time 10 minutes
1. Add the butter and water to a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Don’t let it get too hot or you won’t be able to handle the dough.