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Low-cal Chilli Chicken Wraps | Weight Loss Wednesdays 4

5 February 2014 10 comments

If you're trying to eat more healthily and shift some pounds, lowcal-but-you-wouldn't-know-it food is the best kind.

These wraps come in at under 400 calories yet hit all the right spots, they're full of goodness and a great dish to rustle up when in need of impressing friends (or a date!) with some healthy, streetfood-style finger food. 
My healthy Girly Slaw would be a great accompaniment!



If you'd like to make your own, here's what you will need: (serves 2)

2 chicken breasts, sliced into long strips
1-2 tsps honey
1 tsp oil of choice (you can see my favourite below!)
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp chilli paste
1-2 tsps harissa paste
0% fat greek yoghurt (I like Total)
A squeeze of lemon
Half an avocado
A bunch of rocket
Half a red and yellow pepper, thinly sliced
A handful of small tomatoes (I'm using baby plum)
Wholewheat tortilla wraps
Sea salt and black pepper
Bicarb of soda (Baking soda)

Minimal cooking skills required, the effort predominantly goes into the chicken so let's get started with that!

First of all, to get restaurant-tender chicken, try this simple trick; sprinkle 1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda onto your sliced chicken breasts, squidge evenly so all the surface is coated and leave for 10 minutes. Wash the chicken thoroughly to remove any bicarb and pat dry. You can use this for any chicken breast dish to get super tender and delicious chicken!



Pop the chicken into a bowl along with the chilli flakes, honey, chilli paste and oil. (If you're a little afraid of heat, add less at this stage, we'll be tasting and correcting later!)
Mix well, season and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours if you have the time, 30mins-1hour if you don't. 



My favourite oil to use of late is Carotino's Healthier Cooking oil. It's full of antioxidants and has a high smoking point, essentially meaning it won't break down and become unhealthy when you cook with it at high temperatures. Don't be alarmed at it's colour, (it's bright orange!) it tastes of very little. Coconut oil is a good alternative.



With the oven roughly at 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) pop in a few skin-on garlic cloves with a drizzle of oil, in an oven-proof dish, or better still, chop the top off a whole bulb and place cut side up; any you don't use today will make for the best garlic bread in the world!



Intermission: go for a run, indulge in a facemask, phone up a chum

Once the chicken has steeped in it's spicy bath, it's time to get out the griddle. Get your pan smoking hot before laying in your chicken strips. 




Top Tip: Give your chicken a chance to form a nice, charred crust before turning; this combined with a very hot pan will prevent it from sticking too much.
If you have a cast iron griddle pan like me, once the chicken is scored with burnished bar marks, your pan will be equally singed, so transfer your chicken out to a plate and pop a frying pan on a medium heat. 

Add the chicken to the frying pan along with the sliced peppers. Saute for a few minutes before adding the tomatoes, whole. Now's your chance to check if it's hot enough! I like my chicken spicy (the cooling elements will come later) so add 2 tsps of harissa paste, you can add just 1.



Decant into a serving dish and that's all the cooking done. 

For the accompaniments:

Mix a couple of tablespoons of greek yoghurt with a generous squeeze of lemon, sea salt and black pepper.

Take the garlic out of the oven; it should be suitably soft and roasted.

Slice your avocado.

Gather together the rocket and wraps.

To serve:

Squeeze out and spread a garlic clove onto a wrap, top with the yoghurt 'dressing', chicken ensemble, slices of avocado and rocket. Wrap up and tuck in!





The idea is that, on their own, the chicken should be a little too hot, the fire-extinguisher yoghurt a little too sharp, the avocado perfectly natural and voluptuous, and that everybody dives in and helps themselves; a simple, sociable affair of a supper. 
(And healthy too. But shh, that's a secret!)