NICOLE PARTON’S FAVORITE RECIPES: Chicken Tortilla Wraps

With the exception of the chicken I’ve substituted for ground beef, these wraps use almost exactly the same ingredients as yesterday’s Southwest Taco Salad - but taste completely different. I served both dishes back-to-back this week, and Ron didn’t realize he was eating essentially the same meal. Both are nutritious and delicious. To lower the fat, use fewer olives, less cheese, and substitute yogurt for the small amount of sour cream the recipe uses.

Chicken Tortilla Wraps:

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or ¼ lb. or 125 g lean ground beef)
Two 10-in. corn or flour tortillas
¼ head of iceberg lettuce, coarsely chopped
¼ c. finely chopped green onions (“spring” onions)
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
10-to-15 ripe, pitted olives (“black olives”), finely chopped
Salsa, as needed
Sour cream, as needed

Insert circular rack into medium skillet, or use food steamer. Fill skillet with unsalted water just to top of rack. Place chicken thighs on rack, covering skillet. Steam/poach thighs 20-to-30 min., topping water level as needed so skillet does not boil dry. Cook chicken until no pink remains, 25-to-30 min. Drain off fatty water, placing chicken briefly in freezer to chill. Blot chicken dry, remove skin, and slice meat from bone (If using ground beef, follow directions in yesterday’s blog for Southwest Taco Salad recipe).

Have all ingredients assembled and prepared at your dining table before beginning. Briefly warm tortilla shells in large skillet or microwave oven. Allowing each person to help himself, offer tortillas with sliced chicken, chopped lettuce, onions, tomato, cheese, and a sprinkling of olives. Offer salsa and sour cream on the side. Roll and wrap tortilla, using cutlery or hands to eat. In the quantities specified above, this excellent salad serves 2.