Cooking Class: Beijing Chicken Wraps

Jaime Winston BA ’22, Marketing & Communications

When asked to prepare a dish for summer outings, Qi Jin, assistant professor in the Department of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences, recalls the chicken wraps she enjoyed as a kid in Beijing, China. Jin recommends the dish as a unique alternative to traditional picnic fare.

Ingredients

6 wheat tortilla wraps
1 cucumber, skinned and cut into strips
3 or 4 green onions, cut white sections into scallion hairs
1/2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp sweet bean sauce (can purchase at an international market)
3 tbsp mayonnaise

For Chicken Strips:

(may substitute with grilled chicken)

14 oz chicken thighs or breasts, sliced into 6 strips
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, smashed (may substitute with 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C flour (keep extra flour handy)
2 to 3 C canola oil

Makes 6 chicken wraps

Recipe

1. Mix sweet bean sauce with sugar, steam on high heat for 15 mins.

2. Marinate chicken in garlic and salt for 1/2 hr in the refrigerator.

3. Dip marinated chicken into water, then dip in a mixture of 1/2 C flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Repeat this step once with more flour if needed.

4. Preheat oil in fryer to 300°F, and fry breaded chicken until golden. Check whether or not the chicken’s internal temperature has reached 165°F. If not, after frying, bake the chicken until the temperature is reached. Start with 425°F for 3 mins.

5. Warm tortillas in a flat pan.

6. Spread steamed sweet bean paste on the tortilla first, then assemble the wrap by adding cucumbers, green onion whites and chicken strips.

Garnish with mayo.

Estimated nutrition per roll

Sodium: 940 mg
Fiber: 6 g
Carbs: 51 g
Calories: 463