These easy Red Robin-inspired bbq chicken wraps are fast, low-effort,
and packed with protein. Sometimes that’s all you need.
inspiration
We all want to be healthy. We don’t all have personal chefs or partners with jobs that let us stay home and make every meal totally from scratch. Like with babies, fed is best. I keep stuff in my freezer and pantry for nights when a from-scratch meal is out of the question. Canned and frozen vegetables are awesome. Frozen proteins can help you whip up dinner fast.
It was one of those nights that I came up with this recipe. I felt annoyed and frazzled and tired and unwilling to do very many dishes. I had a bag of Costco breaded chicken breasts in the freezer and a stack of giant homemade tortillas. A rummage through the fridge revealed some shredded cheese, the dregs of a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s, a lonely slicing tomato, and a caesar salad kit that I was tired of. I threw it all in a tortilla and, remembering the Whiskey River bbq wrap from Red Robin, added some ranch and tortilla strips last minute.
I am not going to tell you that this is like, the greatest thing you’ll ever eat. But it’s good and low-effort and fast and packed with protein and nutrients. It’s a healthier and more filling alternative to a drive-thru, but uses entirely preprepared ingredients, and sometimes that’s what you need.
why you’ll love this recipe
This is what I call a maintenance meal: it’s good and serviceable and gets the job done. Here are a few other reasons to love it:
-low effort: Easy Red Robin-inspired bbq chicken wraps are made with mostly—possibly entirely—precooked ingredients. Low-effort meals are so important because you still deserve to nourish yourself when you don’t have a lot to give.
-quick: Once the ingredients are prepped—and there’s barely any prep work–It takes five minutes to assemble this wrap–great for weeknights or low-energy or low-time nights.
-restaurant-inspired: This recipe uses the same ingredients as Red Robin’s Whiskey River bbq wrap, but is made at home
-packed with protein & veggies: You won’t be hungry after eating this wrap!
details
First, the chicken. This step will depend a bit on what you’re using; if you’re using leftover chicken, you just need to warm it up. If you’re using frozen breaded chicken, you’ll need to cook it according to the package directions. This will add time but not much effort!
Once the chicken is prepped and ready to go, it’s time to heat up some of the other elements. Bbq sauce is easier to toss if it’s warm, but it takes no time at all. Warm tortillas are more pliable than cold ones so will be able to stretch just a bit without tearing, which is crucial for wraps. You don’t have to melt the cheese if you don’t want to; I just like it that way.
After that, it’s just about assembly. See this article for tips on how full to fill a wrap—it may surprise you! Once all of the ingredients are in, you just roll it up, cut it in half if you want to, and eat.
Seriously, it takes five minutes. If you have to cook the chicken it takes 25 minutes, but only 5 of them are active.
cook’s notes
-tortillas: burrito-sized. I used bigger ones because I’d made some recently (and I like giant tortillas) but burrito sized is fine. Don’t go smaller unless you’re willing to have more of a bbq chicken taco situation (although if small tortillas is what you have, that definitely works)!
-cooked chicken: whatever you’ve got. I used 1/2 a breaded chicken breast from Costco, but 1 chicken tender or a handful of shredded rotisserie chicken will work, too!
-bbq sauce: whatever you have on hand
-lettuce: you can omit it, but I think the crispness and freshness is a nice balance to the chicken and tortilla and sauce.
-sharp cheddar: or mild or medium cheddar, or mozzarella, or really whatever cheese you have one hand. (Go more classic than funky, though, and leave stuff like bleu cheese out of it.)
cook’s notes, continued
-tomato: can omit, but I really like it and recommend keeping it
-tortilla strips: so important to this recipe. You wouldn’t think so, but they are. They really add to it. I can’t explain.
-ranch: again whatever you have. Though when it comes to ranch-buying, I recommend homemade first, restaurant ranch second, refrigerated section ranch third, and shelf-stable ranch never. (Unless you love it! You do you, I just can’t relate.)
–sides: soup, chips, crackers + hummus, salad, whatever fruit or veg needs used up in your fridge
-leftovers: store separately and assemble when ready to eat; i don’t recommend assembling this one ahead of time bc tortillas can go soggy and the lettuce will definitely wilt and the tortilla strips will also go soggy.
I hope you love easy Red Robin-inspired bbq chicken wraps as much as I do! When you need another low-effort dinner, try easy veggie pizza bagels, simple chicken quesadillas with chipotle sour cream, or weeknight arroz con pollo.
easy red robin-inspired bbq chicken wraps
Ingredients
- 1 cooked breaded chicken breast, halved or 2 chicken tenders or 2 handfuls shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce
- 2 tortillas burrito-sized
- 1 large handful shredded cheddar
- 2 handfuls lettuce roughly torn
- 1 small roma tomato diced
- 1 small handful tortilla strips
- ranch to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare chicken. If using rotisserie or other cooked, thawed chicken: place in microwave-safe bowl (you can use the same one for the saucein the next step) and microwave for a minute or two until it’s warm. If using frozen breaded chicken: Cook according to package directions and chop roughly before moving to step 2.
- Heat ingredients. Put bbq sauce in a microwave-safe bowl, heat for 30 seconds in the microwave, then add cooked chicken and toss gently until the chicken is coated in the sauce. Sprinkle cheese on the tortilla and microwave the tortilla on a paper towel or plate for 30-ish seconds, until it’s warm and the cheese has started to melt.
- Assemble and serve. Pilechicken, tomatoes, and tortilla strips on top of the cheese. Drizzle with ranch and sprinkle with salt and pepper. This article has good instructions and tips for how much filling to use in a wrap and how to roll them. Roll the wrap tightly enough that it doesn’t fall apart but not so tightly that the fillings squeeze out. Cut in half and eat immediately.