I used to study at a little coffee shop in college just before the boom of the “internet café” that has long since closed.  They had great space to study, great coffee, great chess and one really special sandwich.  It was a chicken salad wrap with cranberries, raisins and walnuts in it!  As a college student who was bound to mediocre pizza and stale fries from the student cafeteria, something as unique as this wrap was a real treat, not to mention, somewhat of an education in my culinary journey through life.  This is my take on the first “wrap” I was ever inspired to teach myself to make.

The mixing of the sweet dried fruit and the crunch of the nuts pair really well with the creamy savory chicken salad.  Take that filling and nestle it in crunchy romaine lettuce and a smooth pumpernickel wrap and you may never be satisfied with a plain ole chicken salad sandwich again!

Let’s start by making the salad:

Chop up and slightly shred some left over chicken breast.

Add in your real mayonnaise.

I used to just get a bag of dried cranberries and then a box of raisins… but, I recently found this cool bag of already mixed cranberries and raisins. How cool is that?

Add them in to the chicken.

Chop up some walnuts… If you don’t like walnuts, you can swap this out for your favorite nut.

Next, add in some chopped walnuts.

Now some salt and pepper and mix together.

Now, let’s put build the wrap:

I found this pumpernickel wrap (and it’s low-carb!). If you prefer wheat or plain, or sun-dried tomato, go for it, make it fun!

Lay out a few leaves of romaine lettuce.

Add the salad on top of the lettuce.

Start by folding one side and then the other.

Now take the long side, fold it over and roll.

You should be left with something that looks like a burrito.

Cut on a diagonal and garnish with a grape tomato and a caper on a cocktail tooth pick.

Recipe for Cran-raisin & Walnut Chicken Salad Wrap:

(serves 2)

1 cup chicken breast, chopped

1/2 cup real mayonnaise

1/2 cup dried cranberries and raisins, mixed.

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 pumpernickel wraps

6 romaine lettuce leaves

grape tomatoes and capers for garnish

Directions:

Mix together first 5 ingredients.  Build wrap by placing the romaine lettuce on the wrap.  Scoop out half the salad and tuck into the lettuce.  Fold in the top and bottom and roll the alternating ends to wrap.  Cut in half on a diagonal, garnish with tomatoes and capers.