Why This Recipe Works

Zippy, saucy chicken meets cooling, refreshing accoutrements in this handheld riff on a classic pairing. For “fried” chicken that comes together in a flash, we skip the deep fryer and bake frozen chicken strips instead, which crisp in the oven while we prep the other ingredients. A combination of hot sauce, butter, and cider vinegar is the backbone for a buffalo sauce. For added crunch, we incorporate thin slices of celery in the chicken filling, as well as a vinaigrette-dressed mix of lettuce, tomatoes, and onion (which we also serve as a side salad). To assemble the wraps, a generous swipe of blue cheese sauce (a combination of tangy buttermilk, creamy mayonnaise, and punchy blue cheese) serves as the “glue” for the filling, allowing the ingredients to adhere to the tortillas.

Before You Begin

For crispier texture, use a more generously breaded frozen chicken tender as opposed to “lightly breaded” (we developed this with Tyson brand Crispy Chicken Breast Strips). For efficiency, prepare your ingredients while the oven heats.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange 1 pound frozen breaded chicken strips on rimmed baking sheet and bake until chicken is crispy and registers 160 degrees, 22 to 25 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking.

Meanwhile, whisk ¼ cup hot sauce, 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar together in large bowl; set aside. Whisk 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup buttermilk, and 2 teaspoons vinegar together in medium bowl, mashing any large pieces of cheese with whisk. Whisk 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon table salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar in second large bowl until uniform and creamy.

Transfer chicken to cutting board and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add chicken and 3 celery ribs, sliced thin on bias, to bowl with hot sauce mixture and stir until evenly coated. Add 2 romaine lettuce hearts, sliced thin crosswise; 4 plum tomatoes, seeded, and chopped; and ½ chopped red onion to bowl with vinaigrette and toss to combine.

Working with 4 flour tortillas, spread 1½ tablespoons blue cheese mixture evenly on each, leaving 2-inch border. Spread 1 cup chicken mixture and ½ cup lettuce mixture evenly over bottom third of tortilla. Working with 1 wrap at a time, fold sides of tortilla over filling, fold bottom of tortilla over sides and filling, and roll tightly. Serve with remaining lettuce mixture as side salad and remaining blue cheese mixture as dipping sauce.