Chicken caesar wrap

• Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated fresh off the block · The flavour anchor
• Aromatics, salt, fat (full ingredient list ships with photography)

Method

1. 1

   The build is grilled chicken, romaine, lighter caesar, one large tortilla

   One large flour tortilla, about 150g of cooked chicken breast sliced, two big handfuls of romaine, and three tablespoons of the Greek-yogurt caesar below. That is the whole wrap. The chicken carries most of the 41g of protein, the yogurt adds a few more, and the romaine is structure not garnish.

2. 2

   The lighter caesar is Greek yogurt, parmesan, anchovy, lemon, garlic

   Three tablespoons of thick Greek yogurt, two tablespoons of finely grated parmesan, one minced anchovy fillet, a small grated garlic clove, a teaspoon of lemon juice, a few grinds of black pepper. Whisk. No egg yolk, almost no free oil. It tastes like caesar because the savoury markers are all still there, just carried on yogurt instead of emulsified oil.

3. 3

   Do not skip the anchovy

   The anchovy is what makes it taste like caesar rather than lemony yogurt. One fillet, minced to a paste against the board with the flat of a knife, disappears completely into the dressing and reads as deep savoury rather than fishy. If you genuinely cannot use anchovy, half a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce is the nearest honest substitute, though it is not quite the same.

4. 4

   Grill the chicken, then cool it before it goes near the lettuce

   Season a chicken breast with salt and pepper, grill or pan-sear 4 minutes a side until 74C at the centre, rest, slice. The important part for a wrap is letting it cool to room temperature first. Warm chicken steams the romaine from the inside and that is half of why supermarket wraps go limp.

5. 5

   Dry the romaine like you mean it

   Wet lettuce is the main enemy of a wrap. Wash the romaine, then spin it in a salad spinner and finish by rolling it in a clean tea towel. Any water left on the leaves dilutes the dressing and softens the tortilla. Dry leaves also hold their snap for hours, which is what you want in a lunchbox.

6. 6

   Toss the filling in a bowl first, keep the dressing off the tortilla

   Combine the cooled chicken and dry romaine with the dressing in a bowl and toss so everything is lightly coated. Then lay that bundle onto a bare, dry tortilla. The dressing never directly touches the tortilla, which is the single biggest fix for a base that would otherwise turn to paste.

7. 7

   Roll it tight, seam-side down

   Pile the filling in a line across the lower third, fold the two short sides in, then roll away from you keeping firm tension so there are no air gaps. Rest it seam-side down for a minute so it sets closed. A tight wrap holds its shape in a bag, a loose one unrolls and spills.

8. 8

   For meal prep, wrap in parchment then foil and it holds eight hours

   Roll the finished wrap in a sheet of parchment, then a layer of foil, and refrigerate. The parchment stops the foil sweating onto the tortilla and the foil holds the shape. Built this way with dry leaves and the dressing off the tortilla, it stays sound for a full eight-hour fridge day and about two hours out of a bag at room temperature. Slice it in half through the wrapping when you eat it.