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The Best Crispy Chicken Wraps (Like KFC)
Perfectly crispy chicken strips coated in a southern fried breadcrumb. Put them in wraps with an array of toppings and a drizzling of sweet chilli mayo… you’ll thank me later!
We all love a wrap, but how about a super crispy southern fried chicken wrap? The crunch and crisp on the outer coating is PERFECT, yet the chicken in the middle is so moist and tender.
Honestly, these wraps take crispiness to a whole new level, and I can’t stop making them! It’s perfect for lunch and comes together in a matter of minutes. I just LOVE it!
Whenever I had no time to make myself lunch, I would always buy a southern fried chicken wrap from supermarkets like Tesco. But what was missing…the texture! So, I developed this recipe to make a wrap that I actually wanted to eat and trust me, the taste is so good!
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- It takes only 35 minutes to make! Lunch in 35 minutes that’s a big tick from me!
- The crispiest chicken strips ever! When I say crispy, I mean super duper-crispy.
- It’s full of flavour and the toppings are totally customisable. If you don’t like onions, leave the onions out; the toppings you choose are completely up to you.
- You can make it ahead of time. I prefer them freshly made, but you can make them in advance if you’re short of time. Bear in mind, the chicken won’t be as crispy and that’s what this wrap is all about – crispiness.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients I used to make this recipe:
- Panko Breadcrumbs: I’ll start with the most important ingredient! They’re a must for making super crispy chicken strips. They have a flakier texture compared to normal breadcrumbs and produce a crispier and crunchier texture. I also make my chicken goujons with panko breadcrumbs.
- Chicken Mini Breast Fillets: You can use whole chicken breasts but mini breast fillets will give you crispy chicken strips. These strips are fried on a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes giving you juicy and tender chicken pieces.
- Seasonings: A mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, paprika, black pepper and salt are mixed together as a southern fried spice mix. The type of paprika I used was smoked paprika which adds a delicious smokiness to the fried chicken.
- Tortilla wrap: I chose to use flour tortillas.
- Plain Flour & Egg: Before the chicken is coated in the panko breadcrumbs, it’s first dipped into plain flour then into a whisked egg.
- Sweet Chilli Mayo: Sweet chilli mayo is simply a mixture of mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce, it’s such a tasty combination. Though ketchup is also good too!
- Toppings: The toppings I used in these wraps are lettuce, tomatoes, red peppers, fried onions and a sweet chilli mayo sauce.
How To Make Crispy Southern Fried Chicken Wraps
Here’s a summary of how I make these southern fried chicken wraps. You can get the full recipe instructions on the recipe card below:
Step One:
In a small mixing bowl, I add a tablespoon of onion powder, ginger powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper and salt. Then I mix everything together until it’s evenly distributed.
Step Two:
I pour half of the spice mix into the flour and the remaining half into the breadcrumbs and mix each bowl until it’s evenly distributed.
Step Three:
I take one piece of chicken and coat it in the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs making sure the chicken strip is fully coated at each stage.
Step Four:
On a medium to high heat, I shallow fry the chicken pieces for 4 to 5 minutes. I like to fry one side for 3 to 4 minutes and then turn it over using my tongs and fry for a further 1 to 2 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy.
Step Five:
Once all chicken pieces are fried, I fry the onions on a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until softened to my liking.
Step Six:
Time to assemble the wrap! To make the wraps I started with the sauce then lettuce, tomatoes, red peppers, crispy chicken, onions and then sealed the wraps. Watch the video to see how I wrapped it.
My Top Tips
There are a lot of toppings going into this wrap, so I always use extra-large tortilla wraps instead of small or medium ones. You should be able to find larger wraps in your local supermarket. If you can’t, finely chop the ingredients so that they aren’t too bulky and will roll easily without breaking the wrap.
Avoid using olive oil to shallow fry the chicken pieces, it’s not the best oil to use for frying. It has a low smoke point in contrast to oils such as vegetable oil and sunflower oil. I used vegetable oil.
Topping Ideas
What I enjoy the most about making wraps (apart from eating it) is all the toppings that you can add to it. If I want to go for a KFC style chicken wrap, I add lettuce and cheese on top of the fried chicken.
I always like to add lettuce and fried onions; the lettuce provides an extra crunch, and the onions add extra flavour. Other classic toppings like bacon, avocado, coleslaw and pickles would be perfect too.
If I want to go all out, then I add caramelised onions and either my homemade katsu curry sauce or peppercorn sauce.
What To Serve With These Super Crispy Chicken Wraps
This chicken strip wrap is pretty big and filling, I usually add two chicken strip pieces per wrap and have two to myself. Yes, I’m a big eater! That being said, it’s always nice to have a side or two to go alongside it. Below are a few ideas:
- Dirty Fries: Skinny chips loaded with cheese, bacon, onions and Cajun seasonings.
- Salt And Pepper Chips: Chinese takeaway style chips with a salt and pepper spice mix.
- Tenderstem Broccoli: Roasted tenderstem broccoli with garlic and olive oil.
How To Store & Freeze
I recommend storing the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat it, reheat it in the oven (to maintain crispiness) and assemble into wraps with toppings and sauces. You can pre-make wraps and store it in the fridge, but with all the toppings and sauces it might go a little soggy.
To freeze, allow the chicken to cool down before placing them in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven until it’s piping hot throughout then assemble into wraps and enjoy!
More Crispy Recipes You’ll Love
- KFC Style Chicken Fillet Burger (Zinger Burger)
- KFC Style Popcorn Chicken
- Onion Bhaji
- Crispy Salt And Chilli Chicken
- Honey Chilli Chicken
- Honey & Chilli Chinese Crispy Beef
- Sesame Prawn Toast
Southern Fried Chicken Wraps (Extra Crispy)
Ingredients
- 650 g Chicken Mini Breast Fillets
- 150 g Panko Breadcrumbs
- 100 g Plain Flour
- 2 Eggs
Spice Mix
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Ginger Powder
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- 1 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Salt
Toppings
- 2 Red Peppers
- 1 Lettuce
- 1 Large Onion
- 6 Tomatoes
- Sweet Chilli Mayo
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl add a tablespoon of onion powder, ginger powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper and salt. Mix the spice mix together until evenly distributed.1 tbsp Onion Powder, 1 tbsp Garlic Powder, 1 tbsp Ginger Powder, 1 tbsp Paprika, 1 tbsp Black Pepper, 1 tbsp Salt
- Pour half of the spice mix into the flour and the remaining half into the breadcrumbs. Mix the flour together until evenly distributed, then mix the breadcrumbs together until evenly distributed.
- Take one piece of chicken and coat it in the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs making sure the chicken strip is fully coated at each stage. Repeat this step for each chicken piece doing this one-by-one.650 g Chicken Mini Breast Fillets, 150 g Panko Breadcrumbs, 2 Eggs, 100 g Plain Flour
- On a medium to high heat, shallow fry the chicken pieces for 4 to 5 minutes. Fry on one side for 3 to 4 minutes and turn over using tongs, continue to fry for a further 1 to 2 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy.
- Once all chicken pieces are fried, fry the onions on a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until softened to your liking.1 Large Onion
- Time to assemble the wrap! To make the wraps I started with the sauce then lettuce, tomatoes, red peppers, crispy chicken, onions and then sealed the wraps. Watch the video to see how I wrapped it.2 Red Peppers, 1 Lettuce, 6 Tomatoes, Sweet Chilli Mayo
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Music in video from Uppbeat, License code: 08VBCZFHCZBZDBBY
Mary
great!
Michelle
Thanks Mary!