Garlicky Pulled Chicken Wraps (Print Version)

Tender shredded chicken tossed in rich garlic-butter sauce, wrapped and pan-fried until golden crispy. A simple fusion favorite.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.1 lb)
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Garlic-Butter Sauce

05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 5 large garlic cloves, minced
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
08 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
09 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

→ Wraps

10 - 12 round rice paper wrappers (9 inch diameter)
11 - 1 cup shredded lettuce or cabbage
12 - 1 small carrot, julienned
13 - 1 small cucumber, julienned

→ Pan-Frying

14 - 2 tablespoons neutral oil (e.g., canola, grapeseed)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken for 6–7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes, then shred with two forks.
02 - In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and smoked paprika. Add shredded chicken and toss well to coat. Remove from heat.
03 - Prepare a shallow dish of warm water. Dip one rice paper wrapper into the water for 8–10 seconds until just pliable. Lay flat on a damp kitchen towel.
04 - Place a small handful of lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and about 2 heaping tablespoons of garlicky chicken in the lower third of the wrapper. Fold the bottom up over the filling, tuck in the sides, and roll tightly. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
05 - Heat neutral oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add wraps, seam side down, and cook for 2–3 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Work in batches if necessary.
06 - Serve warm with extra lemon wedges or a dipping sauce of your choice.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The garlic-butter coating makes every bite taste like you spent hours on these, but they're genuinely simple to pull together.
  • Rice paper wraps give you that satisfying textural contrast—crispy outside, tender and garlicky inside—without any deep frying mess.
  • You can prep the chicken and sauce ahead, then assemble and pan-fry whenever you're ready, making it perfect for entertaining without last-minute scrambling.
02 -
  • Rice paper tears when it's over-hydrated, but it'll still crack and be difficult to work with if it's under-hydrated, so that sweet spot of 8–10 seconds in warm water is genuinely important—time it if you need to the first few times.
  • If your chicken is thicker than ¾ inch, gently pound it to even thickness before cooking, or it'll be done on the edges and raw in the middle.
  • The seam side of your wrap absolutely must go down first when pan-frying, or it'll open up and your filling will leak everywhere—I learned this the messy way.
03 -
  • Don't crowd the pan when frying—working in batches is slower but guarantees every wrap gets that gorgeous golden crust instead of steaming in its own moisture.
  • If a wrap tears during filling, don't toss it—just use it as a base for a bowl instead, layering the crispy pieces with lettuce, vegetables, and chicken for a deconstructed version that tastes just as good.
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