Buffalo Chicken Wraps

July 2021. Memphis summer, 62 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 37 years of marriage.

I experimented this week — smoked pork belly burnt ends, cubed and re-smoked with sauce and butter until they were sticky, caramelized, and indecent. The kind of food that makes Rosetta say "Earl, your arteries" and then eat three more pieces, because even nurses have limits, and the limit of smoked pork belly burnt ends has not yet been found by human science.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 62 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

Now, I know — this week was about the burnt ends, the pork belly, the indecent caramelized magic that made Rosetta forget she was a nurse. But the smoker got me thinking about wings, about the Buffalo heat that hits the same way Memphis summer does: upfront, unapologetic, and somehow exactly right. These Buffalo Chicken Wraps carry that same spirit — bold spice, a little cool to balance it, all wrapped up tight — and they’re the kind of thing I can pull together on a weeknight when the fire in the smoker has banked down but the fire in the kitchen hasn’t.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing

Instructions

Season the chicken. In a large bowl, toss the chicken strips with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
Cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken strips 5–6 minutes per side, or until cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°F. Work in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan.
Toss in buffalo sauce. Remove the pan from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the buffalo hot sauce and melted butter. Pour over the cooked chicken strips and toss to coat thoroughly.
Warm the tortillas. Heat each tortilla in a dry skillet for 20–30 seconds per side, or wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds, until pliable.
Assemble the wraps. Lay each tortilla flat. Spread about 1 tablespoon of blue cheese or ranch dressing down the center. Layer with shredded lettuce, cherry tomatoes, celery slices, and a generous portion of buffalo chicken strips. Top with shredded cheddar.
Roll and serve. Fold in the sides of each tortilla, then roll tightly from the bottom up. Slice diagonally and serve immediately with extra dressing on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Buffalo Chicken Wraps — The Spice That Keeps the Chain Going