Looking for a light and healthy meal or an easy appetizer? Try these chicken collard green wraps with only four ingredients. If you're dealing with a picky eater, have dietary restrictions, or simply looking for healthy recipes, these collard green wraps are a great choice. They're gluten-free, low-carb, and suitable for Whole 30, paleo, and keto diets. They are easy to put together without needing much meal prep time. Plus, they can easily be made vegan-friendly by substituting chicken with grilled tofu, marinated tofu, or tempeh.
One of the things I adore about this collard wrap recipe is its flexibility. You can repurpose any protein leftovers, like grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, or tofu. But if you don't have any on hand, don't worry, just cook some protein and assemble the wrap. Plus, you can experiment with different proteins, such as tofu or steak strips, to suit your taste buds. Below I will show you how to make collard green wraps that are healthy and easy.
What You Will Need To Make These Collard Green Wraps
Collard Green Leaves
To make these collard green wraps, you will need collard leaves, and you can find them at any grocery store. It depends on how many collard greens wraps you are planning on making, you may need a whole brunch, and you can use a full collard leaf or half for each wrap.
When choosing collard greens from the store, pick ones with small, thin leaves over large collard green leaves. The large and thick ones can be tough and bitter, but they are doable. And avoid any that are wilted or have brown spots.
In addition to collard greens, you can use several other greens as a wrap, including lettuce, swiss chard, purple cabbage, kale, or other dark leafy greens.
Cooked Chicken
If you have leftover chicken at home, then this recipe is perfect for you. However, if you don't have any at home, you can easily stir-fry some chicken.
For healthy options, I recommend that you use chicken breast. You can also substitute other types of protein of your choice, and it still will be as delicious! You can try tofu or tempeh instead to make vegan collard green wraps.
Cucumber and Carrot
To give the collard green wraps a crunch and refreshing taste, I added sliced cucumber and carrot. You can lightly stir fry the carrot if it's too hard for your personal preference. But feel free to add your favorite crunchy vegetables instead.
How To Soften Collard Greens
While you can eat collard greens raw, they do have some distinctive taste that isn't for everyone. Whether you should cook collard green leaf or not is a personal preference. Regardless if you will cook it or not, don't forget to slice off any big stems to make them flatter and easier to wrap.
Although collard greens can be used raw, I prefer to lightly cook them to reduce bitterness and make them more pliable. Cooking in water can help dissipate any unpleasant bitterness notes. You can also use this method if you decide to go with kale instead.
There are a few ways you can soften collard greens:
Dip in boiling water
One of the easiest ways to soften the collard greens is to dip them in boiling water for a few seconds. You only need to dip them for a few seconds, or they will be overcooked. You only want them to be slightly soft.
Pour Hot Water Over
An effortless method to soften collard greens is to pour hot or boiling water over the leaves in a bowl. Drain the water after a few seconds to avoid overcooking them.
Steamed Collard Greens
If you prefer to preserve the most nutrients in your food, steaming is the best cooking option. Just be sure to steam the collard greens for no longer than 5 minutes to retain their nutrients.
Place Collard Wraps In Skillet
If none of the above options sounds good to you, you can place it in a skillet and cover it with a lid. Let it cook for about a minute and until it is softer.
Chicken Collard Green Wrap Recipe
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Minute
Passive Time:
Serving Size: 1
Ingredients
4 or 8 raw collard greens
8 chicken strips (cooked)
1 Persian cucumber
1 small carrot
Directions
- Prep collard green leaves: You can use full-size, or half collard green leaves to make these wraps. If you are planning on using full leave, make sure to remove any chunky stem so it can stay flat. If you are planning on using half leaves, slice the leaves in half. If you cook the leaves, make sure collard leaves are dry before rolling.
- Lay the collard green leaf flat. Place chicken, cucumber, and carrots on one side of the wrap. Avoid placing the stuffings too close to the edge or in the middle, or else you won't be able to wrap.
- Fold the edge of collard greens over the stuffings and roll up tightly. Make sure it is tightly rolled, so it doesn't fall apart.
Nutritional
Yield: 1 Serving size: 1 Person
Amount per serving: Calories: 253 calories. Total Fat: 7.9g , Saturated Fat 2.2g. Cholesterol: 82g. Sodium: 118mg . Total Carbohydrate: 13g. Dietary fiber: 5.8g. Total Sugar: 2.8g. Protein: 31.4g.
**The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Numbers are calculated based on one chicken breast.**
The Sauce
There are endless dipping sauce options for this recipe. While I opted for a peanut sauce with Asian flavors, you can use any sauce you prefer. Some of my go-to options include sesame ginger dressing or a classic Asian sesame dressing. You can also turn it into Mediterranean wraps by going with a garlic toum or hummus as a dipping sauce. Whatever sauce you decide to go with, it will be absolutely delicious.
I prefer to use a dipping sauce rather than adding it to the wrap to keep it less messy. However, you can add the sauce directly into the wrap before folding.
Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
3 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
1 Teaspoon Hot Water
1/2 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar Or Lime Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Everything But Bagel Seasoning (optional)
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
Directions
In a mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter with the hot water to thin it down. Depending on how thick or thin you like your sauce, you can add just a splash more. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Simple ingredients and easy to make dishes. You only need 4 ingredients to make this dish, and most likely, you already have the ingredients right in your kitchen. Not to mention, you can have this dish ready to go in less than 10 minutes.
It is so versatile. This wrap is super versatile. You can use any protein you would like, and it goes with pretty much any dressing.
Healthy. This recipe is super healthy and diet restriction friendly. This dish is gluten-free, keto, paleo, and Whole 30 friendly!
Great as an in-between meal snack or appetizer. It is also a great weight loss support meal, as it is packed with protein!
