Jerk Chicken Wrap

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for the Florida Department of Citrus. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating and, as always, all opinions are my own.

You may not know this about me, but I’m not a big juice drinker. Too many juices are full of sugar and not enough nutrients for me to sip it daily. However, there’s one juice I do drink and that is Orange Juice. Specifically, orange juice that comes from real Florida oranges. Now that the kids are back in school I have to worry about them bringing nasty germs into our home, this year more than ever because the littlest ones are in school now too. So something I always keep on hand is plenty of orange juice, the Vitamin C provides added protection for your immune system, and I always purchase the version with extra calcium as well.

Fun fact: Did you know that Incorporating 100% orange juice in your daily diet, either by enjoying an 8-ounce glass a day or by including OJ in your favorite recipes, can help you maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle and may help reduce the risk of certain diseases? 

One 8-ounce glass of Florida OJ:
○ Is an excellent source of vitamin C, delivering more than 100 percent of the Daily Value
○ Counts as one cup of fruit, according to the USDA MyPlate Fruit Group
recommendations
○ Serves as a good source of folate, thiamin and also potassium, a mineral important for
muscle function and nerve transmission
○ Is free of fat, sodium, cholesterol and added sugar

Read more fun facts at floridacitrus.org.

In addition to drinking a glass or two of OJ, I also love to incorporate it into recipes. Nothing starts a smoothie off better than some delicious orange juice, but I’ve also been known to create food recipes with it too (remember my Creamy Citrus Honey Dip?) Something about that sweet and tangy flavor meshes well with so many dishes, but I do love it with meat.

Now that it’s football season I’ve been trying to challenge myself a bit more to come up with some really delicious and different recipes for a fun twist on tailgate foods. I found a great recipe of the floridacitrus.org site and was inspired to create something similar of my own (scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the recipe).

Looks super easy, right?

While I didn’t make that exact recipe yesterday when we were watching our favorite teams play, I was inspired to make some jerk chicken with fruit and veggies in a wrap and I used Florida Orange Juice to create both my marinade and my dressing.

What I loved about this wrap were all of the colors and delicious flavors in every bite. The creaminess of the avocados paired with the sharp crispness of the apples incorporated into the spiciness of the chicken made this so good! The dressing was sweet with a pop of flavor and everything together makes this wrap really delicious and surprisingly filling. It was packed with nutrition and full of flavor, and we’ll definitely be adding this to our game day foods repertoire!

Jerk Chicken Seasoning Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-1/4 teaspoon all spice
• 3/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Marinade for Jerk Chicken:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup Florida Orange Juice
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• Jerk Chicken Seasoning, listed above

Jerk Chicken Wrap Dressing:

• 1/2 cup Florida Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Jerk Chicken Wrap Ingredients:

• Spinach Herb Tortillas, 1 per serving
• Green Leaf Lettuce, chopped, about 1/2 cup per serving
• 1-2 small carrots, peeled and shredded – a few strips per serving
• 1 avocado, sliced – about 4 slices per serving
• 1 green Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced thin, drizzled with lemon to prevent browning – about 3-4 slices per serving
• 2 Roma tomatoes, deseeded and cut into strips then halved – about 6-8 pieces per serving
• prepared jerk chicken – about 1-2 strips cut into small pieces per serving
• 1-2 tablespoons of prepared dressing per serving

Directions:

Begin by combining all of the seasonings together. I actually did this ahead of time and stored it in a small storage container. I did use most of the seasoning mix, since I did coat the chicken pretty thoroughly with it.

Cut the chicken into strips, and place in a baking dish. Pat dry, then season all over covering in the Jerk Chicken seasoning mixture. Once covered, rub the seasoning into the chicken well.

Combine the orange juice and soy sauce, mixing well.

Then pour it over the seasoned chicken. Cover the dish tightly, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Once the marinade is done, take the chicken and grill on a portable grill or panini press, spooning just a bit of the liquid over it since the spices do burn quickly so you want to keep the chicken a bit moist.
Also, if you are using a portable kitchen grill, try to do it by an open window as there will be a lot of smoke and the scent of the seasonings can be a bit overwhelming! Don’t worry though, it’ll be delicious.

It’ll have a slighlty charred look to it, but don’t worry. The orange juice marinade keeps the chicken from being too dry and the spices make it so flavorful!

In a blender or food processor, add the dressing mixture, and hit the pulse button once or twice. I like the bell pepper to have a few little chunks remaining in the dressing, but if you prefer it smoother and more mixed you can blend it until it’s the consistency you like.

Lay out the tortilla, and spread the lettuce across the middle. Top with some of the carrots.

Then top with the avocado and apple slices.

Top with the tomatoes and then cut the chicken strips into small pieces and place them on top.

Then drizzle the dressing over it.

Roll it up tight, cut in half and enjoy!

#OJTailgate | #OJSelfie

Speaking of game day and tailgate style recipes, a few weeks ago there was a public event held in New York city that was hosted by Erin Andrews, who is a FOX Sports Broadcaster. Th event helped to kick off preseason football and provide Florida-inspired grilling and tailgating tips, and plenty of 100% Florida Orange Juice was provided as well. Doesn’t it look like a lot of fun?

One of the recipes that was served was a simple and easy marinade that was developed by the Florida Department of Citrus. It looks like such a flavorful recipe that is simple to throw together, I think we’ll be trying this one out next Sunday!

What’s your favorite way to incorporate Orange Juice into your recipes?