By Summer 2023. Marcus home from Morehouse for the summer. He walked in the door and went straight to the kitchen and opened the Folgers can and smelled it and said, "Home," the same word he said at Thanksgiving, the same word that lives in the can, and I thought: the can works. The can is doing what Mama intended. The can is keeping her alive in the noses and hands and mouths of people who carry her, and the carrying is the living, and my son carries her to college and back and the carrying doesn't get lighter. It gets more meaningful.
He cooked dinner the first night home. Without being asked. He made tacos — his tacos, homemade tortillas, the salsa he's been perfecting in his dorm kitchen. He set the table for six plus Curtis. He served everyone. His mother, his stepfather, his siblings, his grandfather. He served them because he knows: the person who cooks is the person who holds the family, and he wants to hold it, even for one night, even for one meal. My son came home from college and held his family in tacos. That is what I built. That is what the kitchen did. That is the line, alive and cooking.
Marcus made his tacos that first night home, and what I noticed wasn’t just the food — it was the way he moved around that kitchen like he owned the love in it. If you want to bring that same energy to your own table, these Buffalo Chicken Crunch Wraps are the closest thing I’ve found: handheld, bold, built for feeding a crowd, and satisfying in a way that says I made this for you. The crunch, the heat, the cool layers — it’s the kind of meal that holds people in their seats a little longer.
Buffalo Chicken Crunch Wraps
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
- 1/3 cup buffalo hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
- 6 small tostada shells or round tortilla chips
- 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- 3/4 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking spray, for the pan
Instructions
- Make the buffalo chicken. In a medium bowl, toss the shredded chicken with the buffalo hot sauce and melted butter until evenly coated. Taste and adjust heat to your preference.
- Warm the tortillas. Microwave the large flour tortillas for 20–30 seconds, wrapped in a damp paper towel, so they’re pliable and won’t crack when folding.
- Build the wraps. Lay a large tortilla flat. Spread 1–2 tablespoons of ranch or blue cheese dressing in the center. Add a scoop of buffalo chicken, then a layer of shredded cheese, diced tomato, lettuce, green onions, and a small dollop of sour cream. Place a tostada shell on top of the fillings to create the crunch layer.
- Fold. Fold the edges of the large tortilla up and over toward the center in overlapping pleats, seam-side down. Press gently to hold the shape.
- Toast. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly coat with olive oil or cooking spray. Place each wrap seam-side down and cook for 2–3 minutes per side, until golden and sealed.
- Serve. Slice in half and serve immediately with extra buffalo sauce and dressing on the side. Set the table for everyone you love.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 485 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 890mg