Chicken and Hummus Wraps

Sometimes—oftentimes—the best things in life are the simplest. From changing out of blue jeans into sweatpants, to a quiet, rainy day after months of endless sunshine, to a celebratory cappuccino after finals, it’s the little treats that put a smile on your face each day.

There are things that truly are little, like a favorite song coming on the radio, and there are things that seem little, but subsequently occupy every ounce of your attention. For instance, I just discovered the wonders that can be found on Tumblr and cannot imagine a life in which GIF images do not exist.

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That’s also how I felt the moment I tasted homemade hummus for the first time. Talk about simple goodness. With just chickpeas, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil, this stuff is ten zillionmilliontrillion times better than anything I’ve ever tried from the grocery store. It led me to not only eat this dish for lunch, but for dinner that night and lunch the next day. Seriously yummy.

See those nails? After about 24 hours I realized they were Tardis blue.

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See how fun this is?

But seriously, tossing aside the complicated procedures and hard-to-find ingredients, it’s wonderful to put together a meal with singular, delicious flavors that rival the best of the sophisticated culinary world. This recipe combines the perfection that is juicy baked chicken breast with homemade hummus and a punch of bright, leafy greens, all making for a majorly tasty meal. Best of all, there’s nothing that needs to rise, nothing that needs to chill, nothing that needs to stew for any length of time—excellent lunchtime food. Each and every component can be prepared hours or even days in advance, ready to be thrown together and munched at whim.

Do yourself a favor and enjoy the simple things, okay? Throw on some baggy sweats, turn off your cell phone, and make a bowl of hummus. It’s what all the cool kids do.

Chicken and Hummus Wraps

Recipe adapted from “200 Really Easy Recipes” by Louise Pickford

Printable Recipe

For the chicken:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lemon, zested

1 teaspoon ground cumin

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

salt and pepper, to taste

pinch cayenne pepper

For the hummus:

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained

1 clove garlic, crushed

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

For the wraps:

6 flour tortillas

1 1/2 cups dark salad greens

juice of 1 lemon

For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat. Sprinkle with lemon zest, ground cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste, again turning to coat. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until cooked through.

For the hummus: Combine chickpeas, olive oil, garlic clove, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste in a food processor. Process until spreadable and smooth, adding a bit more olive oil if it’s too thick. Transfer to a container, refrigerating until ready to use.

For the wraps: Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds. Spread each tortilla with hummus. Top with slices or cubes of the cooked chicken breast, using about 1 chicken breast per wrap. Add about 1/4 cup salad greens per wrap, along with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve, eat, and repeat.

Note: Feel free to toss a handful of parsley in with the salad greens or some garlic with the baked chicken. I was running low on resources at the time, but I imagine that it would make things even more yummy.