BBQ Chicken Tortilla Trend

Reading Time: 3 minutes
Learn how to make a delicious BBQ chicken tortilla inspired by the food you find at county and state fairs.
By Hannah McClure – I don’t know about your family, but here, we love fair week! The 4-H projects: blue ribbons, class champions, and Best of Show. The auctioneer sells off months of the kids’ hard work to teach them life skills and how to earn a buck. And the fair food is just as big a part of fair week as the 4-H projects.
The year 2020 (like for many) meant fair week looked different. My gut didn’t mind the missed week of fair food though my mind sure missed the tradition. Especially the town’s school band donuts. But who says we can’t have fair food at home? Stromboli in the oven or air fryer. Fresh-cut fries. Home-fried elephant ears and funnel cakes. Burgers and BBQ pulled pork or chicken. Ice cream. Deep-fried Oreos … y’all see why my body regretted nothing the year we missed fair? This year, I was not sure what to expect, so I made “fair week” a little more festive on the home front. While skipping the deep-fried Oreos and the mess of funnel cakes, I will be enjoying fresh-cut fries and BBQ pulled chicken … with a twist.
In January 2021, social media graced us with the trending Tortilla Wrap Hack. Also known as the Tortilla Trend. And, though I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon, this was too good (literally) to miss. And a perfect fun food to have your little helping hands and 4-H strong ones help with. So, without further chit-chat … may I introduce you to my version of the Tortilla Trend paired with fair food and 4-H enthusiasm. And believe me, it tastes amazing!
What You Will Need
- 8 to 10 soft tortillas (fajita size makes them easy for the kids)
- 2 to 2-1/2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 block of smoked cheddar or cheese of choice, cut into slices
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
- 2 whole potatoes, cut and baked into fresh-cut fries, or cooked fries of choice
- Approximately 1 cup BBQ sauce
- Waffle iron or Panini press
BBQ Chicken Tortilla Instructions
Step One
Lay the tortilla on a flat surface. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut a line through half of the tortilla, starting in the middle and cutting to the outside edge. Repeat on all eight to 10 tortillas.

Step Two
Picture the tortilla in quarters. Place ingredients in each quarter as directed below. These amounts are easily adjustable according to your personal preference and tortilla size.
1st QUARTER: fresh-cut fries.
2nd QUARTER: two to three slices of cheese and three strips of bell pepper
3rd QUARTER: about 1⁄4 cup shredded chicken
4th QUARTER: about a tablespoon of BBQ sauce.
Step Three
Folding your tortilla: start with the lower left quarter of your wrap. Fold it up to the top left quarter of your wrap. Fold now to the top-right quarter of the wrap. And last, fold down to the lower right quarter of the wrap, making it into a triangle.
Step Four
Grill! Lightly grease your waffle iron or panini press and place your folded wraps on the preheated iron. Close and cook for about three minutes
or until the wrap is golden brown. If using a skillet, use a spatula to hold down and flip to brown the other side, similar to making quesadillas.
There are many different variations for filling your wrap. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert-style wraps are easy and fun to make. And it is an easy way to remake leftovers. I encourage you to be creative and have fun with your food and your littles.
Originally published in the June/July 2021 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.