Chicken Wrap

Chicken overtook beef as the most consumed meat in Australia by the late 2000s, driven partly by health trends and partly by price. The grilled chicken wrap became a staple of Australian lunch culture — a format that offered a balanced meal of protein, salad and carbohydrate in a hand-held, mess-free package that worked in offices, parks and on building sites alike.

The quality of a chicken wrap depends almost entirely on the quality of the chicken preparation. Thighs — used in many Turkish marinades — have more fat than breast and stay juicier on the grill. A proper marinade needs acid (lemon or yoghurt), fat (olive oil), and aromatics (garlic, herbs) to penetrate the meat before heat seals the surface. The Cappadocia kitchen marinates its chicken with an Anatolian spice blend before grilling to order.

Lettuce, tomato, roasted capsicum and aioli complete the wrap — the capsicum adding sweetness and a smokiness from the roasting process, the aioli providing the creamy richness that binds everything together. A clean, direct lunch done properly.