Buttermilk Chicken Finger Wraps with Garlic Mayonaisse

Because all five of my children, ages 9-22, are home for the summer, there are now seven mouths to feed again. That's a lot of cooking! So I came up with a plan. We've been doing this for about four weeks now, and it seems to be working well. Each person takes one dinner per week, with a main dish, bread, side dish and vegetable and, sometimes, a dessert. This way, there's a great dinner to look forward to every day, and no one has to cook dinner more than once a week. Even the youngest, who's nine, gets to make yummy stuff, and she's thrilled about it. And if each person gets four or five meals under their belt, and the more seasoned cooks a few more, we have a decent rotation and pretty good variety.

Tonight, Jaynie, who's 13, wanted to make chicken wraps, so here's what we came up with. We set out the toppings and let each person craft their own wraps.

This recipe is broken into three parts--the toppings, the garlic mayonaisse, and the chicken tenders. 

Start by getting the toppings ready.

Here's what we used:

Thinly-sliced red onions

Tomatoes in small chunks

Romaine lettuce

Shredded white cheddar

Diced avocados

Feta cheese

Flatbreads, like Flatout wraps

Next, mix up the garlic mayonaisse:

1 cup mayonaisse

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

cracked pepper to taste

Put in the fridge until ready to use.

Finally, make the chicken tenders (adapted from this recipe by Rachael Ray):

Vegetable oil for frying

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons seasoning salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Buttermilk

1 1/2 to 2 pounds chicken tenders

Place buttermilk in a zip-type bag or reusable container and let marinade for anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight.

Mix the dry ingredients in a shallow dish.

Pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil into a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven. Heat to about 350°F.

While the oil is heating, pour chicken and buttermilk into another shallow container.

Using your pointer finger and thumb, dip chicken tenders in the flour, then back into the buttermilk. Repeat.

Fry the chicken tenders in the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about three minutes per side. If they seem to be brown enough but you're not sure, take one out and cut it through the thickest part. If it's white all the way through, it's done.

Remove from oil with a metal slotted spoon and drain in a mesh colander set over a metal bowl or pan and let cool for a minute. You might have to season slightly with salt and pepper. Now, you can either leave the tenders whole, or cut them into chunks for your wraps.

Slather your wrap with garlic mayo, fill with fixings, toss on a few chicken tender pieces, and enjoy!