The Cool-Down Wrap: Pesto Chicken, Roasted Peppers & Apple Spice Ranch

After a long row on a scorching day, I wanted something cool, fresh, and satisfying. This wrap—grilled pesto-yogurt chicken, roasted peppers, arugula, and our house herb ranch—was born from leftovers but turned into a go-to summer meal.

Lou LaMedica

Jun 23, 2025

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The Cool-Down Wrap

A post-workout meal that actually cools you down

After a long row on a sweltering day, I wanted something healthy, satisfying, and above all—cooling. We had three pounds of chicken breasts in the fridge and a fridge full of odds and ends. So I grabbed what we had, mixed a marinade with leftover yogurt-cucumber sauce, TJ’s pesto, and diced sweet onion, and let the chicken soak up all that flavor before grilling it.

What came together was something even better than I expected. It’s a wrap that hits that post-workout sweet spot: fresh, light, and packed with protein—but with enough crunch and creaminess to feel like a treat.

I call it The Cool-Down Wrap. Here’s how to make it.

Note: I am not a fan of Trader Joe’s prepared pesto as a raw finishing sauce, but in a marinade that gets cooked, it is great and easy.

🥙 Ingredients:

For the chicken:

3 lbs organic boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup yogurt sauce

⅓ cup prepared pesto

½ sweet onion (like Vidalia), finely diced

Salt

Italian Seasoning

For the wrap build:

Roasted red peppers (jarred or homemade)

Arugula

Sliced red onion

Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

Lemon vinaigrette

Toasted panko bread crumbs (seasoned)

Optional but highly encouraged: Apple Spice house-made ranch (with dill, scallions, Italian parsley)

Wraps or flatbreads of choice

🔥 To make:

Marinate the chicken in yogurt sauce, pesto, raw onion, salt and Italian seasoning. Let sit for at least 30 minutes (longer is better).

Grill over medium flames at 400°F for 6–8 minutes per side, until cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes, then chunk into cubes.

Build your wrap: Start with arugula, pile on the sliced chicken, add roasted peppers, sprinkle with bread crumbs and shaved Parm, and drizzle with lemon vinaigrette and ranch.

Wrap it tight. Slice it clean. Eat it cold or room temp—either way, it’s fire.

Why I Love It:

It’s versatile enough to use all week in bowls or wraps and it is built around stuff that was left in my fridge. The chicken’s loaded with flavor thanks to the yogurt-pesto marinade, and the whole thing feels like a cooling breeze in food form.

Bonus: it makes use of leftovers in a way that feels like anything but.

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Lou LaMedica