Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels are full of everything that I love.  Cheese, chicken, bacon, and the flavor of ranch, in every single bite!  I just can't get enough of them!  You can leave these as a chicken bacon ranch wrap and eat them the exact same way that my son does or cut them into pieces or pinwheels like my husband and I prefer, the choice is yours.

These Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels are perfect for parties as a snack or an appetizer or lunch or even dinner for the whole family, I have done it all myself!  Especially during the summer months when the last thing on earth I want to do is turn my oven on for long periods of time!

I also tend to use those rotisserie chickens a lot during the summer.  They are so convenient to buy, debone and create a fabulous meal, snack, or appetizer!  This easy recipe is delicious and takes such a little amount of time to prepare.  It's a definite keeper!

This recipe for Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels is so versatile too.  You can use other salad dressings besides ranch to make these tasty wraps or pinwheels, everything from caesar salad dressing to bacon ranch to coleslaw dressing to blue cheese!  Add the exact same amount to your mixture so you can enjoy every bite as well!  I can't wait to hear what dressings you use to create your perfect wrap or pinwheel!

These pinwheels are so colorful and look beautiful on any serving plate!  These pinwheels will also disappear so quickly you will be glad you have lots on hand!

The Delicious Road to Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels

The road to this delicious chicken bacon ranch wrap has three of side streets that converge to make a highway of deliciousness. We wouldn't have these pinwheels if it weren't for the invention of ranch dressing, wraps, and pinwheels. These three individual food inventions combine to create the foundation for this and many other delicious wrap and pinwheel recipes.

History of Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing is a distinctly American dressing made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs, and spices. It's a relatively new addition to the world of dressings. In 1949, Steve Henson moved with his wife, Adya to the Anchorage, Alaska area. While there, he worked for a stretch as a plumbing contractor before finally purchasing the Sweetwater Ranch in San Marcos Pass, consequently renaming it, you guessed it, Hidden Valley Ranch.

He served this salad dressing that he'd created on the Hidden Valley Ranch menu. It didn't take long for the dressing to become hugely popular, and Henson began selling package ranch dressing mix and shipping it by mail. That's how we got the ever-delicious ranch dressing.

History of Pinwheel Sandwiches

Pinwheels are just another kind of sandwich, but where and when was the idea to roll a sandwich instead of just slap two pieces of bread around fillings thought up? The pinwheel is an English creation dating back all the way to the 10th century. Back then, the English enjoyed pinwheel sandwiches as snacks that they paired with a hot cup of tea. According to history, these pinwheels were likened to the French canape.

When these sandwiches were first invented, people use simple ingredients like butter or cream cheese as the filling and rolled them up with bread slices. Of course, over the centuries, more and more unique ingredients were tried for both the filling and the wrapping itself. Over time, people created all kinds of pinwheels, which is how we came to the modern version of pinwheel sandwiches that so many of us enjoy today!

History of Wraps

People in Mexico, the Mediterranean, and South Asia have been eating wraps since before the 1900s. Perhaps the most recognized pre-Americanized wrap is the burrito which originated in Mexico. In fact, the burrito is the inspiration for the modern-day wrap. However, the wrap as North Americans know it today was developed sometime in the early 1980s. There are two disputed theories on where it was actually invented first.

Some claim that wrap as we know it, an Americanized version of Mexican and Tex-Mex burritos, was invented at a southern California chain called “I Love Juicy”. However, Bobby Valentine, sports icon and owner of The Bobby Valentine Sports Gallery Cafe in Stamford, Connecticut claims to have invented the wrap at about the same time.

There’s really no way to know where the wrap originated, but does it really matter? I don't think so. What matters is how good they are!

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels Recipe

Don't let all the words in the name fool you, this delicious chicken bacon ranch wrap is super easy to make. Served whole, it remains a wrap. Cut into slices, it becomes a pinwheel. Either way you serve it, this recipe is absolutely delicious, ridiculously easy to make, and a winner no matter where or when you serve it.

Ingredients

The ingredient list for these delicious cheesy chicken bacon ranch pinwheels is short and sweet. You don't need much to make these. You most likely have every single ingredient you need to make these in your kitchen already, further adding to the ease of this recipe. Here's what you'll need.

• Tortillas
• Rotisserie Chicken
• Bacon
• Cream Cheese
• Shredded Cheese
• Ranch
• Baby Romaine or Baby Spinach
• Garlic
• Green Onions
• Tomato
• Hot Sauce or Hot Peppers, Diced (Optional)

Making Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels

Making these delicious wraps or pinwheels, however, you choose to serve them, is quite easy. There's a bit of manual labor involved, but on the whole, the entire process is simply a bit of prep and layering the ingredients together. It's one of the simplest fully-homemade recipes you'll ever make.

The full details are in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here are the highlights. You'll see from reading them that the recipe really is so simple.

• Debone, chop, and shred the chicken and the bacon as finely as possible.  The smaller the pieces the better.  It will make it easier to create the perfect pinwheel or wrap.
• Grab a large bowl and add the cream cheese, garlic, dressing, cheese.  Using a handheld or stand mixer blend ingredients together until smooth.
• Fold in green onions, tomatoes, bacon, chicken, and pepper.  Taste the mixture and see if you want to add more dressing, pepper, or hot sauce to suit your personal taste.
• Spread a thin layer of your chicken mixture over top of your tortillas, place lettuce or spinach all over the chicken mixture, and then roll the tortilla up, as tightly as possible, without the mixture being forced out the ends of the tortilla.  My husband always says to roll them up snugly not tightly.
• Wrap filled tortillas, seam side down in parchment paper, and refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing into pieces or serving these wraps.  Enjoy every bite!

Variations

As with all wrap and pinwheel recipes, one of the best things about these cheesy chicken bacon ranch pinwheels is just how versatile they are. You can change every single part of this recipe to create something totally new each and every time.

Change the Wrap

I used a regular flour tortilla for this recipe, but you can use any kind of tortilla you like as long as it's soft. There are at least two variations that I know of, and probably more. You'll easily find both whole wheat and veggie tortillas at your local grocery store.

Change the Meat

I used shredded chicken in this recipe, but you can use any kind of meat you like. Almost anything works. Head to your grocery store's deli section and choose whatever strikes your fancy. You can also used pulled varieties of meats in the same way I used this shredded chicken. Get creative! Here are some ideas.

• Any Lunch Meat
• Shredded Chicken
• Pulled Pork
• Pulled Beef

Change the Sauce or Dressing

You can use literally any sauce variety you like for your pinwheel recipe. Ranch worked perfectly in this recipe, but depending on your meat choice, you can change things up drastically. Some great sauce options include:

• Ranch Dressing
• 1,000 Island Dressing
• Barbecue Sauce
• Honey Mustard
• Mustard
• Mayo and Mayo Mixes
• Guacamole

Add Veggies

I usually just add greens to my wraps to keep things simple, but if you slice your veggies into thin strips, they'll work well in a pinwheel or wrap. Almost anything that can be sliced thinly will work. Things that don't need to be sliced at all are great, too. Think about things like:

• Lettuces
• Shredded Cabbage
• Bean Sprouts
• Carrots
• Celery
• Avocado

Serving Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels

These delicious pinwheels are complete meals in and of themselves, so there's no need to serve them with anything other than a plate and extra dipping sauce. They have every major food group in them, and they're so satisfying, they don't need a lot of bells and whistles.

Storing the Pinwheels

You can store these cheesy chicken bacon ranch pinwheels in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to four days. I want to caution you, however, that just because you CAN store these pinwheels doesn't mean that you SHOULD store them.

These pinwheels are best served the day you make them. Over time, these pinwheels will get soggy as the dressing seeps into the layers of tortilla surrounding it.

Try These Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels for Yourself

These cheesy chicken bacon ranch pinwheels are so delicious and so easy to make. You see that description in a lot of my recipes because I believe in ease. And it doesn't get much easier than this recipe. The most laborious part of the entire recipe is simply shredding the chicken, and that's an easy task itself.

Give this recipe a try today. Serve it as a wrap or pinwheels. Either way, you'll be inundated with enthusiastic requests for more of them. They're that good!

More Easy Lunches To Try

Tuna Egg Salad Roll Ups

Cheesy Honey Mustard Turkey Roll Ups

Easy Crispy Chicken Salsa Wraps

Easy Baked Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

Cheesy Ham Roll Ups

Slow Cooker Chicken Salad

Cheesy Tuna Bombs

Easy Smoked Salmon Tortilla Roll Ups

Easy Chicken Salad Snack Wraps

The Best Roast Beef Sandwich

Turkey Club Wrap

The Best Toasted Reuben Sandwich

                                    Easy Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

V

We love these wraps so much we just had to make a video for these Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels.  Take a peek below so you can see just how easy they are to prepare!

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels Video