My use of egg roll and wonton wrappers is getting out of hand. In the past few months, I’ve used them to make petite lasagnas, buffalo chicken rolls, tuna rangoon, and now chicken parmesan wraps. We could call it me expressing my creativity, but I’ll be fair and admit it’s more closely resembling of obscenity. The good news is that if you buy egg roll wrappers, you’ll have four of my favorite recipes to try out.

For these delicious fold overs, I combined sweet marinara sauce, shredded chicken, baby spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. The idea was born from an intense chicken parmesan sub craving, and the sobering realization that such a meal would involve me having to change out of my pajamas, wash the semi-permanent chocolate mustache off of my kisser, and then interact with other human beings. Not going to happen. Especially not on Sunday at 3pm, a time I respectfully reserve for DVRed episodes of Oprah and the New York Times crossword.

I did what any self-respecting individual would do and used my most earnest voice to bribe Daniel. Promises of puppies, homemade chocolate cake, and my entire bankroll, were wagered. He turned down each and every one, maybe realizing that four paper-wrapped rolls of quarters (no matter how shiny) wouldn’t get him very far in life. I told him that silver would be worth something someday, but no, no budging.

I took to the kitchen with a wicked scowl and a vengeance. In my fridge I found each and every necessary ingredient for a perfect chicken parmesan sandwich minus the soft Italian sub roll. I reluctantly traded my angry cap for my thinking one, and within a few minutes I had leftover egg roll wraps in hand. The rest of the recipe came together in no time at all- just a layering of baby spinach, saucy chicken, creamy mozzarella, and sharp parmesan tucked inside a paper thin sheet of pasta, all baked to a golden brown crisp in the oven. Delicious sprung from desperation.

These are a cross between a hand pie and a calzone, but much smaller and without that lovely doughiness. At first I would have assumed the lack of chewy bread casing to be detrimental to taste and texture, but the beauty of these bites is that they allow you to experience the full flavor of the filling- the sweetness of tomatoes and the savory strands of chicken and melting cheese. The egg roll wrappers just provide a light crunch, almost like layering chicken parmesan on top of tortilla chips (which I imagine would make a lovely plate of nachos). They’re fun because they’re small, light, and hand- holdable. Doesn’t get much better.

And though I’d like to say that I withheld love, affection, and delicious chicken parmesan wraps from Daniel who refused to budge after many dire pleas for him to go to the store for sub rolls, I’ll admit that I shared them with him. I’ll call it a win for both of us, since he loved each and every oozing bite dipped in marinara, and I retained all previously offered bribes for future use.

* 1 pound chicken breast

* 2 cups marinara sauce plus more for serving (see my favorite recipe here)

* 12 egg roll wrappers find them in the refrigerated section of the produce dept

* 2 cups baby spinach leaves

* 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

* ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the chicken breast in a large saucepan and fill with enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks. Put the meat in a medium bowl and pour the marinara over it, stirring to coat the chicken with sauce.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set it on top of a baking sheet. Lay the egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. Layer each with a few leaves of spinach, then chicken, followed by mozzarella and parmesan.

Lightly brush the sides of each wrapper with water and fold the wrapper over the filling to form a triangle. Press to seal each of the sides and set the wrap on the prepared rack. Repeat with remaining wraps. Lightly spray the wraps with cooking spray. Bake until the edges are golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serve with additional warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 4g | Fiber: 1g