There is something about egg rolls that set them apart as a food entity on their own. The sky is the limit as far as what you can stuff them with and no matter what flavors the stuffing incorporates, the outer crispy layer of the sheet itself is what brings all the flavors together as one. A uniquely amazing bite. The stuffing for this egg roll recipe includes deliciously moist and tomato pesto covered chicken, shredded and seasoned vegetables and some additional flavors that give it just the right touch, or I should say, just the right bite!
Frying these egg rolls requires some careful attention, and altering of the heat setting a couple of times in the process. This allows the egg rolls to be fried to a perfect golden color, and also ensures that the rolls are cooked evenly (inside and out). You can absolutely be as creative as you would like as far as the stuffing is concerned, changing the vegetable ingredients to your liking!
Crispy Chicken and Veggie Egg Rolls
Filled with delicious, moist, thinly sliced chicken coated in a tomato pesto sauce, combined with some delectable vegetables and fried to crispy, golden perfection-this recipe is a party for your taste buds!
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts thinly sliced and chopped
- 5 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded brussel sprouts
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms *any type. I use Bella mushrooms
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn
Spices and Flavors
- 3 oz spicy tomato pesto *any brand. I use Filippo Berio
- 1 tsp parsley flakes
- 4 cloves finely chopped fresh garlic
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce *light sodium
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt *to taste
- Canola oil *for deep frying of egg rolls
Instructions
For the chicken
- Wash chicken breasts well, pat dry, butterfly the chicken breasts, thinly slice and chop. Heat large skillet on medium high heat and add 3 tbsp grapeseed oil. Once oil is hot, add sliced and chopped chicken breasts and chopped garlic and stir-fry well until chicken changes color (approximately 3-4 minutes). Then lower heat to medium low, cover with lid and cook until chicken is almost done (about 10 minutes). Uncover, add the spicy tomato pesto paste, mix well and cover again and cook for about 5 minutes more on medium low heat. Remove chicken into bowl to let cool.
For the vegetables
- In the same skillet used for cooking the chicken, add about 2 more tbsp of grapeseed oil and keep heat on medium high. Add the scallions, shredded carrots, shredded brussel sprouts, mushrooms and mix well and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the frozen corn and continue cooking on medium high heat for an additional 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium low, cover and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, break the cooled chicken into smaller, bite size pieces (don't completely shred). Uncover vegetables, add the chicken (and any of the coated tomato pesto sauce on the chicken) and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Mix well, cover and cook on medium low for additional 2-3 minutes. Now it's done. Remove mixture into a colander with bowl underneath to allow mixture to completely cool and any excess liquid/oil to be strained (can mix with fork).
For the egg rolls
- I like to use a thicker egg roll sheet for this recipe. Once the mixture has completely cooled, fill and roll the sheets and place on a sheet pan with a slightly wet paper towel covering the prepared egg rolls. Chill the egg rolls in fridge for about 15-20 minutes and then deep fry (I use Canola Oil). When frying egg rolls, make sure you heat the oil on high heat in a deep frying vessel (like a wok). Once oil is heated, and before placing the egg rolls in the oil, turn the heat to medium high. After placing egg rolls in the oil, fry for about one minute on medium high heat and then turn the heat down to medium low (you want the egg rolls to cook all the way thru and be crispy, not just burn on the outside, so proper technique of deep frying is very important here). Cook egg rolls on medium low heat for about 5-7 minutes until they are golden from the outside and thoroughly cooked from the inside. Turn the egg rolls as needed (multiple times) during this frying process. Remove the egg rolls on a paper towel lined sheet. Only place about 5 egg rolls in each batch (depending on size of your wok) when frying so as not to drop the oil temperature too much and ensure crispy egg rolls-so frying them in batches is a good idea.
For serving
- You can serve these egg rolls with any number of dips or chutneys. I have a delicious tamarind chutney recipe that will be posted shortly! Enjoy! Nosh farmaa'iye!
Notes
*I add approximately 1/4 tsp of Kosher salt when cooking the vegetables. Be careful with salt content in the steps, since the tomato pesto sauce has salt, as does the soy sauce (light sodium). Check for salt as you go.