Golden and crunchy and bursting with chicken and vegetables, it’s Spring Rolls on the menu tonight!
Spring rolls and egg rolls can be a little hard to differentiate, so what’s really the difference? It’s all in the wrapper! Spring rolls are wrapped in a thin, almost translucent flour wrapper while egg roll wrappers are noticeably thicker and, you guessed it, dipped in egg. Eggrolls are a little bit heartier, with the surface of the roll dimpled with little bubbles and a chewy first bite. Spring rolls on the other hand, have a perfectly smooth surface and when bit into, have a tendency to shatter into pieces. A good shatter. Like golden and crispy and eat me now shatter. OK. Now that we know the difference!
These are SPRING ROLLS. They get super crispy and golden when fried, and are a fabulous appetizer for both parties and dinner at home.
Also try our Vegetable Thai Spring Rolls!
I worked for years as a chef in a Thai restaurant and I used to roll hundreds of spring rolls in the kitchen. I’ve found that even when I’m at home, I would rather make a big batch and have a container in the freezer than make just a few. So that’s the kind of recipe I’m giving you today! A nice big batch so you only have to make them once.
The Details
These spring rolls start off with some pulled chicken. You can go the easy route and use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, but we are going to do this from scratch. For optimal tenderness, we will boil some chicken thighs/breasts in salted water with a bay leaf and garlic clove. While the chicken is boiling we chop the vegetables and make the Ginger Sesame Sauce.
For vegetables, you will need 6 cups of shredded white cabbage(I buy a whole head and thinly slice it), and 3 shredded/grated carrots. Start by sautéing a generous amount of garlic and ginger, and then add the veggies. It’s important not to cook them for too long- we want them to JUST start wilting so the cabbage still has a nice crunch to it in the finished spring roll. Once the chicken is soft, use two forks to shred it and add it to the vegetables. Pour over the sauce, mix for just a minute, and that’s it for the filling!
I highly recommend using a large wok to make the filling because it is a -large- amount and woks are just the biggest kitchen tools out there. I actually use this massive wok from the restaurant whose handle broke off- which is a risky business because I’ve got nothing to hold on to when it gets out of control but hey, it does the job!!!
How to roll up a spring roll
First make sure your working station is set up.
Restaurant Tip: Make a “food glue” with 2 Tbs white flour and 4-5 Tablespoons of water. Slowly mix the water into the flour in a bowl until a thick but workable consistency is reached. You’ll spread this on the edge of the spring roll to make sure the edges stay closed while in the fryer.
Defrost the spring roll wrappers and cover the pile of wrappers not in current use with a towel so they don’t dry out. When they dry out the edges crisp up and break and they need to be thrown away so, take caution!
- Lay out a wrapper
- Place a couple Tablespoons worth of filling along the bottom third of the wrapper, close to the edge.
- Fold over the bottom edge of wrapper, tightly covering the filling.
- Fold over the left and right sides in a perpendicular fashion- you want straight edges for the most beautiful spring rolls.
- Continue rolling the spring roll forward and before reaching the opposite edge, brush it with “food glue”, and finish the roll.
These can be immediately fried and served with your favorite dipping sauce(I will provide a Spicy Ginger Sesame Dipping Sauce recipe in the recipe box).
Another Restaurant Tip: To freeze, say if you want to eat half and save the rest, roll each egg roll individually in between the sheets of wax paper the wrappers came in. I find two fit in one wrapper perfectly- just make sure the egg rolls aren’t touching each other or they become near impossible to pry apart once frozen! Alternatively, you could store between sheets of parchment paper.
I hope you love these Crispy Sesame Chicken Spring Rolls like we do! Always share your photos with us on Instagram, they are my favorite to see! Happy Cooking!
Fried Sesame Chicken Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- one package spring roll wrappers(we will use the whole thing)
Pulled Chicken (sub with leftover or rotisserie chicken)
- 2 large chicken thighs on the bone, or 4 drumsticks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbs salt
- 1 bay leaf
Ginger Sesame Dressing
- 3 Tbs soy sauce
- 2 Tbs rice vinegar
- 2 Tbs sugar
- 1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
Vegetable Filling
- 1 Tbs sesame oil, sub. other cooking oil
- 6 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 4 tsp fresh ginger, very finely minced
- 6 cups shredded white cabbage
- 3 carrots, shredded
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Spicy Ginger Sesame Dipping Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ginger, grated or minced
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 3 tsp rice vinegar
- 4 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp spicy chili oil (substitute with fresh diced red chili) find this is the asian section of your local supermarket
- 2 Tbs thinly sliced green onion
Instructions
Pulled Chicken
- Add the bone-in chicken to a pressure cooker(or regular pot if thats what you have), sprinkle over 2 Tbs salt, and add the garlic cloves and bay leaf. Add water to just cover the chicken and cook under fork tender, about an hour. While the chicken is cooking, prep the vegetables, sauce, and dipping sauce. Carefully remove the chicken to a plate and use two forks to shred the meat from the bones. Discard the skin and bones.Alternatively you could use a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
Ginger Sesame Dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Vegetable Filling
- Heat the oil in a large wok and add the garlic, saute until fragrant. Add the ginger, cook for a minute. Add the cabbage and carrots and cook, turning over the vegetables, for about two minutes. Be careful not to cook this too long, you want the cabbage to retain its crunch. Just when you see the cabbage leaves begin to soften, add the pulled chicken and ginger sesame dressing. Sprinkle over the pepper. Mix using two big wooden spoons, scooping to the bottom of the wok and pulling the vegetables from the bottom to the top, until the filling is well combined.
Roll
- Set up your work station. Make a "food glue" – place 2 Tbs flour in a small bowl. Slowly add 4 Tbs water and mix until a smooth, slightly thick consistency is reached. If it is too thin add another Tablespoon of water.
- Lay out one defrosted spring roll wrapper, save the wax paper that seperates the wrappers.1. Place 3-4 Tbs of filling on the bottom third half of the wrapper, and roll the bottom edge tightly over the filling. 2. Fold over the left and right sides of wrapper in a perpendicular fashion and holding the filling tightly in place, continue rolling away from yourself. 3. When you are almost to the end, brush the edge with the "food glue" and finish the roll. The glue will hold the roll together in the fryer. 4. Continue until all of the wrappers are used.
- Fry the rolls immedietly until golden brown on each side or freeze.TO FREEZE: Wrap the spring rolls in between the wax sheets that the wrappers came packaged in, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to a few weeks. why- If the rolls touch in the freezer they are very hard to pry apart once frozen!
Dipping Sauce and Serve
- Let the spring rolls cool after the fryer on paper towels for a moment, and slice in half on the diagonal. Place all dipping sauce ingredients into a container and shake well. Enjoy hot.
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