How’d you like that longer-than-necessary title?? But hey, I have to let you know all the goodness that is to come in this post, don’t I?? Or perhaps I should have left the dipping sauce as a surprise at the end? Oh well, what’s done is done, my friends.
Have you ever had the Southwestern Egg Rolls at Chili’s? Well, I’ll be honest…I have not. Because I’m not particularly a fan of corn in my food. I know, I know… But J loves them and when he was helping me menu plan a couple of weeks back, egg rolls were something he requested. Particularly of the Chili-esque variety. And then, of course, I had to add meat into the mix, because the hubs doesn’t do vegetarian for dinner. He needs the protein, and a few black beans aren’t going to cut it. So, chicken seemed like a good choice.
And then there has to be something to dip them in, riiiiight? I heard that Chili’s serves theirs with some sort of avocado ranch dip, so I decided to kick it up a notch with cilantro, lime, and Greek yogurt. Ermahgerd, y’all. That is one delicious sauce.
Have you ever noticed that not many things that we eat are without some sort of sauce or dip? Well, maybe you haven’t noticed, but I have. I wonder if that’s normal? I know people who eat their sammiches and burger dry. As in, no condiments on them. And this baffles me. So I wonder if we are perceived as over-users of condiments, sauces, and dips? There’s something useless to ponder!
I’ll tell you that when I started rolling up these egg rolls, they weren’t very pretty. But, by the time I got to the last one, I’d gotten the hang of how to roll them better and they came out looking pretty decent. You know, how an egg roll is supposed to look instead of like a hot mess. I have this challenge rolling burritos as well. Practice makes perfect (or at least decent) so I just have to keep on keepin’ on, y’all!
I opted to use ground chicken breast in these egg rolls, but you could always you chopped or shredded chicken breast if that’s your preference. I was going for quick and easy, and ground chicken fit the bill for that task. I had originally planned to keep some of the mixture separate, sans corn, but in the end decided that would be a bigger hassle than was necessary. So, I sucked it up and ate them with corn. And I survived! Haha. But really, I didn’t even notice the corn and the overall flavors were so good. Chicken, corn, black beans, spinach, and cheese, all seasoned up with the Southwestern flavors we all know and love. And these babies are baked, not fried, so you get a healthier, but still crispy, version of these egg rolls. I’d say that’s a win!
Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls with Creamy Cilantro Lime Avocado Ranch Sauce
Adapted from Nutritious Eats
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 cups spinach leaves
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1½ cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, drained
- 4 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
- ¼ tsp cayenne red pepper
- 1 pkg (21) egg roll wrappers
- 1 egg, beaten (for sealing egg rolls (can substitute water))
For the Cilantro Lime Avocado Ranch Sauce
- 1 1/2 avocados
- 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 Tbsp ranch dressing
- salt & pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add the ground chicken, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook until chicken is almost all browned, then add the frozen corn and the spinach. Cook, stirring to mix well, until the chicken is cooked through and the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool a bit.
- While the chicken mixture is cooling, combine the beans, cheese, green chilies, green onions, cilantro and seasonings in a large bowl. Stir to combine. When the chicken mixture has cooled some, stir that into the bowl and mix well.
- To assemble the egg rolls, spoon 1/4 cup of the mixture into the center of the egg roll wrapper, then fold 1 corner over the filling, followed by the two side corners, and then roll it up to the last remaining corner. Use a pastry brush or your finger to wipe the beaten egg or water along the last corner to seal. (I also moistened the side corners as well, as I folded them over, for extra sealing power.) Place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
- Once all egg rolls are assembled and on the baking sheet, give them a little spray with your cooking spray, or a light brush of olive oil this will help them brown.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned (on the bottom), then gently turn over and cook for another 10-15 minutes. This will ensure a nice, crisp shell instead of a gooey, doughy one.
- While the egg rolls are baking, place all the ingredients from the sauce into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Serve the egg rolls with the sauce, and enjoy!
this is a great idea to wrap chicken…Looks so delicious & pictures make me mouthwatering!!Thanks for sharing with 'Hot & Spicy Treats' Restaurant in Satya niketan