chicken burrito egg rolls

I've had egg rolls wrappers sitting in my fridge for a few days and didn't really know what to do with them other than my usual vegetable egg rolls (wow... looks like I had a white balance issue back then!) As I was baking some chicken breasts and rice, I thought it would be good to make a burrito. Then I remembered the egg rolls and HELLO great idea! Chicken burrito egg rolls!

I just put the usual burrito ingredients inside the egg roll wrapper - chicken, black beans, rice and cheese. I added shredded cabbage (aka cole slaw mix) for crunch and really liked the texture it gave.

Just pan fry these for a few minutes on each side until they are golden brown and crispy. I added a little lime juice, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper to the rice to give it more flavor. I wasn't trying to copy Chipotle's cilantro lime rice... because let's not talk about how many times I've tried to recreate that and failed. I'm convinced they put crack in it.

You're left with this totally yummy treat and a filling dinner. It would be fun to make a dipping sauce from sour cream, lime juice and maybe a little honey. If you try it let me know!

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Chicken Burrito Egg Rolls

serves: 2 people (2 egg rolls each)
Jenna Laughs Original

1 chicken breast fulled cooked (I baked mine then shredded it)
1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed in a colander
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend, but Colby Jack would be good)
1/4 cup shredded cabbage (cole slaw mix, this is optional)
4-6 egg rolls wrappers (just keep making them until you run out of ingredients!)
1 cup cooked rice
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup canola or vegetable oil

Heat oil (you want about 1/2 inch depth of oil in the pan) in a large skillet over medium heat until it reaches about 350 degrees. You want bubbles to form when you put the egg roll in the hot oil, but not bubble up too quickly and burn. Mix the cooked rice, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Taste to make sure it is seasoned correctly and has good flavor.

Lay one wrapper down in front of you. Put about 1 tablespoon shredded chicken, 1 tablespoon black beans, 2 tablespoons rice, 1 tablespoon shredded cheese and a little shredded cabbage (you can just estimate all this.) You want the wrapper to be full, but not too full. You can reference my photo above. Fold the bottom up over the fillings, then fold in the sides and roll it up like a burrito. Set aside as you make the rest.

Once all your egg roll burritos are made, put them in the oil for a few minutes on each side until they're golden brown and crispy. Let them dry on paper towels, then enjoy!

basil mozzarella pinwheels

Has a been a month since I've blogged? More than that? Okay, let's just look past that sad fact and move on...

These basil pinwheels are lovely little creatures. I love a sheet of puff pastry. The possibilities are endless! You could make something chocolatey, cheesy, salty, fruity, spicy or sweet. Of course it's more adventurous to make your own puff pastry, but when you're short on time the frozen version is a great shortcut.

I started by laying out a thawed sheet of puff pastry, then brushed the whole thing with egg wash. Then I chopped up fresh mozzarella and basil from my garden (aka the only thing that's really growing well...) and sprinkled it over the whole thing.

Then roll it up as tightly as possible before slicing it into 1/2 inch slices.

As it bakes, the mozzarella kind of oozes out and gets slightly brown. It's really delicious with bright, summery flavors. Keep it in mind for your next barbecue - your guests will be surprised when you serve this instead of baked beans!

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Basil Mozzarella Pinwheels

Serves: 6

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Let the sheet of puff pastry sit out at room temperature for about 35 minutes, until its mostly thawed. Lay it out on the counter top and make sure the fold marks are smoothed out. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl, then brush it all over the puff pastry.

Chop up the mozzarella cheese into small pieces, then place evenly over the puff pastry. Do the same thing with the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Starting at the bottom (the smaller side of the rectangle) roll as tightly as possible.

Then, using a sharp serrated knife, carefully slice the roll into 1/2 inch pieces. Let the knife do the work, don't press down too hard. Place the pieces on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and brush each pinwheel with remaining egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.

vegetable egg rolls

I love egg rolls. Did you know that you can bake them? You can get that same crunchy texture without deep frying your pretty vegetables into fatty oblivion.

These egg rolls are crunchy with the savory flavor of soy sauce and a slight spice from chili powder. A perfect balance. Even my Dad loved them, and he doesn't like to step out of the box with it comes to food.

This is one of those "I want to use every leftover vegetable in my fridge to get rid of it" kind of thing. I saw parts of bell pepper, half an onion, baggies of frozen peas and corn... why not throw it all together and shove it in an egg roll? Win.

I chopped up all my veggies into really small pieces. I didn't want big chunks in my egg rolls.

After the vegetables get soft, add chili powder, turmeric, shredded cabbage, soy sauce, salt and pepper. After a few minutes of stirring and cooking - you've got egg roll filling!

Set up your work station with the egg rolls, a lined baking sheet and some water.

Place the egg roll wrapper down in front of you like a triangle, then put 1/4 cup or so of filling in the center of the triangle.

Then fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold in both corners and moisten the top corner with some water. Then you just roll it up and line your little beauties on a baking sheet.

To get a nice crunch, I sprayed the tops with olive oil spray before baking them. When they come out of the oven, they are crispy and delicious.

I made these as a side dish to this killer steak I made on Tuesday night. But these vegetable egg rolls would be great as an appetizer. I think I will make some more for the Super Bowl this weekend.

Here's the recipe!

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Vegetable Egg Rolls

print recipe

(this recipe is adaptable, just use whatever vegetables you have!)

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 cups shredded cabbage
3 tablespoons soy sauce
8 - 10 egg roll wrappers
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet and set aside.

Combine oil and bell pepper, onion and carrot in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir and let cook for 5 - 7 minutes, or until tender. Add frozen corn and peas. Let warm through for a few minutes. Add spices and shredded cabbage. While the cabbage wilts, set up your egg roll station with the wrappers, a small bowl of water and the baking sheet.

Add soy sauce to vegetable mixture and stir. Cook for 3-4 more minutes then remove from heat. Place the egg roll wrapper down in front of you like a triangle, then put 1/4 cup (or less) of filling in the center of the triangle. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold in both corners and moisten the top corner with some water. Roll up the egg roll and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until the vegetable mixture is gone. Line the egg rolls on the baking sheet and spray liberally with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until egg rolls are browned on top.