Our Chicken Egg Rolls: The Crunchy Appetizer Your Party Craves

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Egg rolls may have evolved from Chinese-style spring rolls, and they look a bit different than they did several decades ago. The one thing most egg rolls don’t contain is egg, but the name may derive from the earliest egg rolls, which seem to have been more like cylindrical omelets. Today’s rolls, however, have come a long way in the last century or so, as they’re now typically made with a mixture of meats and vegetables inside a crispy crust. Recipe developer Jessica Morone gives us a pretty classic take on the recipe, with a filling made from ground chicken (and no egg), and of course, that deeply rich and satisfying crispy outer crust.

What we love about this recipe is how convenient it is. In addition to the chicken, you simply add a few cups of a frozen stir-fry vegetable mix — no need to thaw. Stir in some garlic and ginger for a hint of pungency, and your filling is good to go. As for the egg roll wrappers, store-bought ones are just fine. With a little easy wrapping and a few minutes of frying, your perfect party appetizer will be all crunchy and hot and ready for dipping. 

The filling for these egg rolls is made from a simple mixture of ground chicken, frozen stir-fry vegetables, ginger, and garlic. To complete the dish, you’ll also need egg roll wrappers and cooking oil for frying, and you may want some sweet and sour sauce on hand for serving.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground chicken, breaking it up as it browns.

Add the frozen stir-fry vegetables, ginger, and garlic and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Lay an egg roll wrapper in a diamond shape and brush all the edges with water.

Spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of the wrapper.

Fold the bottom corner over the filling.

Fold in the sides of the egg roll wrapper.

Roll the egg roll tightly toward the top and press the final corner in to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

In a deep skillet or pot, heat about 1 to 2 inches of oil until it reaches 360 F.

Fry the egg rolls in batches, turning them over once until golden brown and crispy (about 2 to 3 minutes per side).

Drain the egg rolls on paper towel-lined plates.

Serve hot with sweet and sour sauce for dipping, if desired.

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The egg rolls in this recipe are deep-fried because this method provides the maximum amount of crunch in the shortest amount of time. If you prefer to lighten up your egg rolls, however, or you simply don’t want to deal with the mess of deep frying or you don’t have a deep fry thermometer, you can choose to pan-fry them instead. This method requires less cooking oil (about 1 to 2 tablespoons), and you’ll need to turn the egg rolls so they cook on both sides. This should take about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or 6 to 8 minutes in total. Once the rolls are browned, add a small amount of water to the pan, put a lid on it, and steam the egg rolls for a few minutes to ensure that the insides are warm.

Another way to cook these egg rolls is to bake them, which you can do using an oven or an air fryer. If you’re using the oven, preheat it to 375 F, then cook the egg rolls for about 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through. With an air fryer, you can set it to 350 F, then give the egg rolls about 6 or 7 minutes on one side and 4 to 5 minutes on the other. As air fryers are smaller than ovens, you may need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding.

There are a number of different ways you can change up the egg rolls to suit your tastes, starting with the filling. Instead of chicken, you could use ground turkey, ground pork, or a combination of ground meats. A plant-based meat substitute would also work, in which case you’d have vegan egg rolls (contradictory though that may seem) as long as your wrappers don’t contain any eggs or dairy. You could also use your own choice of vegetables instead of a frozen mix. Some of the vegetables that can be used in egg roll fillings include cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and green onions.

Feel free to supplement the seasonings, too. Splash in some soy sauce, stir in a small amount of sesame oil, or give the filling a little kick with five-spice powder or crushed red pepper. The dipping sauces are also a matter of preference. While duck sauce and sweet and sour sauce are common condiments, so too is spicy Chinese mustard. Thai sweet chili sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sriracha are other options, as is satay-style peanut sauce.

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