Southwest Egg Rolls with Chicken, Cheese and Avocado
Crispy Fried OR BAKED Southwest Egg Rolls loaded with Mexican spiced chicken, beans, tomatoes, rice, avocado and melty cheese! These Southwest Egg Rolls are packed with so much flavor and texture, they not only make a crowd pleasing appetizer, but a scrumdiddlyumptious meal the whole family will love all served with heavenly Cilantro Lime Ranch Dip!
Servings 21 egg rolls
Ingredients
- 21 egg roll wrappers
- 1 quart Vegetable oil (for frying only)
Egg Roll Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 pound chicken breasts, chopped small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined, minced
- 1 cup black beans,, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained (Rotel)
- 1 tsp EACH cumin, chili powder, salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Add later:
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Monterrey Jack
- 2 avocados, mashed
Cilantro Lime Ranch Dip
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons dry ranch seasoning/dressing mix
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Hot sauce to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Make Dip: Whisk together all of the Cilantro Lime Ranch Dip ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate.
- Cook Filling: Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken and onions and cook until chicken is no longer pink on the outside. Add garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno and sauté 1 minute. Stir in black beans, corn, rice, tomatoes and all seasonings and cook for 1-2 minutes or until warmed through and chicken is fully cooked.
- Finish Filling: Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until melted. Add avocados and stir to combine.
- Prep Workspace: Line your counter with parchment paper to place rolled egg rolls if frying or line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil if baking and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Assemble Egg Rolls: Position an egg roll wrapper with one point towards you. Place 1/4 cup filling centered in the bottom third of the wrapper. Fold bottom corner over filling then continue to roll up, firmly folding sides toward center over filling as you roll. Moisten top corner with water and press firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. (Refer to your egg roll wrapper for a diagram).
TO FRY:
- Heat oil in a deep stock pot/Dutch oven or deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees F or medium high heat. Fry egg rolls in batches until golden brown, turning egg rolls a few times while frying. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with Cilantro Lime Ranch Dip.
To Air Fry
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with cooking spray. Working in batches, place the egg rolls in the basket without touching and lightly spray the tops of the egg rolls with the cooking spray. Air fry at 390 degrees for 5 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes, until crispy.
TO BAKE (not as crispy)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line egg rolls, seam side down, on baking sheet, so that they are not touching. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until egg rolls are golden, flipping 2-3 times while baking, Broil a minute or so on each side for extra crispiness. Serve warm with Cilantro Lime Ranch Dip.
TO FREEZE
- Prepare and cook Egg Rolls according to directions. Let egg rolls cool COMPLETELY (you can place them on a baking sheet in the freezer to speed up the process). Wrap Egg Rolls individually in foil, then place multiple egg rolls in a freezer size plastic bag. When ready to serve, cook from frozen. Either fry per instructions, adding about 1 1/2 minutes, air fry per instructions, adding about 2 minutes, or bake per instructions, adding about 5 minutes to baking time.