Southwestern Egg Rolls

Southwestern Egg Rolls

These southwestern egg rolls are absolutely delicious.  They are easy to make, come together quickly, and are so versatile, you can serve them as appetizers, for game day, at parties, on buffet tables, or just as a great snack. 

They are full of vegetables, and the flavors are spectacular. Dip them in the sauce, and the flavors burst in your mouth.  You’ll want to keep this recipe handy so you can make them often. 

I’m a huge fan of all types of egg rolls. Spicy, sweet…even breakfast egg rolls filled with eggs and sausage are a treat to my taste buds. But ever since I’ve created these Southwest Egg Rolls, I literally can’t stop thinking about them. Egg rolls are the perfect hand held food, and this southwestern version is no exception!

We happen to love appetizers. We sometime make whole meals of them and eat them as a dinner! Sometimes we turn a game day Sunday into an appetizer filled dinner. 

These southwestern egg rolls are one of my favorite restaurant appetizers. They are super easy to make at home so we make them often. One of the best things about these southwestern egg rolls is that you can make them ahead of time and then freeze them for when you want or need them. We make a large batch and keep them in the freezer and then when the mood strikes we just take them out of the freezer and cook them up!  

These are great for football season, any party or special occasion that you need a different appetizer for. 

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What are the vegetables in these homemade egg rolls?

This egg roll recipe just happens to be loaded with vegetables. Some of them include:

• cabbage
• corn
• beans
• carrots

And believe it or not, there’s more! If you ask me, there’s always room to add in even more vegetables as well. If you’re lucky enough to have a summer or fall garden, you might just have a chance to add in some of those flavors, too. This vegetable filling is delicious in tacos or on a salad also. Instead of the chicken you can also add ground beef, shrimp or pork if you like. We have had made many variations of this basic recipe and they all turn out great! 

Can you bake these egg rolls instead of frying them?

Great question. To tell you the truth, I’ve never tried. I find that I really like my egg rolls with a crisp crunch that just doesn’t happen so much when they’re baked. But you most certainly can bake them. If you do bake them, let me know as I’m interested to see how they turn out! Maybe you will like them just as much that way. 

How to freeze southwestern egg rolls:

1. Start by preparing and cooking the egg rolls according to directions.
2. Let the egg rolls cool completely. We place them on a baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator to speed it up!  
3. Wrap egg rolls individually in foil, then place the egg rolls in a plastic freezer bag.
4. When ready to serve either fry as you did before straight out of the freezer.  DON’T DEFROST! add about 1 1/2 minutes to cook time time. If your baking the egg rolls add about 5 minutes to baking time. Either way you will not want to defrost the egg rolls. 

If you’re looking for a super simple appetizer recipe that tastes like a million bucks, look no further than these southwest egg rolls. Trust me on this one…you aren’t going to be able to stop at just one! 

OTHER APPETIZER YOU WILL LOVE:

Creamy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Oven Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls

Jalapeno Popper Wontons

Southwestern Egg Rolls

These southwestern egg rolls are absolutely delicious.  They are easy to make, come together quickly, and are so versatile, you can serve them as appetizers, for game day, at parties, on buffet tables, or just as a great snack. 

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Rob

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded chicken
  
  
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
  
  
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
  
  
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
  
  
• 1 cup frozen corn
• ½ cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup black beans
  
  
• 1 cup cooked rice
  
  
• 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. parsley, diced
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp  seasoned salt
  
  
• 1 tsp. chili powder
  
  
• 1 tsp. cumin
  
  
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  
  
• ¼ cup  water
  
  
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
  
  
• 1 pkg.  wonton wrappers
  
  

FOR THE SAUCE:

• ½ cup tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
  
  
• ½ tsp. dry mustard
  
  
• 3 tbsp. honey
  
  
• 2 tbsp. molasses
  
  
• 3 tbsp. Asian sweet chili sauce
  
  

Instructions

• In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil, and melt the butter.  Add the onion, red pepper, green pepper, corn, carrots, black beans, and garlic, and cook over medium heat until tender.  Add chicken and rice, and heat through
  
  
•  In a small sauce pan, heat the tomato paste, water, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, seasoned salt, brown sugar and parsley, until thick and bubbly. 
  
  
• Turn off the heat, and pour the tomato sauce mixture over the chicken and vegetables, and stir until all ingredients are well blended.  Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
  
  
• Make the Sauce:  In a saucepan, heat the tomato paste, water, garlic salt, onion powder, dry mustard, honey, molasses, and Asian chili sauce until all ingredients are well blended, and the sauce is thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat, and cool. 
  
  
• Place two of the wrappers on a large piece of parchment paper, and fill the center with the chicken and vegetable mixture (about 2 Tablespoons).
  
  
• Spread the mixture about 1/2 inch from the edges.  Fold the edges in on all four sides of the wrapper, and then roll the wrapper starting on the long side, and rolling toward the other side of the egg roll. 
  
  
• Before you get to the edge stop rolling, and brush water on the edge of the wrapper, and then fold it over to stick to the other side of the wrapper, making a sealed edge on the egg roll (See photo). Continue until all wrappers have been rolled (typically 12 - 14)  
  
  
• Place the rolled egg rolls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, or a dish that will fit in the freezer, and place the dish in the freezer for 30 minutes.  
  
  
•  After 30 minutes, remove the dish, and fold the parchment paper over the egg rolls and place the egg rolls in a large Ziploc bag, and place it back in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or overnight if possible
  
  
•  For best results fry in a deep fryer.  If you don't have a deep fryer, fry the egg rolls in a large deep roaster, and make sure you only fill about 1/3 of the roaster with oil.

  SEE NOTE
  
  
• Fry them in hot oil for about 3 - 5 minutes on each side, and when they're golden brown, remove them to the paper towels to drain
  
  
• Before serving, cut the egg rolls in two with a sharp knife (preferably with a serrated edge).  Serve with the sauce.  Enjoy!
  
  
  

Notes

NOTE: Before you start to fry the egg rolls, have plenty of paper towels folded and ready on a heavy plate or platter to drain the egg rolls on after removing from fryer.  You'll need a fry basket, or a large slotted spoon, or fry tool with a long handle to place the egg rolls in the oil, and remove them.

Disclaimer

Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.