As I shared before, I took a Chinese cooking class a long time ago. It was a very casual type of class generously offered by my employer as a quality of life enhancer. My co-workers and I learned how to make stir-fries and other delicious dishes. The most useful thing I learned was how to make homemade egg rolls.
Making egg rolls may seem intimidating at first – the filling, the rolling, the stir frying - but it’s actually quite easy. And homemade egg rolls are incredibly delicious and easy to customize to your personal preferences.
Homemade Egg Rolls Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken breast
- Sherry
- Salt
- Cornstarch
- Celery
- Bean sprouts
- Lettuce
- Sugar
- Egg roll wrappers
- Peanut oil
How to Make Homemade Egg Rolls
Step 1: Make The Filling
The first step to make egg rolls is the filling. My recipe should be treated as a starting point because it’s so easy to substitute ingredients. I find both celery and bean sprouts important. Bean sprouts in particular provide a specific crunch to the egg rolls. I’m sad if it’s missing so I always make a point of finding some bean sprouts, if possible. I have even resorted to canned bean sprouts *gasp* when desperate! But fresh is definitely best.
Start with the chicken. Marinade in a small bowl with sherry, salt and cornstarch.
Then, heat up your pan with oil, add the chicken and stir fry a few minutes until cooked through. Remove cooked chicken from the pan and set aside.
Now, add more oil and chopped celery.
The celery is stir fried for a couple minutes, then add a little sugar and water. Cover and steam for a minute. Then uncover and allow the liquid to evaporate. Remove from heat and add to the chicken.
The remaining ingredients - fresh bean sprouts and shredded lettuce - are added while the mixture is still warm.
Mix and set aside to cool before using.
What ingredients can I substitute in my egg roll filling?
The list is long! The original recipe uses baby shrimp, which I changed to chicken breast. Feel free to double the chicken amount for a meatier egg roll. For alternatives, ground chicken or pork are popular choices. Scrambled egg and/or tofu also work very well. If using tofu, you might like to season with soy sauce and/or toasted sesame oil to add flavor. (Some like tofu the way it is. Others - I'm not naming names here - dislike tofu of any kind)
If you want more crunch, chop up some water chestnuts and add them with the bean sprouts.
For lettuce, almost any will do. When I took the class, we actually used iceberg lettuce. But I most often shred romaine. Or, feel free to use cabbage. Chinese cabbage or Bok choy are great. Because cabbage is tougher, I recommend adding to the skillet at the end of cooking time to stir fry for a minute to get it cooking. You want the cabbage slightly cooked but still crunchy.
The sugar – I’ve always questioned this, but the recipe does specify that little bit of sugar. Feel free to omit if you prefer.
Step 2: How to Roll Egg Rolls
Have a small bowl of water nearby. You will use this to moisten the edges of your egg roll wrapper to make it stick together.
Take one wrapper and position it with one tip pointed toward you. Place 1-2 tablespoons of the cooled filling in the center of the wrapper.
First fold the pointed edge nearest you over the top of the filling. Tuck the wrapper around the filling so it’s a little snug.
Then, bring each side point to the center, one at a time.
Like so.
The final step is to roll. But first, dip your finger in the water and touch the remaining point of the wrapper.
Then, just roll forward.
When the wrapper dough touches that wet edge the two pieces will stick together.
Place the egg roll on a plate, with that edge down. Repeat with the rest of the filling, or until you have enough. You can always save the leftover filling to make an egg roll in a bowl 😀.
Note: if your filling seems kind of juicy, put a paper towel on the plate before placing the wrapped rolls there. If the filling soaks through the wrapper, the rolls might start to stick to your plate. Messy.
Step 3: Fry
Ok, there’s really no way around this. For really great egg rolls, you need to deep fry. Sorry! Even though everything sounds pretty healthy up to this point, here’s where it goes downhill. LOL
If you own a deep fryer, go for it!
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I do not, and haven’t for a couple decades. Long ago I started deep frying egg rolls in a saucepan. Here’s how:
Fill the saucepan (one with deep sides) at least 1 ½ inches with peanut oil (Canola or any other neutral oil will also work). A small saucepan will require less oil but you’ll probably only be able to fry 4 egg rolls at a time. Think that part through before you begin.
Heat the oil on medium-high and when you think it’s ready, flick a tiny drop of water into it. The water will “pop” when the oil is ready.
Place egg rolls in the oil carefully – use as many as will fit - with a tiny bit of space between.
Be very careful, the moisture from the filling will sometimes leak out and cause the oil to splatter. Cover the pan if needed to contain splatters.
The egg rolls will float and fry on one side, turning a nice crispy brown within about 2 minutes. The tricky part is getting the other sides to brown.
I always turn with tongs, and if they won’t stay turned around, I wedge another couple uncooked rolls into the pot to help keep them positioned as needed.
When the egg rolls are fully browned, remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.
Repeat with remaining egg rolls.
Chicken Egg Roll Recipe Variations
You can have a lot of fun with your egg roll filling with delicious results. Here are a few ideas to explore:
- Ground pork in place of the chicken is a delicious choice.
- Shrimp is a great protein for egg rolls. Try to find the packages of frozen little shrimp, or else dice up larger cooked shrimp for the filling.
- For a vegetarian option you can substitute tofu or egg for the meat.
- I once used pheasant in place of the chicken and the results were magnificent!
Can you Bake Egg Rolls?
Yes you can bake egg rolls for a lighter option than frying. You’ll want to assemble the egg rolls per usual and then brush them with oil – this will help them crisp up in the oven. Bake them on a parchment lined sheet at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, turning halfway. They won’t be as crunchy as fried egg rolls, but they will still be delicious.
How to Serve Chicken Egg Rolls
Note: Remember, these egg rolls are incredibly hot, so give them a few minutes to cool down before serving.
Of course you need dipping sauce! I like to serve with bottled duck sauce and/or soy sauce, but feel free to use a sauce of your preference. I like to serve with a side of rice to help round out the meal.
Rice on the side was the only way to slow down my kids when they had these!
If you want to serve these egg rolls as an appetizer, you'll need a delicious main dish. Check out xoxobella's recipe for black pepper chicken for a delicious restaurant-quality meal!
What to Dip Egg Rolls in
The sauces are so important! I like to offer a couple options when I’m serving just to give people choices. I recommend any of these:
- Sweet and sour sauce or Duck sauce (this is really 2 different sauces but they are quite similar).
- Soy sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Plum sauce (I love this, but it can be hard to find)
- Honey mustard – not traditional but a fun option!
Storing Chicken Egg Rolls
If you wrap a bunch of extra egg rolls that you don’t get around to cooking, you can wrap the uncooked egg rolls tightly in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Cook them within 2 days.
Leftover cooked egg rolls should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
How to Reheat Egg Rolls
I have 3 options to reheat your egg rolls:
- In the oven: preheat the oven to 350°F, place the egg rolls on a baking sheet, and heat for 10-15 minutes until crispy.
- In the air fryer: reheat for 5-7 minutes in the air fryer using the air fry setting at 350°F.
- In the microwave: nothing beats the microwave for a speedy solution but realize that the egg roll wrapper will not be crispy at all. When I microwave leftover egg rolls, I typically eat them “deconstructed”- i.e. I heat, then remove and enjoy the filling on its own, drizzled with a little sauce.
📖 Recipe
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Easy Homemade Egg Rolls
Equipment
- Saucepan or deep fryer
Ingredients
- 1 package egg roll wrappers
- 1 large chicken breast diced
- 1 teaspoon sherry
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 cups diced celery about 2-3 ribs
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 TB water
- ½ - 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- Peanut oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine chicken, sherry, salt and cornstarch. Let stand 15 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet or wok. Add chicken and stir fry until cooked through – about 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked chicken to a medium bowl.
- Heat an additional 3 tablespoons oil in the pan, then add celery. Stir fry 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and water. Cover and steam for one minute. Remove cover and stir fry until liquid evaporates. Add cooked celery to bowl with chicken.
- Add bean sprouts and lettuce to bowl and mix. Set aside to cool.
- Roll wrappers into egg rolls using 1-2 tablespoons of filling for each.
- Deep fry egg rolls for about 2-4 minutes, until crispy and brown.
- Serve with sauce of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Leftover filling from your homemade egg rolls? No worries - try Egg Roll in a Bowl or some Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings). You can round out your menu with Chinese Chicken on a Stick.
Maureen
I've never made homemade egg rolls but these look awesome! Store-bought egg rolls seem to be filled with a sort of mystery mush. I bet that homemade filling is delicious!
Sula
Yes, much better when you know what's actually inside!
Myrah
I love eggrolls and these look amazing. I will give your recipe a try. I might want to bake them.
Sula
I love them too!
Marie
Wow these look delicious I will definitely be trying!!!
Sula
They are tough to resist!
Big Trouble
Holy shit, these looks incredible!!! And I feel like I could easily replace the chicken with tofu to make it vegan! Yum! Do you think baking them is an option though? Obviously, they wouldn't taste the same, but they'd be a bit healthier, yeah?
Sula
They would be healthier for sure, not sure whether they would crisp up the same. It would be worth a try for sure! Or just make Egg Roll in a Bowl!