Chicken & Black Bean Eggrolls

A few years back, my sister and her friend were preparing to defend their dissertations. Going into it, we knew that an unspoken code of etiquette of the dissertation defense is to always have some form of food on hand to be served for both the panel of professors overseeing the dissertation, and the guests who come to support the student.

As my way of showing love + support for my sister and her friend, I volunteered to cook some appetizers to serve for both of their defenses. Today’s recipe was one of the apps that I made. The ingredients are relatively inexpensive and the recipe itself is very easy to put together. It’s also not not particularly unhealthy for you.

Most egg rolls that you get from a takeout or dine in place are deep fried. I’ve nothing against this, fried egg rolls are one of my favorite things to eat. However, on the day that I made these there was just no way I was going to fiddle around with deep frying anything. But fortunately, there’s a rather easy and effective way to put a good golden brown texture on the outside of these wrappers without having to break out the cooking oil or a insant read thermometer.

After double wrapping the egg rolls, I gave each side a light spritz of cooking spray, then baked them directly on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil that was also spritzed with the spray. Halfway through baking, you turn them over to make sure both sides get a good browning.

It’s really that simple.

The filling for these is also a cinch to put together. They’re ingredients that are most likely going to be at the same grocery store for a relatively low price, and they’re also not terrible for you. And if there’s any in this recipe that you’re not keen on (I know beans aren’t for everyone) then it should be relatively easy to swap it out for another that you do like.

I did decide to add a dressing to lightly toss the filling in, just to give it added flavor and moisture. It’s worked great for me in the past in making black bean salads, which was another inspiration for this recipe. You may not need to use it all, but that’s okay.

The double wrapping for the egg rolls themselves is mandatory. Don’t try to make it work with just one, it’ll get very messy very fast and you’ll be frustrated at the wasted time and ingredients.

These work great as an appetizer, but because they’re filled with both chicken and black beans, I could see them being paired with some chips and salsa on the side as a light dinner too.

Enjoy.

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Chicken & Black Bean Egg rolls

Ingredients

2 (1lb) packages of egg roll wrappers
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can unsalted corn, drained
1 4 oz can green chiles, drained
1 10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3-4 green green onion, thinly sliced
1 rotisserie chicken, deboned, skin removed and chopped into cubes

For Dressing

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a glass measuring cup, or a small bow, combine the dressing ingredients with a fork, whisking briskly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, green chiles, spinach, green onion and chicken, stirring just until combined.

Slowly drizzle in the dressing and stir together just until evenly coated. (You may not need to use all of it)

Set down a plate to use as a rolling work station. Fill a small bowl with water. Use a damp kitchen towel to place over the open egg roll package to keep the other wrappers moist as you go.

Dip your fingertips into the bowl of water and moisten all four edges of the egg roll wrapper. Use around 2-3 tablespoons of filling for each egg roll wrapper ( this is also dependent upon how well your ‘wrapping skills’ are.)

To assemble egg rolls: Fold bottom corner over filling, then fold in side corners. roll up wrap tightly to enclose filling, sealing roll with top flap. Make sure that you moisten every seam of the rolls with water and press them together until they ‘stick’. Double wrap the egg rolls to ensure that they bake crispy and are more sturdy.

Place completed egg rolls on the pans. Spray both sides of the rolls with non-stick cooking spray. Bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes, flipping egg rolls half way through to ensure even browning.

Serve with salsa.

Recipe Adapted from Emily Bites and the Food Network