Chinese Chicken Spring Rolls
Chinese Chicken Spring Rolls are packed with refreshing, crisp veggies, mandarin oranges, baked chicken and an incredibly delicious almond dipping sauce. This easy and healthy recipe is a twist on Chinese chicken salad and is perfect as an appetizer, lunch or light dinner. Instructional video included.
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My all time favorite kind of meal is one that has a ton of flavor and I feel like a million bucks after eating it.
Spring rolls definitely fall in that category. I mean honestly, who doesn’t LOVE spring rolls?
Every time I eat them, not only do I feel satisfied but I also don’t feel weighed down like I can with heavier meals.
Like my husband says, they are like a hand held salad. (Couldn’t think of a better description.)
Here is the thing though, I think a lot of people shy away from making them because they seem hard to make.
The good news is, they really are easy to make.
There are just a few tricks of the trade.
Depending on the amount of veggies used, cutting the veggies is the hardest part.
This Chinese Chicken Spring Rolls recipe came from my love of my Lazy Day Chinese Chicken Salad.
It has many of the same ingredients with just a touch of Thai inspiration in the Almond Dipping Sauce.
The first time I made these rolls I wasn’t happy with how I prepared them. I told my husband since I messed up, we will be eating them again for dinner the next day.
He literally said, “Good, I hope you mess up 12 more times” with a huge cheshire cat grin. That’s my husband!
Needless to say this Chinese Chicken Spring Rolls recipe has become one of our favorites.
Tips for this easy spring roll recipe:
- Bake the chicken ahead of time in a 350℉ for approximately 30-35 mins or until internal temperature reaches 165℉. I usually will drizzle with a few tbsp of olive or avocado oil and sprinkle with salt. Once baked let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preparing these springs rolls without rice noodles helps to keep the carbohydrates and calories lower making this a perfect meal when trying to loose weight. Each roll is approximately 100 calories give or take a few calories depending on the amount of dipping sauce used. Plus one additional perk, more veggies = higher nutritional density.
- These Spring Rolls are a copycat of my Lazy Day Chinese Chicken Salad. Because of that I used cilantro instead of mint and almond butter instead of peanut butter.
- My all-time favorite soy sauce substitute is San-J Organic Tamari. It is certified organic and made without any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. Plus it’s a fermented soy product and many health experts believe that is the only way to safely consume soy. (affiliate)
- Many grocery stores have rice papers available in their Asian food section but you can also find them here. (affiliate)
- Other possible fillings could be to use shrimp instead of chicken, avocado, alfalfa sprouts or different types of sprouts, jicama and different types of lettuces like arugula or red leaf lettuce.
Chinese Chicken Spring Rolls
Ingredients
For the Spring Rolls
- 30 Rice Paper Wrappers
- 4 cups warm water
- 9 green leaf lettuce leaves *torn into smaller pieces
- 2 large pre-cooked chicken breasts *cut into thin strips
- 1 bunch cilantro *separate leaves
- 1 1/2 cups thinly shredded red cabbage *about 1/2 of a small head
- 1 English cucumber *cut into thin strips
- 1 large red bell pepper *cut into thin strips
- 3-4 small carrots * cut into thin strips
- 1 1/2 lbs mandarin oranges (Cuties) *peeled and pieces divided
For the Almond Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
- 4 garlic cloves *crushed or minced
- 1 tsp ginger (powdered)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or Tamari *see notes above
- 2 tsp Sriracha sauce
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 lime *juiced
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl combine all ingredients for dipping sauce and mix well. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Prepare chicken, cut and refrigerate until needed. Prepare veggies and oranges.
- Gently heat water until hot, being careful not to boil. Water should be a temperature comfortable to work with bare hands. Pour heated water into large bowl or shallow dish. Working with your hands place rice paper into water for approximately 20-30 seconds. (There should be a slight stiffness to the rice paper after being in the water for easier rolling. If paper sticks together while placing on plate it was in water too long. It will still taste good but just be more difficult to roll.)
- Place cooked rice paper onto plate. For the prettiest presentation add in this order: 4 mandarin orange slices, 2-3 pieces of lettuce, a small amount of cilantro, 3-4 chicken slices, 4-5 cabbage shreds, 4-5 cucumbers strips, 4-5 red bell pepper strips and 4-5 carrot strips. Roll the bottom of rice paper over veggies, fold in sides and then finish rolling completely.
- Keep covered in refrigerator until ready to serve with parchment paper between layers and on top of spring roll to prevent sticking.
Notes
Nutrition
Follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for more savory inspirations.
If you love refreshing and savory recipes than check these out:
Lazy Day Chinese Chicken Salad
Summer Smoked Salmon Sandwiches
Tried the Chinese chicken spring roll, it is a wonderful party dish, all my guest enjoyed it.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Gina,
That makes me so happy! Thank you so much for coming back to share. I hope you have a wonderful day!