Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
Easy to make southwestern egg rolls! Filled with a colorful array of veggies, chicken, and black beans! You can bake, air fry, or fry these Southwestern egg rolls! And that avocado cilantro dipping sauce is so creamy and delicious!
Prep Time40 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: American
Author: Little Spice Jar
Egg rolls:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 14 oz boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into tiny pieces
- ¼ cup chopped red bell peppers
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- ½ cup EACH: frozen corn black beans, AND pepper jack cheese
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup EACH: chopped cilantro AND packed baby spinach chopped
- ½-2 jalapeño seeded and diced (based on spice preference)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon EACH: chipotle chili powder AND kosher salt
- 22-25 Egg roll wrappers
Avocado Cilantro Sauce:
- 2 haas avocados
- ½ cup cilantro packed (leaves + stems)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup EACH: water AND Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon EACH: kosher salt AND ground cumin
THE FILLING: Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add the scallions and red bell peppers and continue to cook for an additional minute. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cheese and egg roll wrappers. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool completely. When the mixture is cooled to room temperature, stir in the cheese. You can make the egg rolls immediately or refrigerate the mixture overnight if you want to make the egg rolls later. If you find the filling gets liquidy, see notes for a solution.
THE EGG ROLL: Place the egg roll wraps in front of you with a point towards you. Spoon the mixture (about 1 ½ tablespoon) in the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold in the end closest to you, then the two on the side, rolling tightly as you fold towards the end farthest from you. Brush the edge with water to help seal the egg roll. See pictures in post. Place rolls on baking sheet. Let refrigerate for several hours before frying.
SAUCE: Place all the ingredients in a blender/food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
TO FRY: Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet. When the oil reaches 350ºF, fry egg rolls in batches. Do not overcrowd the skillet. Turn egg rolls every 1-2 minutes for even browning. When browned remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
OR BAKE OR AIR FRY: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Spray egg rolls with cooking spray on all sides and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. To the air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 375ºF. Spray or brush the rolls with oil and air fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway until golden brown on all sides.
- Feel free to omit the jalapenos, chili powder, or use monterey jack cheese if you do not like a lot of spice.
- If at any point, you feel that the prepared mixture is starting to let out water, simply place the filling in a mesh strainer over a bowl and continue filling the egg rolls.
- If you'd like to freeze egg rolls for later use: place the baking sheet in the freezer for 3-4 hours, when frozen, remove egg rolls and place in a zip-top bag and freeze for later use. Egg rolls can be frozen for up to 4 months.