I cannot wait for you to try these homemade chicken spring rolls! They are light and crispy outside and filled with the most delicious chicken and mushroom mixture. Don’t miss the dipping sauce, either! It’s incredible!
These chicken spring rolls are fried (or air-fried) to be super light and crispy when you take a bite. They are more similar to Chinese spring rolls or Filipino lumpia and are not Vietnamese-style fresh rolls made with rice paper wrappers. We’ll use flour-based wrappers for these rolls (similar to the wonton wrappers used to make our wonton cups).
Our chicken filling is outrageously flavorful, thanks to lots of garlic, green onion, mushrooms, oyster sauce, and fresh veggies. These taste so good it’s hard to stop at one (or two)! Prepare yourself! For more recipes like this one, see our crab rangoon (so good!), or for something different, these BLT rice paper rolls.
Key Ingredients
- Aromatics: The base of our filling is a combination of garlic, shallot, green onion, and shiitake mushrooms cooked in avocado oil and toasted sesame oil. The combination is amazing! If you cannot find shallot, use yellow or sweet onion. If you cannot find shiitake mushrooms, use cremini mushrooms.
- Chicken: You need ground chicken (or ground turkey). Look for chicken with a little fat for the best texture and flavor. Lean or ground chicken breast works, but it does not have as much juiciness and flavor.
- Fresh Veggies: You’ll toss shredded raw cabbage, carrots, and cilantro with the cooled cooked chicken. These cook ever so slightly once wrapped up in the rolls, but keep some crunch. I also love the color they add!
- Oyster Sauce: This gets added to our filling and gives it a savory, rich flavor. I really like Lee Kum Lee oyster sauce (there’s a picture of a boat on the front).
- Wrappers: Use square “spring roll” or “lumpia” wrappers made with flour. Avoid rice paper wrappers, which are often round and will not work in this recipe. You can use egg roll wrappers, but they will be thicker and may bubble. Flour-based spring roll wrappers are much more crisp and have a lighter texture after frying.
- Noodles: Look for “rice vermicelli” or other thin rice noodles in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use the noodles from a single-serving packet of My Thai Kitchen packaged instant rice noodle soup, discarding the seasoning packet (a tip from chef Richard!).
- Dipping Sauce: We weren’t going to make homemade spring rolls without a homemade dipping sauce, and the one shared in our recipe is a banger! It combines honey, oyster sauce, Chinese mustard, Gochujang, and rice wine vinegar. Chinese mustard really makes this sauce, so I highly recommend it. If you need a substitute, use English mustard. Gochujang is a Korean fermented chili paste (we use it in our homemade hoisin sauce). If you don’t have it, use sriracha.
How to Make Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls
Looking at the ingredient list in our recipe might make you think these chicken spring rolls are too difficult, but stick with me! It’s simpler than it looks.
The first tip for making this go as smoothly as possible is to prep all your fresh ingredients before cooking. That means you’ll mince garlic and shallot, chop green onion and mushrooms, and shred the cabbage and carrots. Once that’s out of the way, we will be flying!
You’ll make the chicken mixture first. Start with the aromatics in a skillet with some oil (garlic, shallot, green onion, and mushrooms) . We add toasted sesame oil for flavor here, so things will already start smelling incredible.
Next, add the ground chicken and break it up in the pan with a wooden spoon. We want small crumbles, so keep moving it around and breaking it up until it’s small. The last step for this mixture is to season with oyster sauce and salt. Then, let the skillet cool.
We will add thin rice noodles to our filling, so we need to soften them in boiling water for a few minutes before draining them and adding them to the chicken mixture. We will also add shredded cabbage, carrots, and cilantro.
Now it’s time to roll! Start with a wrapper in front of you with the corners facing you (like a diamond). Then, add a couple of basil leaves and a mound of filling to the bottom third of the wrapper (closest to you).
Add some egg wash around the edges, then fold the wrapper’s bottom corner over the filling, pulling it back slightly to create a snug roll. From here, you’ll fold in the sides and roll up. Don’t be surprised if you see the occasional rip. As long as more wrapper covers it, you should be fine.
When the rolls are ready, you can cook them. Fry them for the crispiest results, or air fry them; it is up to you! Both cooking methods are shared in the recipe! I’ve also shared make-ahead and freezing tips in the recipe, so don’t miss those!
And there you go! Homemade chicken spring rolls. These are outrageously good (especially with that amazing dipping sauce). I hope you try them!
Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls
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PREP
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It’s hard to eat just one of these crispy chicken spring rolls! They are everything I want in a spring roll: super flavorful filling, a thin and crispy wrapper, and the most delicious sweet and tangy dipping sauce. For the absolute best results, fry these, but if you are opposed to frying (I get it), you can cook these in your air fryer. They will not be nearly as crispy, but they will still taste great!
Makes 18 to 20
You Will Need
Chicken Spring Rolls
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
2 green onions, sliced thin
6 ounces (170g) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped, about 2 cups
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 pound (450g) ground chicken
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 ounces thin rice noodles like vermicelli noodles
1 large egg for egg wash
1 (12oz) package square spring roll wrappers, also called lumpia wrappers (not rice paper wrappers)
Basil or Thai basil leaves, optional
4 cups peanut oil if frying
Spring Roll Sauce
6 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese mustard
1 teaspoon Gochujang, Korean fermented chili paste
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Directions
1Before starting, make sure you prepare all the vegetables so they are ready later on.
2Cook mushrooms and chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then add the minced garlic, shallot, green onion, and shiitake mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms reduce and brown a bit, about 8 minutes.
3Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking it into crumbles until it’s pretty small (you don’t want large crumbles). When the chicken is no longer pink and cooked through, stir in 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 2 minutes, then take the skillet off the heat and cool to room temperature.
4Prepare noodles: Place the noodles into a bowl large enough to hold them, then cover with boiling water. Let them stand for 3 minutes, then drain. Cut the noodles in half (roughly) to make them easier to mix into the filling.
5Make spring roll filling: In a large bowl, add the cabbage, carrot, cilantro, noodles, and cooled chicken and mushroom mixture. Mix everything really well, separating the noodles and spreading them throughout the filling (they like to stick together, so take a moment to pull them apart).
6Make egg wash: Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
7Roll spring rolls: Open the wrapper package, then cover the wrappers with damp paper towels so they do not dry out. Keep them covered to prevent drying.
8Remove one spring roll wrapper from underneath the damp paper towel and place it on your work surface, with a corner pointing directly towards you, like a diamond shape. If using, arrange 1 to 2 basil leaves in a single layer across the bottom third of the wrapper, closest to you. Spoon a portion of the chicken filling onto the basil (or directly onto the wrapper if not using basil), forming a small mound in the center of the bottom third. Using a finger or brush, lightly apply egg wash along all four edges of the wrapper.
9Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling, pulling it back slightly to create a snug roll. Fold the left and right sides of the wrapper inward over the filling, like closing the flaps of an envelope. Continue rolling the wrapper upwards, away from you, until you reach the top corner. Press the top corner firmly against the rolled portion to seal the spring roll closed.
10Place rolled spring rolls to the side, covered with more damp paper towels, to keep them from drying out while you roll the rest.
11Fry spring rolls: Heat oil in a deep pot to 350°F (177°C), leaving several inches from the top to prevent overflow of oil after adding the rolls. Carefully drop 2 to 4 spring rolls into the oil and cook until golden brown for 4 to 5 minutes (they will turn slightly darker as they cool). Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining spring rolls.
12Air fry spring rolls: Preheat the air fryer to 390°F (198°C). Lightly spray with cooking spray and air fry until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes.
13Make the dipping sauce: Stir 6 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon Chinese mustard, 1 teaspoon Gochujang, and 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar in a small bowl. Serve with chicken spring rolls!
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Wrappers: Use square “spring roll” or “lumpia” wrappers made with flour (usually 8-inch squares). Avoid rice paper wrappers, which are often round and will not work in this recipe. Egg roll wrappers can be used, though they will be thicker and may bubble. Flour-based spring roll wrappers are much more crisp and have a lighter texture after frying.
- Noodles: Look for “rice vermicelli” or other thin rice noodles in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use the noodles from a single-serving packet of My Thai Kitchen packaged instant rice noodle soup, discarding the seasoning packet.
- Make ahead filling: Make the filling up to 2 days in advance. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Freezing instructions: Cool completely after cooking. Place fried or air-fried spring rolls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (make sure they are not touching each other). Freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until hard, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes OR air fry at 375°F for 6 to 12 minutes (or until heated through).
- Frying tips: I used my Fry Daddy to fry my spring rolls (pictured above). I don’t fry often at home, but when I do, I like the ease and safety of it. It’s not very expensive and sold online.
- Working with the wrappers: They will be thin, so they stick to each other well! I find a corner and slowly peel one away from the rest of the stack. Keep them covered with a damp paper towel when you are not working with them so they do not dry out on you. They are pretty elastic, but you will have a tear or two when rolling. As long as the tear is covered with another roll of the wrapper, it’s fine.
- The nutrition facts below are estimates. We did not include the oil as you can fry these in oil or use an air fryer.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 spring roll, assumed 18 total
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Calories
193
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Fat
4.9g
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Saturated Fat
1g
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Cholesterol
24.3mg
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Sodium
427.8mg
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Carbohydrate
29.3g
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Dietary Fiber
1.2g
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Total Sugars
6.6g
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Protein
8.2g
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