Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls ::: Party Hors d’oeuvre Series

WHAT. A . LONG. WEEK.

It’s been exciting getting back to work and diving into the new year, but I do miss waking up and only thinking about Bikram yoga on the agenda for those few days.

One more day this week though! Let’s do it.

You know what would make this grueling week-after-an-amazing-break better? If you made these egg rolls. They make me happy. And they made my New Year’s Eve party guests very happy.

::: partaaay egg rolls ::

Whenever I see southwestern egg rolls on a menu I want them, but I am always turned off by the grease from frying. Why not bake them?

Southwestern Egg Rolls. In all their glorious, spicy, flavorful, hot, gooey, and crunchy goodness. They were really a fabulous idea, until I forgot the egg roll wrappers when I was at the grocery store.

#$%$!!!!

We dealt with it and used multiple won ton wrappers instead. That was not easy. Peter got stuck wrapping them because I didn’t have the patience.

So for the New Years Eve party I decided to make them FOR REAL. {seen above}

And it was worth it.

::: the annoying little mini me’s made w/ tiny wont ton wrappers :::

Southwestern Egg Rolls      yields about 10 egg rolls

• 2 boneless skinless breasts of chicken, chopped small
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 lime, squeezed
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• 1 4 oz can of green chilis, squeezed to drain as much as possible
• 5 scallion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• package of  egg roll wrappers
• eggwash for sealing wrappers
• Olive Oil cooking spray

Avocado Dipping Sauce

• 1 -2 avocados (depending the size), sliced
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Spicy Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

In a pan heat olive oil on medium heat. Cook chicken seasoned with paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper for 8 minutes or until fully cooked. Should be quick since we diced it small. When cooked, set aside to cool.

While the chicken is cooking combine corn, black beans, green chilis, scallions, and lime juice in a mixing bowl. Once chicken is room temperature add chicken and cheese to the bowl and mix.

To roll the egg rolls, place wrapper facing you like a diamond. Put about 3-4 tablespoons of mixture in the wrapper. Fold up bottom side. Fold in both left and right side and use the egg wash to glue sides to the bottom flap. Pull top side over and seal tightly using egg wash. Make sure there are no holes, seal everything well.  Place on a greased baking sheet. Spray tops of egg rolls with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake for 10 minutes, flip them completely over, then bake for ten more. They should brown on all sides and crisp.

Avocado dipping sauce: combine all ingredients in a food processor and grind until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy dipping sauce: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

::: keelymarie :::