Chicken packages

When I first made rice paper rolls, I started with a salmon filling. After that, I decided to try chicken as well since I had leftover sheets and noticed that their texture pairs well with various types of fillings. Since then, I've made chicken rolls several times, especially when I want something relatively quick and filling without having to turn on the oven or complicate things too much. The recipe is simple and can be adapted, but I've stuck to a few ingredients that yield the best results for taste and texture.

Quick Info

Total time: about 45 minutes
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes (for preparing the filling)
Servings: 4-5 people, depending on how many rolls you make
Difficulty: easy to medium
Recipe type: appetizer or light main course, inspired by Asian cuisine

Ingredients

Rice paper (ideally thin sheets; sometimes you need to use two for each roll)
1 boneless chicken breast, washed and dried
1 carrot
1 red bell pepper
4 mushrooms (champignon or whatever you have)
3 cloves of garlic
3 green onions
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
A few tablespoons of coconut milk (or regular milk if you don’t have any)
2 tablespoons ground almonds (for sprinkling on top)

For the sauce:
1 teaspoon mustard
1 clove of garlic, finely crushed
soy sauce (to taste)
tomato sauce (1-2 tablespoons, to taste)
salt and pepper, to adjust

Preparation Method

1. Prepare the chicken breast: chop it as finely as you can. It shouldn’t be ground, but diced like for tartare. Place it in a bowl, season with salt, pepper, or chicken spices, mix, and let it sit for a few minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the chicken and lightly brown it, stirring constantly.

3. Finely chop the mushrooms. When the chicken is almost done, add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until they release their moisture and reduce. You don’t need to fry them hard; just let them soften and reduce the liquid.

4. Grate the carrot finely. Chop the green onions and bell pepper into small cubes. When the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, add the carrot, onion, bell pepper, and crushed garlic to the chicken and mushroom mixture.

5. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce. Mix and let it cook for just 1-2 minutes, enough for everything to combine. It shouldn’t fry hard, the idea is to keep the mixture juicy.

6. Adjust with salt or pepper if needed, then turn off the heat. Let the filling cool to room temperature.

7. For the rice paper: prepare a bowl of hot water (not boiling, but warm enough). Take a rice paper sheet and dip it for a few seconds until it becomes pliable. Carefully place it on a clean cutting board. For safety, use two overlapping sheets if you find them too thin or fragile.

8. Brush each soaked sheet with a little coconut milk using a brush or your fingers. If you don’t have coconut milk, regular milk works too. This helps reduce the neutral taste of the rice paper.

9. Place about 2 teaspoons of the cooled filling along the edge of the sheet. Fold the side edges inward, then roll the sheet tightly like a stuffed cabbage roll.

10. Arrange the rolls on a platter and repeat the process until you finish the filling.

11. For the sauce: mix the mustard, crushed garlic, soy sauce, and tomato sauce in a small bowl. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.

12. When serving, sprinkle ground almonds on top of the rolls and place the sauce on the side.

Why I Make This Recipe Often

Chicken rice paper rolls are quick and don’t require baking or additional frying, which saves time. They can be adapted based on what I have in the fridge and work well as a snack or for a lighter meal. I love them because they are easy to customize and I don’t have to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Tips and Variations

Tips

- If the rice paper sheets are very fragile, use two at a time to avoid tearing when rolling.
- Brush them with milk immediately after placing them on the cutting board; otherwise, they dry out and become sticky.
- Don’t overfill the roll; otherwise, you won’t be able to roll it properly.
- Let the filling cool before assembling so the sheets don’t soften too much.

Substitutions

- Coconut milk can be replaced with regular milk if you don’t have any. I’ve used both and there’s not much difference in taste.
- You can also use other types of meat (finely minced turkey or pork), but chicken remains the most neutral.
- For vegetables, carrot and green onion can be swapped for leeks or celery, but in small amounts.

Variations

- You can add grated ginger if you like the flavor, or a bit of chopped cilantro if you prefer a fresher taste.
- Tofu can also be used instead of meat for a vegetarian option. In this case, adjust the amount of sauce and spices.

Serving Ideas

- The rolls pair well with sweet and sour sauces or a cabbage salad.
- For a quick presentation, arrange them on a platter with lettuce leaves underneath and sprinkle the almonds just before serving.
- If you have leftovers, you can wrap them individually in plastic wrap for a snack on the go.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I cook the rolls in the oven or fry them?
There’s no need; they are served uncooked, just with the filling cooked. However, if you want to bake or fry them, use double sheets and brush them with oil, but the texture will be different.

2. What should I do if the rice paper tears?
Use two overlapping sheets or wet them less. If they still tear, you can gather and roll them anyway; just the appearance won’t be perfect.

3. Can the finished rolls be frozen?
I don’t recommend it. The rice paper loses its texture and becomes very gummy after freezing and thawing.

4. Can I use dried onion instead of green onions?
Yes, if you don’t have green onions, finely chopped dried onion works too, but the flavor will be a bit stronger.

5. Can the filling be made a day in advance?
Yes, you can prepare the filling a day in advance and keep it in the fridge in a container. Assemble the rolls just before serving.

Nutritional Values

Approximately, for one serving (calculated as 1/5 of the recipe):

Calories: about 220-250 kcal
Protein: 18-20 g
Carbohydrates: 20-25 g
Fats: 7-9 g

Values are approximate and depend on the size of the rolls and how much coconut milk you use. The almonds add extra fat.

Storage and Reheating

They are best consumed on the day they are made. If there are leftovers, store them in the fridge in a sealed container, and it’s best to consume them within 24 hours. They shouldn’t be reheated, but can be left out for a bit at room temperature before serving. If left too long, the sheets become gummy and lose their pleasant texture.

In a small bowl, we place the boneless, washed, and dried chicken breast, finely chopped and seasoned with chicken spices or simply with salt and pepper; after resting a bit, we put it in the pan with oil to sauté, then add the finely chopped mushrooms, and after the water has reduced, we add the grated carrot, crushed garlic, onion, and bell pepper cut into small cubes, soy sauce, mix but do not let it sauté, adjust the taste, then let it cool; We soak the rice papers for a few seconds in hot water, place them on a clean cutting board (two at a time because they are very thin and can tear), brush them with coconut milk, add two teaspoons of filling, bring the sides inward, then roll them like little cabbage rolls and place them on a platter; we proceed the same way until the filling is finished as there are many sheets in the package; For the sauce, we mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then add salt and pepper to taste. We serve the packets on a plate dusted with ground almonds and sauce. For those who do not have coconut milk, it can be replaced with regular milk; we do this to eliminate the specific smell of rice flour.

 Ingredients: rice paper 1 chicken breast 1 carrot 1 red bell pepper 4 mushrooms 3 cloves of garlic 3 green onion stalks 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons olive oil a few tablespoons of coconut milk 2 tablespoons ground almonds Sauce 1 teaspoon mustard 1 finely crushed garlic clove soy sauce tomato sauce

 Tags:  chicken packages chinese food