Crispy Ginger Chicken Spring Rolls
This week is all about gingerbread. Hmmm, meaty gingerbread. Did you just make a face and turn up your nose? I know I did. Since I have never had a meaty gingerbread dish, I searched high and low for ideas of how to incorporate gingerbread with meat. Nothing came up that I thought we would enjoy, let alone that you would enjoy.
I did the next best thing, I took a favorite stand by dish and changed it up by using fresh ginger and lots of it. I normally serve this ground chicken recipe in lettuce cups, but decided to take it to another level by using it in spring rolls to create some fun appetizers. Then half way through, I decided I wanted my spring rolls to be crispy without frying. So I baked them, to keep things a little healthier. Tis the season to over indulge but it is nice to have something lighter to serve as well.
I love this recipe as it is bursting with flavor. I always use ground chicken thighs as the meat is moister and more flavorful. I load it up with lots of green onions, carrots, cilantro, lime zest and some red chili. The addition of ginger made it zingy and refreshing. It was so good that I could not stop sampling before the rolling.
Do not let rolling your own spring rolls intimate you. It is kind of like rolling a burrito but not really. Note to self and you; I learned this time around to buy two packages of rice papers as one of the packages I bought was crushed in my grocery bag.
Here are the easy steps to rolling:
- Have a clean work surface
- Lay the rice papers out on your surface
- Fill a shallow bowl with very hot water; I keep a kettle simmering so I can rewarm the water as I go
- Put the filling in a separate bowl off to the side
- Dip a single rice paper in the hot water for no longer then 10 seconds
- Lay the rice paper on your clean work surface
- Place 2 – 3 tablespoons of filling about 1/4” in from the edge closest to you
- Bring that edge over the filling
- Bring in the left side of the rice paper to cover the flap you just created
- Bring in the right side of the rice paper to cover the flap and the left side
- Start rolling away from you, tightly, tucking the sides as need be
- Don’t get discouraged; it takes a couple rolls until perfection
Once you have rolled your spring rolls you can either fry them or bake until golden. I prefer to bake, as it makes me feel better about the extra one or two I will be eating. Simply serve with some soy sauce that you have stirred a generous spoonful of sambal oelke into. This recipe will make a wonderful holiday appetizer!
Denise believes anything can be made at home as long as you have a little patience, and time. All of her recipes are made using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her recipes have been featured on Eat Boutique, the Mushroom Channel, Saveur.com, Foodies of the World, PBS and Fine Cooking.
She, also creates the recipes on the popular food blog Chez Us. Saveur has featured Chez Us as one of 50 Food Blogs You Should Be Reading as well as one of the Sites They Love. Be sure to read more about what they are cooking up over at Chez Us.
