Chicken Egg Roll Bowls have all of the flavors and deliciousness of regular egg rolls, but less than half the calories!
Prepared this way they are a complete light and healthy meal. If you saw my post for grilled Fish Tacos with Green Apple Guacamole, yesterday you know I am experimenting with deconstructing and making lightened “bowl” versions of some of our favorite dishes.
Really when you think about it, the filling of an egg roll is all vegetables plus, in some cases a little protein like chicken or shrimp. All ingredients that are good for you. In fact, each serving of this dish has over 100% of the daily requirement for vitamin C. It’s just when you wrap it in the wrapper and dunk it a deep fryer that it crosses over into never, never land. Now, I’m not saying that I don’t absolutely love hot freshly made egg rolls because I do. And to me, the best part is the crunchy fried egg roll wrapper. But today, I’m going with a healthier, lower calorie version which I think you will really like too!
The original recipe for egg rolls that was the inspiration for my Chicken Egg Roll Bowls came from my sister’s blog, The Pudge Factor. And, like everything else on her blog, her recipe is delicious!
To make Chicken Egg Roll Bowls, gather your ingredients which are: chicken, garlic, low-sodium soy sauce, cornstarch, olive or coconut oil, a head of cabbage, 4 stalks celery, carrots, onion, fresh ginger, hoisin sauce, orange marmalade, and kosher salt and pepper. You will also need 1, that’s right only 1 egg roll wrapper or 2 wonton wrappers. After all, you can’t have egg roll flavors without a little crunch.
To prepare the chicken mixture, combine the chicken, garlic, 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl. Let it sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to develop. (Feel free to substitute shrimp or pork for the chicken, and adjust the cooking time accordingly.)
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush olive oil on the top of the wrapper and sprinkle with salt. Cut the wrapper into several strips or pieces and arrange on a baking sheet so they don’t touch. Bake for 6-7 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. (Watch these carefully, they can go from almost done to burned in a matter of seconds. I got distracted and actually burned my first batch, so keep a close eye on them.)
To prepare your vegetables, use the shredding blade on your food processor to shred the cabbage, celery, onion, and carrots. (If you are short on time, or just want to bypass this step, you can buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix in the salad section of your grocery store. Depending on the size of the bag, you will probably need 2-3 bags of mix. Then, just mix in the onions and celery. )
Heat 1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture and cook until opaque and browned on the outside, about 2-3 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Heat another Tbsp of olive or coconut oil in the same skillet you used to cook your chicken. Add the vegetables and grated ginger and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes. You want your veggies to still be crisp, but tender. Add the chicken back in. Add 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 2 Tbsp orange marmalade, and 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce. Mix well and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed.
To serve, divide the chicken and vegetable mixture into 4 bowls and top with the crunchy egg roll strips. Enjoy!
**As you will see in the picture, I totally forgot to add the baked egg roll strips which give this dish a little egg roll crunch. It was almost 8:00 pm by the time I finished making dinner last night, we were starving and I temporarily lost my mind. Sorry! It’s ok to roll your eyes here! Really!
Chicken Egg Roll Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken Mixture
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts or 4 thighs, cut into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
Vegetable Mixture
- 1 small head of cabbage shredded
- 4 stalks celery shredded
- 2 carrots shredded
- 1 small onion shredded
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp orange marmalade
- 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
Topping
- 1 egg roll or 2 wonton wrappers
Instructions
Chicken Mixture
- To prepare the chicken mixture, combine the chicken, garlic, 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl. Let it sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to develop. (Feel free to substitute shrimp or pork for the chicken, and adjust the cooking time accordingly.)
Egg Roll Topping
- In the meantime, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush olive oil on the top of the wrapper and sprinkle with salt. Cut the wrapper into several strips or pieces and arrange on a baking sheet so they don't touch. Bake for 6-7 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. (Watch these carefully, they can go from almost done to burned in a matter of seconds. I got distracted and actually burned my first batch, so keep a close eye on them.)
Vegetable Mixture
- To prepare your vegetables, use the shredding blade on your food processor to shred the cabbage, celery, onion, and carrots. (If you are short on time, or just want to bypass this step, you can buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix in the salad section of your grocery store. Depending on the size of the bag, you will probably need 2-3 bags of mix. Then, just mix in the onions and celery. )
Cook
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture and cook until opaque and browned on the outside, about 2-3 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Heat another Tbsp of olive or coconut oil in the same skillet you used to cook your chicken. Add the vegetables and grated ginger and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes. You want your veggies to still be crisp, but tender. Add the chicken back in. Add 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 2 Tbsp orange marmalade, and 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce. Mix well and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve
- To serve, divide the chicken and vegetable mixture into 4 bowls and top with the crunchy egg roll strips. Enjoy!
Holy Smokes!! Yum!! I am making this!!
Your Biggest Fan!!
Thank you! I know you will love it!
Your Biggest Fan!
This looks delicious!