Cookin' & Cussin'

BBQ Chicken Eggrolls

I don’t even know how to say exactly how I thought this one up…..I’m constantly craving both BBQ Chicken Pizza AND Hawaiian Pizza. I’m pretty sure I was clearly craving something good.

So we had some leftover rotisserie chicken from when I had made Chris my Buffalo Chicken Dip to take over for Boys Night to watch the Draft….yea I’ve been trying to perfect this recipe since April. Which is a long time for me & feels like a long time when in reality, this recipe is so damn simple.

wrap it up.

I love the smaller bite that these eggrolls deliver rather than a whole-ass BBQ Chicken Pizza, which Chris & I rarely agree on. They are the perfect crave-hitter & they come together SO quick and cook up SO fast in the AirFryer, trust me its worth it! Rotisserie Chicken is the ultimate easy choice paired with sweet BBQ, the zing from the raw shallots and the richness of the cheese really tie everything together for a delicious snack or appetizer – honestly I see these being BIG for football season in our house!

pros & cons

First, I’ll start with the cons because I’m honest like that & I truly want y’all to know the lengths I went to ensure that this recipe is BOMB. because it is.

Firstly, don’t use an egg wash. It doesn’t give the crunch that these eggrolls so desperately deserve. While I KNOW that the crunch would be slightly less significant than using a deep fryer, the AirFryer is still a superior choice. So I’ll repeat : DO NOT USE AN EGG WASH. Instead, I found this coconut spray at a Trader Joe’s and it is perfection in a can. A whisper of coconut but with the high heat power of coconut oil — things we need.

Second, “to corn or not to corn?” — I’ve tried it both ways. Chris says “no corn” I say “CORN” and my hair lady was the last to try my latest attempt — she too echoed “CORN” — but because I’m a fair dictator, I’ll leave this decision up to you.

THE NON NEGOTIABLE — it’s the Gouda cheese. It’s gotta be Gouda. It’s gotta be fresh shredded. Don’t embarrass me out there. Just take the extra 5 damn minutes and shred yourself a nice hunk. It will be worth it I promise.

THE GOOEYNESS OF THE FILLING DEPENDS ON IT.

I don’t *usually* like to be dramatic, but when it comes to cheese, I’ll do it.

continued facts

The eggroll wrappers I chose are smaller, in my humble-ass opinion, than the huge eggrolls we seem to get with Chinese take-out. Maybe there’s a restaurant-size wrapper and we don’t get those in the grocery store? Whoooo knows.

But these wrappers I bought can only seem to hold about 1.5 tablespoons of filling. I knoooow it doesn’t seem like a lot, but I cut these lengthwise on the bias so there’s plenty of filling-to-wrapper-ratio.

Finally, these eggrolls are addicting. Don’t say I didn’t tell ya so. The very first time I made these, I used about ½ cup of rotisserie chicken and just threw shit in, willy nilly. I was mad as hell because they were so tasty and it only made 5 eggrolls – which was plenty for us, don’t get me wrong, but I instantly wanted more. So, because I’m annoying & have an addictive personality, I made them on repeat once every other week for almost 2 months – HA HA. But it worked! I worked the game! I perfected the recipe to share with you, my lovely readers.

I’m sure your brain is spinnin’ and your mouth is waterin’ – trust & believe these will live up to my own hype!

Let’s Get To It!

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

• ¾ cup Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce – any type you like!

• 2 medium shallots, diced fine

• ¼ cup frozen sweet corn (optional)

• ½ cup shredded Gouda Cheese

• 1 TSP garlic powder

• 1 TSP dried Basil

• 1 TSP Trader Joe’s BBQ Coffee Rub

• 12-14 Eggroll Wrappers

• ¼ cup finely diced green onions, for garnish

• Ranch dressing of choice, for garnish

• Trader Joe’s Coconut Spray, for ultimate crispiness in AirFryer

Instructions, 1

Mis En Place – seriously, every…damn….time. Just do it, OK? Your life & these directions will make so much more sense.

Measure as you go with each ingredient!

Shred your Rotisserie Chicken, measure out 2 cups & set aside in a large bowl.

Dice your shallots & add them to the Rotisserie Chicken.

Measure out your spices & BBQ sauce – add them directly into the bowl with the Rotisserie Chicken & stir to combine.

Now is the time to make the decision – to corn, or not to corn? Whatever you choose, choose it now!

Lastly, shred your Gouda Cheese – BY HAND. Luckily, I don’t think Gouda Cheese even comes pre-shredded so you’ll just have to suck it up babyyy!

Sprinkle in your Gouda Cheese and stir well to combine. The sticky BBQ & the cheese will really help keep the whole mixture together so it will be a perfect filling for your eggrolls!

Now its time to assemble.

Well, almost.

Get your AirFryer ready on the countertop – I’ve heard that some people preheat their AirFryers?! Whatever your starting instructions are for your AirFryer, just go ahead & prep it. Spray your Coconut Spray along the bottom of the AirFryer as well.

Now it’s time to fill & fold your eggrolls. Don’t be scurred! It’s really much easier than it seems – plus I watched a quick you-tube video on how to properly fold an eggroll wrapper so I’m a pro.

Get a small bowl of water & silicone brush to have at the ready – this little bit of moisture will help seal your eggroll wrappers while keeping your hands clean!

Start by laying your eggroll wrapper down in a diamond shape – so points at the top & bottom.

Next, measure out the filling – about 1.5 tablespoons and simply plop it down in the lower quadrant in the middle of the eggroll wrapper. Basically, I just used a large kitchen spoon and did a heaping spoonful!

RESIST the urge to push it down or spread it out. If you can keep it like a little log, it will spread just as well on its own within the wrapper with the heat of the AirFryer.

Next, using your silicone brush, gently dip it in the bowl of water and brush the top / front 2 diamond sides of the eggroll wrapper – I have included pictures for help.

Instructions, 2

Fold each bottom side over each other to cover your little “log” of filling – please do this gently! Believe it or not, the eggroll wrappers can tear & plus there’s just no need to man-handle your eggrolls!

So you should now have 2 flaps folded over and the top of the wrapper still exposed.

Once again, gently wet the TOP MIDDLE of the covered eggroll wrapper – where the 2 folds met to go directly over your little log.

Last step – you got this!

Simply roll upwards to secure the filling – there should only be 1 seam showing at the end of this last step. Once again, I have included pictures.

Place the eggroll SEAM SIDE DOWN in the AirFryer.

Repeat these steps until your filling is done! The rolling definitely becomes easier as the time goes on.

IMPORTANT NOTE : If you don’t plan on serving these right away they will set up nicely in the fridge for a couple hours! I’ve noticed that if the eggrolls are slightly chilled for a bit, they tend to hold up better in the AirFryer! Just a thought….

So anyway – lay all of your eggrolls SEAM SIDE DOWN in the AirFryer & give a little bit of space inbetween them so they can fully crisp & brown up!

Spray the top of the eggrolls with the TJ’s Coconut Spray once again before putting them in!

375 degrees for 7 minutes, FLIP! Spray the other side with the TJ’s Coconut Spray and another 7 minutes at 375.

While your eggrolls are cooking….I mean, CAN YOU STAND IT?! They should be smelling SO delicious. Like little pillows of BBQ Chicken Pizza but in an eggroll – I mean COME ON.

Slice & Dice your green onions for your garnish & have your Ranch dressing choice at the ready – I like to drizzle mine with a spoon so it’s not just GLOBS of Ranch dressing. Like, don’t be gross.

Remove them from the AirFryer & allow to cool on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes. Trust me, the insides are straight LAVA and if you try to cut these before they have cooled off a bit, all you’re gonna do is squish out your filling….and that’s sad. Not the point & definitely not what we want!

Once your eggroll cooling timer has gone off. Using a sharp knife, Cut the BBQ Chicken Eggrolls on the bias and plate!

Using a spoon, drizzle over your Ranch dressing of choice and gently sprinkle with your freshly cut green onions.

It truly will be a pretty plate. I mean, I personally impressed the hell out of myself with HOW PRETTY this plate actually turned out to be! Totally worth all the little steps & all the wait…..that last 10 minute cooling timer is brutal.

ENJOY! Dig In! Share these with someone you love! Ask them if they like the corn? Ask them if they think they need corn? Either way, they will be completely delicious & you will probably ask yourself….this is so simple, why do I not see these on menus EVERYWHERE?

Well, that sounds like someone else’s problem because you can make these ANYTIME YOU WANT NOW!

eggrolls with no eggs?

IDK about y’all but I’ve always wondered “why are they called eggrolls when there never seems to be any egg in them?!” – don’t worry, I Google’d for you.

So, the wrapper itself is egg & flour – fair enough. & then usually they are ROLLED UP with something inside of them.

OOOh I’ll bet some fried rice wrapped up in an eggroll would change the game too! Just imagine using leftover fried rice for something else other than FRIED RICE. Inception. Mind Blown.

ANYWAY. I chose to make these because I wanted something a little outside the box. I’ve seen “Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls” and “SouthWest Eggrolls” but never anything else…..so probably in all seriousness, it just irritated me that it didn’t exist so I decided to make it happen!

Funny how our irritations can be such motivators *wink*

No but on a serious note, I can see these being a total hit at a Game Night or NFL Watch Party – finger foods, people! Isn’t that all we want? Delicious, easy to make & easy to identify food that’s yummy at the same time.

Give these a try – with or without corn – I guarantee you they will be a hit!