On one of my rare dine out days, I had the pleasure of trying Chili’s Southwestern Eggrolls. My was I pleasantly surprised! I am not a big fan of beans but the black beans in this recipe really does something for me. Not to mention the spinach with melted cheese, it is so delicious! Of course I had to make a copycat recipe.
One difference I noticed with rolling the southwestern eggrolls is that egg isn’t used to seal and bind the shell. This was a bit tricky initially but after discovering that you have to heat up the tortilla shells in the microwave first, we were good to go! This will really help with being able to fold and roll but you’ll still have to insert a wooden toothpick in the middle to hold it together. Don’t worry, you can safely fry it with the egg rolls and remove after cooking.
These egg rolls taste really good with avocado ranch but guacamole or sour cream works just as well! Now if you prefer the traditional version, check out my traditional egg rolls recipe.
Easy Chicken Southwestern Eggrolls (Chili’s copycat)
Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy20
eggrolls30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
20 ct flour tortilla shells
1 large chicken breast
1 can of black beans, 15.5 oz
1 can of corn, 15.25 oz
A pack of sliced pepper jack cheese, 12 slices
1/2 of a red bell pepper, chopped
4 cups of spinach
Seasonings for chicken:
2 tsp of olive oil
1 1/2 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1/4 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp of oregano
1/4 tsp of cumin
1/8 tsp of black pepper
Directions
- Dice bell peppers and put to the side.
- Prepare chicken by cutting in half (to reduce thickness).
- Season with ingredients listed above: olive oil, sugar, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, paprika, oregano, cumin and black pepper.
- Cover with lid and shake well to evenly mix the seasonings.
- Preheat large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and allow it to heat for 1-2 mins. Add chicken to skillet and cook on one side for 5 mins, making sure to stir around occasionally.
- Flip and repeat. I ended up cutting the thicker half in half to ensure thorough cooking which gave me 3 parts to the chicken breast. Reduce the heat to a medium-low. Cook for another 5 mins or until chicken is finished cooking.
- Remove chicken from heat and shred.
- Using the same skillet, add in the bell peppers, 7 tbsp of black beans and 10 tbsp of corn. Cook over low heat for 2-3 mins, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet, stir well.
- Add 4 cups of spinach, stir well.
- Gradually add in the 12 slices of cheese allowing it to melt nicely into the mixture and stir well.
- Once the cheese has melted, turn the heat to low (if you don’t, the mixture will harden making it hard to roll evenly).
- Prepare the egg rolls using tortilla shells, not egg roll wrappers. I like to heat up 5 at a time for 20 seconds in the microwave. This makes the shells easier to fold and roll. Watch video below on how I roll.
- Preheat medium-sized pot over medium-high heat for 7 mins or until oil sizzles upon splash of water. Add egg rolls to pot, cook for 4 mins or until golden brown.
- Layer paper towels over plate to rid excess oil and remove eggrolls from pot.
- Slice diagonally in half and serve with a side of avocado ranch or guacamole and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Heat up 5 tortilla shells for 20 seconds at a time
- Use wooden toothpick to hold the egg rolls together
- Stir egg rolls around frequently to ensure even cooking
