Light Chicken and Veggie Spring Rolls (Print)

Fresh rolls filled with chicken, crisp vegetables, and herbs, paired with creamy peanut sauce for dipping.

# Components:

→ Spring Rolls

01 - 8 rice paper wrappers
02 - 1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded
03 - 1 cup carrots, julienned
04 - 1 cup cucumber, julienned
05 - 1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
06 - 1 cup lettuce leaves, torn
07 - 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
08 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
09 - 2 green onions, sliced thin

→ Peanut Sauce

10 - 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
11 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
12 - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
13 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
14 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
15 - 1/4 cup warm water
16 - 1 clove garlic, minced
17 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
18 - 1 teaspoon Sriracha or chili sauce, optional

# Directions:

01 - Cut all vegetables and herbs as directed. Arrange on a platter for easy assembly.
02 - Fill a large shallow dish with warm water. Submerge one rice paper wrapper for 10 to 15 seconds until just soft and pliable. Lay flat on a clean, damp kitchen towel.
03 - Place a small amount of lettuce, chicken, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, mint, cilantro, and green onion along the bottom third of the wrapper.
04 - Fold the bottom edge over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll up tightly like a burrito. Repeat with remaining wrappers and fillings.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, sesame oil, warm water, garlic, ginger, and Sriracha if using until smooth. Adjust water for desired consistency.
06 - Serve spring rolls whole or sliced in half, with peanut sauce for dipping.

# Chef Secrets:

01 -
  • They come together in under 40 minutes and feel impossibly elegant for the effort involved.
  • The peanut sauce tastes like it took forever, but it's genuinely five minutes of whisking.
  • You can prep everything ahead and assemble right before eating, which makes entertaining so much less stressful.
02 -
  • Rice paper temperature matters more than you'd think; water that's too hot makes them rubbery, and water that's too cool leaves them stiff.
  • Don't assemble these hours ahead unless you want chewy, hardened wrappers; they're a fresh-assembly situation.
  • The sauce can be made ahead and actually tastes better the next day as flavors meld, so prep it first.
03 -
  • Buy rice paper from the Asian section of your grocery store rather than the international aisle; the quality difference is real and noticeable.
  • If a wrapper tears during assembly, don't panic; use it anyway and wrap it in a second wrapper for added structure, or save it as trim to add to the next roll.
  • Toast sesame oil in a dry pan before using it in the sauce if you want that deeper, nuttier flavor that makes people lean in and ask what you did differently.
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