Southwestern Egg Rolls

Chili’s Copycat Southwestern Egg Rolls

Southwestern chicken egg rolls a crowd-favorite party appetizer made with a crispy fried egg roll shell stuffed with a colorful filling of shredded chicken, corn, black beans, taco seasoning, jalapeño for heat, and melty cheese!

This Mexican version of Chinese egg rolls popularized by Chili’s southwest egg rolls are easy to make at home! The spicy, cheesy filling pairs perfectly with salsa ranch dressing for a party snack at any Super Bowl gathering or serve as an easy 30-minute meal.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Cooked chicken: I use a store-bought leftover rotisserie chicken to make life a little easier, but you can use whatever shredded chicken you’ve got on hand.
• Cheese: Monterey Jack is a flavorful cheese that pairs nicely with the Tex Mex ingredients.
• Veggies: Canned corn, finely diced red bell pepper, green onions, black beans, and chopped jalapeno.
• Seasoning: I usually have my homemade taco seasoning on hand, so I’ll use that with a bit of extra garlic powder and salt.
• Egg roll wrappers: These are a thicker, larger version of a spring roll wrapper. Sort of. Once fried, they form these pockets of air and are crispy yet chewy in texture.

The first step is to combine the filling in a bowl and set it aside. The chicken, cheese, beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeno, green onions, and seasonings.

Lay an egg roll wrapper flat on a clean flat surface. Fill the corner closest to you (the bottom corner) with 1/3 cup of filling.

Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling. Then take the two sides and fold them toward the center, like an open envelope. Brush the edges of the top corner with whisked egg, then roll it up tightly like a burrito and seal it with the egg-washed corner.

Add 1 inch of vegetable oil to a large skillet and heat to 350°F. Once hot, carefully add 4-5 rolls at a time. Cook in batches if needed, so that they’re not overcrowded. Cook until golden brown and flip occasionally.

Transfer southwest egg rolls to a paper towel-lined plate. Once they’re all finished and slightly cooled, use a sharp knife to cut them into a diagonal for presentation. Serve warm.

Tips and Variations

• Protein. Make these vegetarian by omitting the meat and bulking it up with beans. Try ground beef or pork instead of chicken.
• Low carb: For a low carb alternative, instead of using the wrappers, use the filling to make a meal similar to PF Chang’s lettuce wraps instead!
• Cover the wrappers with a damp paper towel. Egg roll wrappers can dry out quickly, so I like to cover the stack with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out.
• Avoid soggy rolls. Make sure the oil is hot before adding your southwestern egg rolls to the skillet. Otherwise, they’ll absorb too much oil waiting for the heat to rise for them to turn golden.
• Use a thermometer if you can. You want to always make sure you’re maintaining an oil temperature of 350°F. Turn down the heat if you see them browning too quickly.