Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl

Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl is one of our favorite ways to enjoy an egg roll without all the effort. We take all of the classic components of the egg roll filling – ground chicken, cabbage, and carrots – and serve it over steamed rice. It’s finished off with a drizzle of sweet and sour sauce, green onion, and black sesame seeds. If you’re feeling adventurous, because aren’t we all? Cover it with a fried egg. 

 

Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl

Have you heard of this novel recipe concept cleverly named Egg Roll in a Bowl? This new-to-me concept seems to have taken the Internet by storm, and because I will eat an egg roll no matter what form it comes in, I had to give this trendy idea a try. And man, I’m glad I did. 

The name, as it implies, is simply all the contents of an egg roll…in a bowl. Sans the egg roll wrapper and the deep frying. So I guess you could also call it a healthier version of an egg roll.

Our favorite version of an egg roll usually includes plenty of wilted cabbage and teeny tiny bites of pork, with a few flecks of carrot strew about. This version, in keeping with the “healthy” theme, swaps out the tender pork for ground chicken breast instead. 

Like our original form of an egg roll, we have plenty of sautéed cabbage, carrots, and just a hint of green onion. For flavor, there are hints of soy and sesame, and of course, a little bit of garlic. Unlike a traditional egg roll recipe, we add in a few dashes of hot sauce for juuust enough heat to hit your palate in the best way possible. 

Also, any good egg roll recipe should be accompanied by some form of a sweet and sour dipping sauce, and we haven’t forgotten it in ours where we drizzle it over the top instead of serving it on the side. To make this classic Asian dish a full meal, we serve it over steamed brown rice. Serving with noodles or the filling on its own will work as well. 

Oh, and we also decided to top ours with an over-easy egg at the last minute, and that was a very very good decision. 

Ingredients in Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl

Chicken. Traditionally, an egg roll is either made strictly from veggies or from pork. I want to keep our egg roll in a bowl healthy, while retaining plenty of heartiness to serve as a meal, so we opted for ground chicken breast. If you want to stick with ground pork, you are more than welcome to, regular ground chicken will work as well. 

Aromatics. We keep things pretty standard when it comes to aromatics, a little diced onion, garlic, and ginger is all your need. If you can’t find fresh ginger, you can leave it out, no problem. 

Coleslaw mix. Any time I’m making anything with a large amount of cabbage and I also want a little bit of carrot involved, I reach for a pre-packaged bag of coleslaw mix. It’s a hundred times easier than shredding it yourself, and it’s super inexpensive as well. We use it in everything from our Ants Climbing a Tree, to our Cheesy Salvadoran Pupusas, to these Spicy Chicken Burgers with Wasabi Coleslaw. It’s a godsend! 

Sesame oil. Sesame oil not only adds flavor to the egg roll in a bowl, but we also use it to cook down the cabbage mixture. 

Soy sauce. Like a lot of our Asian recipes, we usually opt for tamari instead of soy sauce. I like it a little bit better, but the two are similar, either will work. 

Sambal Oelek. If you aren’t using this spicy chili paste on EVERYTHING, you need to start. We stir it into soups, sometimes use it in our Hunan Chicken, and even drizzle it on fried eggs. 

Brown rice. Rice is an optional addition, but it’s a necessary one for my family. We opt for hearty brown rice, but quinoa, white rice, or anything similar would be great. 

Wonton strips. If what you crave about an egg roll is that crunch you get when you bite into it, then consider sprinkling a few crispy wonton strips on top. Of course, I forgot to add them for the photos, but we did use them.  

Let’s make Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl

Brown the chicken. Because ground chicken breast has virtually no fat, we need to brown it up in a little bit of olive oil. You can use a wok or a large skillet. I like to use a wooden spoon to break up the chicken into as many tiny pieces as I can. Your really want to mimic that ground texture of an egg roll filling, so be sure to break it up as much as possible. 

Cook the veggies. Once the chicken has cooked through, add the sesame oil, coleslaw mix, onion, and garlic. Sauté until the cabbage has wilted, and the onion and garlic are soft. 

Add the seasoning. When the cabbage is sufficiently wilted, add in the tamari, rice vinegar, and chili paste. Stir to combine. 

Season to taste. Back in the day, I would just add soy sauce as my seasoning and keep adding it until I reached my desired salt level, but that really changes the way the dish tastes. Instead, season to taste with salt and pepper as you would any other dish. 

Assemble. Spoon a little bit of rice on a plate. Top with the chicken egg roll in a bowl mixture. Drizzle with sweet and sour sauce. Sprinkle with green onion, sesame seeds, and wonton strips if you’re using them. 

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• Swap out ground chicken breast for ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork. 
• Add in extra veggies! Sliced shiitake mushrooms would be my preference. 
• As mentioned, you can swap out tamari, for soy sauce, 
• Season as you go. As it goes with all my recipes, good flavor comes from layering seasoning and flavor. We season the chicken breast, then the veggies, and then season again to taste at the end. 
• If spice isn’t your thing, leave out the chili paste. If you love it, add more. 

More Easy Asian Recipes

• Shrimp Fried is a favorite. Classic and simple. 
• Our Hunan Shrimp is a fiery, super easy-to make-shrimp dish. Paired with veggies and fried rice, this makes the perfect all-around meal. 
• Crispy Honey Beef requires a bit more effort, but man is it worth it. 
• Looking for a great noodle dish? Our Drunken Noodles are PERFECT, and just as good as takeout.