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Need a fresh and light appetizer? These spicy chicken summer rolls are perfect! Moist and flavorful chicken is wrapped in rice paper with lettuce and cucumber, served with a spicy Sichuan dipping sauce! #summerrolls #springrolls #ricepaper #chicken #chickenthigh #chinese #sichuan #spicy #healthy #lettucewraps #appetizer #fresh #light #partyfood #asian
5 from 3 votes

Spicy Chicken Summer Rolls

Juicy chicken and fresh vegetables wrapped in rice paper with a Szechuan style spicy dipping sauce! The chili oil, sauce, and poached chicken can be made in advance and stored in the fridge, but the summer rolls are best served on the day they're made.
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Ingredients

Poached Chicken

  • 1½ lbs (680g) chicken thigh
  • 3 scallions
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Chili oil

  • tablespoons finely chopped roasted peanuts
  • tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • tablespoons chili flakes (about 8 dried chili peppers)
  • 1 teaspoon ground Szechuan pepper
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup (120ml) oil (neutral oil - I like grapeseed or regular olive oil)
  • 3 slices ginger
  • 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • tablespoons black vinegar (rice wine vinegar would work as well)
  • ½ tablespoons sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, whatever you have)
  • 4 cloves of garlic, grated
  • 3 tablespoons stock made from poaching the chicken
  • ¼ cup (60ml) chili oil

Summer rolls

  • 10 rice paper wrappers
  • 10 leaves of lettuce, torn
  • 1 large cucumber, sliced vertically (use a vegetable peeler or mandoline)

Instructions

Poached chicken

  • Put the chicken, scallions, and salt in a pot. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by at least 2 inches (5cm) and heat over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave it until the chicken is completely cooled.
  • Once cooled, slice the chicken about a quarter of an inch thickness (64cm).

Chili oil

  • In a small bowl, add the peanuts, sesame seeds, chili flakes, Szechuan pepper, salt, and set aside.
  • In a pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, and cook until the ginger looks wilted and everything is fragrant. Carefully pour the oil into the small bowl and set aside to infuse while preparing the rest of the dish.

Sauce

  • In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, black vinegar, sweetener, grated garlic, and stock. Stir in the chili oil 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting the sauce after each addition.

Assembly (refer to photos in the post!)

  • Put water in a large bowl or plate. Working with one at a time, dip the rice paper wrapper into the water. Take it out and place it on your work surface.
  • Lay 3 to 4 slices of cucumber on the rice paper. Place the chicken on the cucumber, around the upper ⅓ of the rice paper. Then place some lettuce on the bottom ⅓ of the rice paper.
  • Gently pull up the bottom of the rice paper (the side with the lettuce) and start rolling towards the chicken. Fold the sides in, and continue to roll. Place on a plate and repeat.
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