Flavorful Egg Roll Filling Inside Rice Paper Wrappers or Over Rice

You won’t miss the gluten-full egg roll wrappers when you eat this deconstructed egg roll, made as a bowl, wrapped in rice paper, and/or rolled in collard greens. This healthier version of a traditional egg roll is gluten free and much healthier than anything you’d find in a Chinese restaurant. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

It’s a lot of work to make yourself gluten-free egg rolls. You have to figure out how to make the wonton wrapper gluten free, then figure out how to deep fry them without them falling apart.

On top of that, deep fried egg rolls aren’t good for you.

I’ve designed a recipe that allows you to enjoy the tasty egg roll flavors without having to spend a ton of time making egg roll wrappers or figuring out how to deep fry them at home.

This veggie-forward, deconstructed egg roll recipe is loaded with so many good for you ingredients. Your body will thank you for the delicious nutrient load when you eat it.

As you’ll see in this article, you can enjoy this egg roll filling three different ways:

1. Wrapped in rice paper
2. Wrapped in collard greens
3. In a rice bowl

However you enjoy it is up to you, but the bottom line is that you can’t go wrong. Each way tastes delicious and is perfect for whatever you’re in the mood for.

Ingredients Needed

This recipe calls for a lot of fresh ingredients. Make a list so you don’t forget anything when you visit the grocery store.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• Avocado oil for cooking
• 3-4 green onions (scallions)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 12-ounce bag of broccoli slaw (or coleslaw mix)
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup cashews (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)
• Collard green wrappers (optional)
• Rice paper (optional)
• Brown or white rice (optional)

This recipe is Whole30 compliant if you swap the gluten-free soy sauce for coconut aminos and omit the honey.

How to Make It

In a large pan, heat avocado oil, then add the chicken to brown. As the chicken cooks through, add onions (reserving some of the green parts for garnish), garlic and ginger and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes.

Add the gluten-free soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil and cook 1 minute longer.

Next, add the broccoli slaw, shredded carrots, and red pepper flakes (optional) and cook until the vegetables are soft and mixed well with the chicken and sauce.

Add more soy sauce to taste, if desired and top with cashews (optional) and reserved green onions.

Enjoy It Three Ways

I thought it would be fun to show you three ways to enjoy this gluten-free egg roll filling.

(1) Rice Paper Wrapped Egg Rolls

The first way is to enjoy it wrapped in rice paper. Rice paper is made exclusively from rice and it is very delicate to handle. It easily cracks and breaks when folded.

However, when you wet a piece of rice paper with warm water, it becomes more malleable.

Rice paper has a wonderful chewy texture, although it’s a bit tasteless. It serves a functional purpose to hold your egg roll filling in rather than enhance the dishes’ flavor.

To make an egg roll with rice paper, simply wet a sheet of rice paper with warm water. Place the sheet on a non-stick surface, like a wooden cutting board.

Add about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the egg roll mixture to the top or bottom third of the rice wrapper, and then rolled the egg roll like a burrito, tucking in the sides as you roll.

The rice paper will stick to itself and hold itself in place as you roll.

Continue to roll each rice wrapper, one by one, until you have the desired amount.

(2) Collard Green Wrap

The second way to enjoy this delicious egg roll filling is inside a collard green wrap. Collard greens are beautiful and so easy to work with.

To make your collard green leaves soft and bendable, add them to boiling water and cook for one minute.

The leaves will turn bright green, slightly wilt, and be foldable without breaking.

You’ll add the mixture to the top or bottom of the par-boiled collard greens as pictured.

Then you’ll roll it as if you were rolling a burrito. They’ll hold in place well until you’re ready to eat them.

(3) Rice Bowls with Egg Roll Filling

Alternatively, you could enjoy the deconstructed egg roll over a bowl over rice.

Here is how it looks served over white or brown rice. Looks mighty tasty, right?

However you and your family enjoy it is alright by me. The best part is, however, that you’re enjoying a veggie-forward meal that tastes amazing and offers none of the gluten- or deep-fried guilt.