Healthy Vietnamese Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

Craving for a healthy Vietnamese dish? You are not alone. I love Vietnamese foods, in fact, I dream of eating it all day for obvious reason that I am a Vietnamese but people in all walks of life who have tasted its authentic and unforgettable taste would surely set one’s heart on finding and making one for themselves. You can’t be tired of eating foods that you know are healthy for you.

Over time, Vietnamese foods have become popular around the world and Vietnamese cuisine has always been cited to be one of the healthiest cuisines on the planet. During my holiday stay in Saigon, I would have Com Tam (broken rice) in the morning with a cup of coffee and in the afternoon, a scrumptious Pho (beef noodles) is a great fill. However, with Vietnamese rice rolls which others refer to as spring rolls or salad rolls, you can have it any time of the day without the worry of overloading yourself with the healthy stuff that is rolled inside it. The more that you eat the rice rolls the more you will be energized and satisfied the whole day. It is also very convenient to bring along in your place of work to munch on during break time.

With that said, our recipe of Vietnamese chicken rice paper rolls is one dish that is protein packed with bright colorful herbs and veggies that will boost your nutritional needs to the max. You will find it easy to make because it only involves assembling the ingredients. The dressing also is equally delicious and good for you. I have used peanut butter sauce from my last Vietnamese spring roll recipe but this time I will be using spicy fish sauce that avoids any use of oil in the sauce which is a healthy compliment with the spring rolls. It is a lean and low carb meal as I use baked chicken sticks. How much health can you get with this recipe? Let us break down the ingredients and see how much of the healthy stuff are there.

Chicken as the main source of protein for this dish. There are a lot of good things that’s been said about protein because it is ultimately an important building block of bones, blood, skin, and muscles. That’s why it is essential that you associate a high protein food in your diet. In this recipe, we baked the chicken instead of frying it that will expose them to too much oil and unnecessary fats. We also used chicken strips so it can be easily rolled in paper rice. What’s a spring roll without its veggies? They make an enjoyable part of this meal. Veggies create the vibrant color in the rolls that make it more palatable in its look and taste and are supremely healthy. To keep up with your nutritional needs, a bowl of salad is recommended to eat every day but with this meal, you will not only get the greens but all also a complete package of a healthy food rolled into one. We don’t use any noodles on this roll so you get all the health advantage of greens in full gear. The fish sauce is commonly used as a dipping for the rolls. Not to forget its pungent aroma, fish sauce can be mixed with lime juice, chili, garlic and sugar that create a taste of saltiness, sweetness, and tanginess. Fish sauce is almost synonymous with Vietnamese cuisine because you can find the uses of fish sauce significantly to other Vietnamese dishes. For this dish, we add chili for that little fiery kick to make the rolls burst into more exciting intense flavors.

Vietnamese chicken rice paper rolls are so easy to make all you need is to practice when it comes to rolling it. But do not fret as I will provide you a step by step instruction on how you can easily handle the rolling part so you can enjoy every bite of these refreshing Vietnamese chicken rice paper rolls. Just a heads up, if it doesn’t come out to be as perfectly rolled as you would like it to be on the first time, don’t worry as the second one would be easier and little by little you get the hang of it. Like the first time I tried rolling my spring rolls, it turned out to be a little loose but after making another one it came out pretty well. Just a little practice and that’s all there is.

What I like about Vietnamese food is the simplicity of the ingredients. It uses the freshest ingredients, it’s easy to digest and preparing it makes it all so simple and yet it creates so much impact on the way we eat healthily. If you can’t get enough of Vietnamese foods and has difficulty in looking for a Vietnamese restaurant near you, it will be an exciting adventure to make one yourself. Trying out our recipe for Vietnamese chicken rice rolls will be a great way to start. All ingredients are readily available to all Asian food stores. If you are all set to do this, this recipe comes with a step by step guide to make it easier on your part. So, let’s begin.

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Healthy Vietnamese Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

Prep 30 mins

Cook 15 mins

Total 45 mins

Author Lockie Dang

Yield 16 Vietnamese Chicken Rolls

Ingredients

Chicken Sticks

• 1 lb (0.5 kg) minced chicken
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 small shallot, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons lemongrass, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon galangal, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkle

Salads

• 1 bunch of green oak leaves lettuce
• 1 cucumber cut into thin strips
• 1 cup mint and Thai basil leaves
• 1 cup beansprout
• ½ cup crushed peanut
• 16 sheets rice paper

Salad roll sauce/chili fish sauce

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon chopped chili (optional)

Method: Mix all together

Instructions

To make chicken sticks

1. Preheat oven to 200C

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper

3. Use gloves with a little oil to prevent sticky fingers from meat

4. Mix all the ingredient for chicken sticks by hands

5. Divide chicken mixture into 16 pieces

6. Roll into sausage shape 3 inches (8 cm) long, place on a prepared baking tray

7. Sprinkle sugar both sides of chicken sticks

8. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned and cooked through

9. Place the chicken sticks on a plate, let it cool

To make chicken salad roll

1. Deep rice paper into a bowl of water

2. Lay rice paper on a mat

3. Fold two sides onto the center

4. Place lettuce, cucumber strip, beansprout, mint, carrot, on rice paper, near the edge

5. Top with a chicken stick, and sprinkle with crushed peanut

6. Roll the mixture to the other end, see pictures below for full instruction how to make a chicken rice paper roll

Notes

1. Use other soft lettuce such as butterhead lettuce instead of oak leaves
2. Minced pork can be substituted for chicken in this recipe

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 roll

Amount Per Serving
Calories 149
% Daily Value
Total Fat 1.4 g		2%
	Saturated Fat 0.3 g	2%
Cholesterol 25 mg		8%
Sodium 468 mg		20%
Total Carbohydrates 21.5 g		7%
	Dietary Fiber 0.7 g	3%
	Sugars 0.9 g
Protein 11.8 g		24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

We all heard that eating fresh fruits and vegetables are advantageous to our well-being and health. It doesn’t hurt if we remind ourselves of this time and again as it is an essential part that we keep ourselves in tip-top shape so we can enjoy a fuller life. If this happens to be you lifetime advocacy, have it spread by sharing our recipe with your family and loved ones. If you know of a friend who can benefit from this, please feel free to share it with him or her by clicking on the share button. We hope that by trying out this recipe can make you hit your health goals every day. If you have some questions or suggestions about this recipe, just type it in the comment box and we will be glad to answer all your queries. Stay tuned for more exciting and healthy recipes on our websites.