Making homemade chicken lumpia is very easy. And you make the most delicious spring rolls yourself! Much better than the one you buy. The savory snack, crispy outside with a delightful filling with lots of chicken, vegetables, and vermicelli, is easy to make. And with a step by step instructions on how to roll them included. That way, it becomes a breeze.
Chicken Lumpia
Have you ever bought spring rolls at the supermarket or ordered them at a Chinese restaurant? The filling often resembles an unrecognizable mash with, if you choose, very little meat.
No, these chicken-filled spring rolls, a variation to the Filipino spring rolls called lumpiang shanghai. Deliciously filled with lots of chicken, fresh vegetables, that delicious vermicelli (unmistakable for a spring roll), and it seems as if you are biting into a mouthful of oil. And quite an easy lumpia recipe.
But you can also make them quickly and easily yourself. Spring roll wrappers are readily available. You can make the filling according to your taste, and it will take half an hour to make the filling and roll 40 spring rolls. I always freeze most of it in the freezer, but I can't resist always tasting a few before (you have to be sure it worked, right 😉 ).
Do you like to make spring rolls? I have more delicious recipes with different fillings: Spring rolls with ground beef and chicken, mini spring rolls, and even a vegetarian spring roll with cheese and cauliflower. Enjoy!
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What do you need for Vietnamese Chicken Lumpia?
To prepare this Chicken Lumpia, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Chicken breast - For this recipe, I used chicken breast. But chicken breast fillets are, of course, also possible.
- Leek - This vegetable has a sweet and tender taste. Slice the leek very thinly.
- Carrot - Wash and peel the carrot. Cut it into julienne strips (wafer-thin), then it will be done when the spring roll is fried.
- Mungo Vermicelli (Glass Noodles)— Commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It is semi-transparent, thin, and made from mung bean.
- Oyster sauce - This Cantonese sauce is dark brown and dense. And it is the umami of this spring roll. It is made from fermented soy sauce and is flavored with oyster juice, caramel, and salt.
- Eggs - Bind the filling
- Garlic - Adds extra flavor
- Five spice powder - a Chinese spice blend consisting of cinnamon, star anise, Szechuan pepper, fennel, and cloves. It contains five taste groups, sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami.
- Spring roll wrappers (lumpia wrapper) - Made from wheat flour and water. They are easy to use, tear less quickly, and stretch a little.
How to prepare Chicken vegetable spring rolls recipe
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
Making chicken spring rolls
- Place the vermicelli in a bowl and add hot water. Let stand for 5 minutes and drain the water. Drain. Cut the vermicelli into small pieces and place them in the empty bowl. Mix with the carrot and leek.
- Add the eggs, oyster sauce, garlic, and five-spice powder in a second large mixing bowl. Mix the chicken cubes through the sauce.
- Add the vegetable mixture to the chicken and mix well. Place a spring roll with the point down in front of you and place two tablespoons of the meat mixture filling at the bottom.
- Roll up the spring rolls tightly (below is a collage on how to do this). Preheat the frying pan to 350 °F (ca. 180 °C). Place a spring roll in the rack and bake for 2 minutes. Get out of the frying pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then again, put it back in the pan for another 2 minutes.
Folding spring rolls step-by-step
- Roll the bottom tip tightly over the filling and make an extra twist.
- Fold the two sides in tightly.
- Brush the tip at the top with water.
- Continue to roll up the spring roll.
To serve - These chicken lumpia's are super delicious with sweet soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and sweet chili sauce.
Can you bake lumpia in the Air Fryer or oven?
Deep frying is the most common way to bake spring rolls, but you can also easily make them in the oven or air fryer. Preheat the oven to 430 °F (ca. 221 °C) and bake the spring rolls for 15 minutes. Flip them halfway through.
Heat the air fryer to 400 °F (ca. 204 °C) and bake for 8 minutes. Turn the spring rolls after four minutes. They will be slightly lighter (see the photo. The bottom spring roll is deep-fried, and the top chicken spring roll is baked in the air fryer), and they taste just as good!
Tips and Variations
- More vegetables? Add finely sliced vegetables to the mix. About ½ pound (200 grams), cabbage, leek, or bean sprouts will certainly do.
- No spring roll wrappers? Then use two sheets of filo pastry on top of each other.
- Cover the remaining wrappers when the package is open with a damp paper towel (or kitchen towel) to prevent them from drying.
- Roll up tightly; otherwise, the spring rolls will absorb more fat.
- Place the spring rolls on kitchen paper after baking to drain excess oil (and make them extra crispy).
- Let them cool down before freezing (they will stay much crispier).
- Substitute - You can use ground chicken instead of chicken breast cubes.
- Also tasty - Add green onions, water chestnuts, or bell peppers to the filling.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Pastry brush
- Deep Fryer or Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 oz. glass noodles
- 1 leek thinly sliced
- 2 carrots grated or sliced in small strips
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 eggs size M
- 6 cloves garlic squeezed
- 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 1¼ pound chicken breast cut into small pieces
- 40 spring roll wrappers
Deep Fryer
- Oil for the deep fryer
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
- Put the noodles in a large bowl and cover them with hot water.2 oz. glass noodles
- Let stand for 5 minutes and drain.
- Cut into small pieces.
- Mix the noodles with the carrot and leek1 leek, 2 carrots
- In a second deep mixing bowl, mix the egg, oyster sauce, garlic, and five-spice powder4 tablespoons oyster sauce, 4 eggs, 6 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- Mix the chicken with the sauce.1¼ pound chicken breast
- Then you mix the vegetables and vermicelli with the chicken mix.
- Take one spring roll wrapper and, with the point facing you, place it on a clean work surface (photo instruction above).40 spring roll wrappers
- Place two tablespoons of the filling 1 inch (2 cm) from the edge.
- Fold the end over the filling and turn the filling with the wrapper around once.
- Fold the right and left sides over filling.
- Then roll further until you get a cylinder.
- To the end the top (about 1 inch (2 cm)) is brushed with water before going further with the rolling process.
- Repeat, using all wrappers and filling.
- Preheat the frying pan to 350 °F (180 °C).
- Place a spring roll in the deep fryer and bake for 2 minutes. Don't overcrowd, fry a maximum of four chicken lumpia's at once.
- Get out of the frying pan and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Then again, put it back in the pan for another 2 minutes.
Notes
- Cover the rest of the wrappers when the package is open with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying.
- Roll up tightly; otherwise, the spring rolls will absorb more fat.
- Place the lumpia on kitchen paper after baking to drain (and make them extra crispy).
- Let them cool down well before freezing (they will stay much crispier).
- Chicken - you can use ground chicken instead of chicken pieces.
- Also tasty - Add spring onion or bell pepper to the filling.
- More vegetables? Add nasi vegetables to the mix. About 200 grams.
- Substitute spring roll wrappers with two sheets of filo pastry.
Spring rolls are often deep-fried, but you can also easily make them in the oven or air fryer. Preheat the oven to 430 °F (220 °C) and bake the chicken lumpia for 15 minutes. Flip them halfway through. Heat the air fryer to 400 °F (200 °C) and bake for 8 minutes. Turn the spring rolls after four minutes. 4. Storage
Let the lumpia cool down.
- Refrigerator - Put them in an airtight container and put baking paper in between. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freezer - The spring rolls can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Freezing tips - Use baking paper to separate the spring rolls. Or place them on a baking tray. Freeze for 2 hours, then remove from the baking sheet and pack in a freezer box or bag. The spring rolls do not need to be thawed before reheating.
- Reheat - Fry for 4 minutes at 350 °F (ca. 177 °C) in a deep fryer. Or 8 minutes in the air fryer at 400 °F (ca. 204 °C) (turn halfway through).
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