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Week of 5/31/21

Chicken Summer Rolls
with pineapple banana smoothie

Active: 45 Total: 45
Original GF Paleo Vegetarian
Chicken Summer Rolls
These fresh summer rolls are an updated version of one we featured way back in 2014 and use chicken and noodles that you could have cooked ahead earlier in the week. If this is your first time making summer rolls, it takes a bit of time to get the hang of it, but gets much faster with practice.
Smarts: If you didn't cook the chicken ahead, this recipe includes instructions for using the stovetop or grill. Select your preferred method.
Tags
Grill Friendly
Proteins
Chicken, non-ground
Cuisines
Asian - Vietnamese
Save recipe
23

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Nuoc Nam Dipping Sauce:
  • Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
  • Water - 1/2 cup
  • Sugar - 2 Tbsp
  • Fish sauce - 2 Tbsp (Red Boat brand has the fewest additives)
  • Lime juice - 2 Tbsp
  • Hot sauce (opt) - to taste
Rice Vermicelli:
  • Noodles, rice vermicelli - 6 oz (thin rice noodles; sub soba noodles)
Grilled Chicken:
  • Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 lb , halved to thin
  • Vinegar, balsamic - 1 Tbsp
  • Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1 Tbsp
  • Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Chicken Summer Rolls:
  • Cucumbers - 8 oz , matchsticks (look for seedless / English cucumbers)
  • Carrots - 8 oz , matchsticks (use pre-shredded to save time)
  • Lettuce, romaine - 8 leaves , torn
  • Rice papers - 16 sheets (look for these in the Asian / international aisle)
  • Grilled chicken (ingredients listed separately) - 1 lb , thinly sliced
Pineapple Banana Smoothie:
  • Pineapple cubes, fresh, frozen, or canned - 8 oz
  • Bananas - 2
  • Strawberries, fresh or frozen - 2 cups
  • Coconut milk - 1 cup

Choose Cooking Method

Prep

  1. Chicken - (Skip if chicken was made ahead for Monday.) Slice chicken in half to thin. Combine with vinegar, soy sauce, and cooking oil. Tenderize with a fork. Marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to a day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
  2. Garlic - Chop garlic. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  3. Make nuoc nam dipping sauce - Combine water and sugar and boil (or heat in a microwave for 1 ½ to 2 minutes, until water is bubbling). Mix with remaining dressing ingredients and season to taste with hot sauce. Adjust taste as needed - use additional fish sauce for more savory, lime juice for tartness, or honey for sweetness. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  4. Cook noodles - (Skip if noodles were made ahead for Tuesday.) Cook noodles according to package directions. (Note: Many varieties of rice noodles need just to be soaked in hot water until tender. If prepping ahead, soak in water until ready to use.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  5. Cucumbers / Carrots / Lettuce - Prep as directed.
  6. Make smoothie - Combine pineapple, bananas, strawberries, and coconut milk in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and, if you’d like it a bit sweeter, add some honey or sugar.

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Make

  1. If chicken wasn’t cooked ahead for Monday, heat grill to 425F / 218C degrees, keeping one part over direct heat and one part over indirect heat. Brush grates with some oil and place chicken over direct heat (discard marinade). Sear chicken on both sides until lightly charred, seasoning with some salt and pepper as it cooks. Move chicken to indirect heat and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more (165F / 74C degrees).
  2. Thinly slice chicken.
  3. Set out all ingredients for the rolls - chicken, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and rice papers.
  4. Fill a frying pan with about 1 1/2” / 3.75 cm of water. Heat water over medium-low heat - it shouldn't be so hot that you can’t touch it.
  5. Dip rice paper into warm water and rotate through water (check out this video to see how we keep the rice paper from sticking).
  6. Place rice paper onto a clean counter or cutting board. (Do a few at a time.)
  7. To assemble rolls, layer lettuce, chicken, cucumbers, and carrots. (You may need to tear the lettuce leaves into smaller pieces as you work so that they fit in the middle of the rice paper rolls.) Don’t overfill or the papers will break. Fold rice paper over the filling from the bottom up. Then fold sides over. Roll as tightly as possible (Again, check out the this video for tips).
  8. Repeat until you have used all of the filling.
  9. Serve summer rolls with nuoc nam for dipping. Enjoy smoothie on the side.

Prep

  1. Chicken - (Skip if chicken was made ahead for Monday.) Slice chicken in half to thin. Combine with vinegar, soy sauce, and cooking oil. Tenderize with a fork. Marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to a day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
  2. Garlic - Chop garlic. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  3. Make nuoc nam dipping sauce - Combine water and sugar and boil (or heat in a microwave for 1 ½ to 2 minutes, until water is bubbling). Mix with remaining dressing ingredients and season to taste with hot sauce. Adjust taste as needed - use additional fish sauce for more savory, lime juice for tartness, or honey for sweetness. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  4. Cook noodles - (Skip if noodles were made ahead for Tuesday.) Cook noodles according to package directions. (Note: Many varieties of rice noodles need just to be soaked in hot water until tender. If prepping ahead, soak in water until ready to use.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  5. Cucumbers / Carrots / Lettuce - Prep as directed.
  6. Make smoothie - Combine pineapple, bananas, strawberries, and coconut milk in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and, if you’d like it a bit sweeter, add some honey or sugar.

Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again

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Learn More

Make

  1. If chicken wasn’t cooked ahead for Monday, heat a large grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Brush with some cooking oil. Add chicken (discard marinade). Sear until both sides are deep golden brown, ~3 minutes per side, seasoning with some salt and pepper as it cooks. Reduce heat to low-medium and cover pan with a lid or foil. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through (165F / 74C degrees).
  2. Thinly slice chicken.
  3. Set out all ingredients for the rolls - chicken, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and rice papers.
  4. Fill a frying pan with about 1 1/2” / 3.75 cm of water. Heat water over medium-low heat - it shouldn't be so hot that you can’t touch it.
  5. Dip rice paper into warm water and rotate through water (check out this video to see how we keep the rice paper from sticking).
  6. Place rice paper onto a clean counter or cutting board. (Do a few at a time.)
  7. To assemble rolls, layer lettuce, chicken, cucumbers, and carrots. (You may need to tear the lettuce leaves into smaller pieces as you work so that they fit in the middle of the rice paper rolls.) Don’t overfill or the papers will break. Fold rice paper over the filling from the bottom up. Then fold sides over. Roll as tightly as possible (Again, check out the this video for tips).
  8. Repeat until you have used all of the filling.
  9. Serve summer rolls with nuoc nam for dipping. Enjoy smoothie on the side.

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