It takes a little practice to get the hang of making summer rolls, but you'll have time tonight since the chicken for the filling was cooked earlier in the week. Once you have this fresh meal mastered, you'll be eating it all summer long! We last featured a version of this meal in 2019.
Noodles, thin rice vermicelli
- 6 oz
(find these in the ethnic food aisle or sub soba or spaghetti)
Carrots
- 5 oz
, matchsticks
(look for pre-shredded)
Basil, Thai
- 8 leaves
, leaves torn
Avocados
- 1
, thinly sliced
Dijon Chicken (leftover from Wednesday)
- ~2 cups
Rice papers
- 16
(look for these in the ethnic aisle)
Prep
Make dipping sauce - Whisk together peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Add water a bit at a time until sauce reaches a smooth, pourable consistency. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Cook rice noodles - Cook according to package instructions. If making ahead, store in cold water in the refrigerator to minimize sticking. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
Carrots (if not pre-shredded) - Slice into matchsticks. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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.
If chicken is in large pieces, roughly chop it so it will fit more easily in rolls.
Drain water off noodles.
Dip rice paper into warm water and rotate through water (check out this video to see how we keep the rice paper from sticking). Place onto a clean counter or cutting board. Do 4 at a time and then assemble 4 rolls.
To assemble rolls, layer noodles, Thai basil, chicken, carrots, and avocados at the end of the rice paper that is closest to you. Don’t overfill or the paper will break. Fold rice paper over the filling from the bottom up. Then fold sides over. Roll as tightly as possible (Again, check out this video for tips).
Repeat until you have no more filling.
Give dipping sauce a stir. If it was made ahead, it may have thickened up, so add water a small amount at a time until it reaches a smooth, pourable consistency.