Southwestern Egg Rolls (Chili’s Copycat)
If you’ve ever had Chili’s Southwestern Eggrolls, you know they’re not your average appetizer. Crispy on the outside with a warm, cheesy, flavor-packed filling, they’re basically a handheld Tex-Mex feast. This copycat version brings all that goodness home, but with no deep fryer or takeout order needed.
These are great when you want something a little different from the usual party snacks. They’re freezer-friendly, easy to reheat, and perfect for game day, parties, or just a fun dinner idea.
The Dipping Sauce
At Chili’s, they serve these Southwestern Egg Rolls with an avocado cream sauce. The easiest way to make this sauce is by combining ranch dressing with avocado and pureeing it in the blender.
I prefer to make my own ranch dressing with the powdered mix, mayonnaise, and milk, rather than buying it pre-made, but however you like to do it is fine. Just combine the two in a blender or food processor and mix it up until it’s smooth. Then serve it on the side. You can also serve these with a pico de gallo salsa, if you don’t like creamy sauces.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t overfill the wrappers. It might be tempting to pack them full, but a heaping scoop of filling will make them hard to roll and more likely to burst while cooking.
- Seal the edges tightly. Use a bit of water or a flour-water paste to seal the edges of each wrapper so they stay closed during cooking with no messy leaks.
- Bake, air fry, or pan fry. You don’t need a deep fryer to get them crispy. A light brush of oil and a hot oven or air fryer will do the trick, or you can pan-fry them for extra crunch.
You Might Also Like
- Baked Mini Chicken Tacos
- Chicken Wonton Tacos
- Quesabirria Tacos
Southwestern Egg Rolls (Chili’s Copycat)
Ingredients
For the seasoning:
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Eggrolls:
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 8 ounce chicken breast cubed
- 1/2 cup canned or fresh corn rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach thawed, pressed and chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro minced
- 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 8 6-inch flour tortillas
For the dipping sauce:
- 3 tablespoons Ranch dressing
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 tablespoon milk or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine the spices in a bowl and mix well.
- Finely chop the red bell pepper, onion, and cilantro. Everything should be roughly the same size.
- The spinach should be thawed and squeezed of water, so it’s very dry. Then chop it finely as well.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add cooking oil and saute the chicken until it’s nearly cooked through. Then add all the filling ingredients and the spice mix. Stir it all together.
- Allow it to cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn the heat to medium-low. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Allow it to slowly melt into the mixture.
- Add the filling to the flour tortillas. Be sure not to overstuff.
- To roll, place the tortilla on a flat surface, fold the left and right edges over the ingredients on each end. Fold the flap closest to you over the top of the ingredients. Press the flap firmly against the filling and roll the wrap up tightly.
- Once the wrapper is filled and rolled, give it a light squeeze to compact the ingredients together. You can run a little water on your finger along the edge to seal it.
- Place each rolled tortilla on a baking sheet, sealed side down. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until slightly toasted on the outside.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Slice in half at a diagonal to serve.
- To make the dipping sauce, add Ranch dressing and avocado (plus a litle milk or water, if necessary) to a blender or food processor. Blend for one minute. Serve in a small bowl.
Nutrition
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I love these bold spicy flavors!
I am super excited to have a bite of this Southwestern Egg Rolls.
So crispy and delicious! Yum.
I use my airfryer and just brush them with olive oil. Works out better then baking or deep fat frying.
Great idea Lori! We love the air fryer for that reason!
Hi Toni, the air fryer would be a great way to cook these! While we haven’t tested them in the air fryer you could try cooking them at 400° for 4 minutes per side then check and cook for a few minutes longer for desired texture. Make sure to spray the basket and the eggroll with oil before cooking so that it gets crisp on the outside.
I’ve made these several times and they are great. You have to make the Creamy Cilantro Jalapeno Green sauce for them though. Just Google it and you’ll find it
Great suggestion.
Big thanks for your amazing recipes! They’re a hit in my kitchen, and I’m already planning my next culinary masterpiece. Cheers from Germany!
Happy to hear that! Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers! So glad you liked the recipes.
1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper is a lot of cayenne pepper for 4 small tortilla rolls… if you’re going to feed this to children you might consider cutting back on that particular ingredient. Other than that, this is a pretty good recipe, thanks for posting it!!
Good point Mike. Glad you enjoyed them.
i use spicey ranch for dipping. Tagin chili lime powder to season much quicker.