This simple and delicious dish is budget-friendly and delicious! Not to mention, kid-friendly.
Thinking about ordering Chinese takeout for dinner?
Try this quick recipe instead!
At the Rocquin household, quick and easy meals are always a priority. Even more so when my girls were little!
I invented Deconstructed Egg Rolls, (at least I thought I did!) when I had leftover egg roll mixture one day. I skilleted it and we ate it for lunch.
They loved it, so I realized I had a quick, easy and inexpensive lunch - and really healthy too! My girls were pretty young at the time, so getting them to eat cabbage and carrots, and actually enjoy it, was a big win! Skilleted is a term my girls created when I would heat up food in a skillet, they especially loved leftover chicken skilleted in butter which added a little crunch to it.
Why deconstructed?
The term deconstructed entered the arena of cooking in the past few years or more. When I first heard the term connected to meals, I was intrigued. Was it from a recipe gone wrong? Was it a way to save calories or carbs? Or was it an easier way to make a recipe? Honestly, does it really matter?
If it tastes good and you save time and calories then it’s a keeper in my book. Like my mom and aunt would say about a really good recipe, it’s a keeper!
Another name for this recipe is Egg Roll in a Bowl. I like that name too, but deconstructed makes me feel like a chef of Chopped, so I’ll stick with my original name.
When we were missionaries in Russia there were times when food could be scarce. I would search my recipe books to try to find recipes to use with the ingredients available. One day as I was searching in my River Roads Cook Book, second edition, I found the recipe for Egg Rolls, including the dough recipe. I was so excited, we had flour, egg powder (someone gave me some commodity egg powder and insisted I take it with me, I was sure happy when could not buy eggs) some oil for frying, cabbage, carrots, and onions. Our American team enjoyed Egg Rolls for the next week or two.
Easy, and Inexpensive!
Egg rolls are so much easier to make with bought egg roll wrappers.
However, deconstructed egg rolls take the cake when it comes to easy!
I like to use slaw mix, but I also make it with cabbage and carrots that I shred in a food processor. Either way, it is inexpensive! I add green onions, ginger, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and any leftovers I may have on hand.
I bought a 2-pound bag of slaw mix at Sams for $1.98. What a steal! I used part for coleslaw, part for deconstructed egg rolls, and the last portion I am going to make deconstructed cabbage rolls. See that word just keeps popping up! Check back later for my recipes for coleslaw and cabbage rolls!
How it’s Made
This time I used leftover rotisserie chicken with the slaw mix, green onions, ginger but I also make it with ground turkey, ground beef, shrimp, or just vegetables. It’s such an easy dish to make, and you can really make it your own. I love that I can cook this up quickly while using whatever I have on hand.
With the slaw mix, I measured out 16 ounces. Next, I chopped up 6 green onions, minced 2 pods of garlic, and chopped 2 cups of rotisserie chicken.
I added 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to a large skillet and green onions, stir to keep from burning, add chopped chicken and cook until slightly brown. Add garlic and ginger, continue stirring for 3-4 minutes. I added ¼ cup soy sauce, ½ cup chicken broth, and coleslaw mix; cook until tender. I stir every 2 to 3 minutes to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. You can adjust the soy sauce and sesame oil according to your taste.
Fresh ginger really adds an extra oomph to any Asian stir fry!
My top tip? Try using a spoon to peel the ginger. It’s super easy and makes the peel come right off, without losing much of your tangy ginger!
Sesame oil is a small touch that makes a big difference in my opinion. However, if you don’t have it on hand, this stir fry is still delicious! A little goes a long way, so I use just a teaspoon in this dish.
And of course, you have to have soy sauce for egg rolls! I’ve tried some off-brands, but soy sauce is one of the few ingredients I think makes a big difference if you buy off-brand. The taste is far superior when you use Kikkoman, so it’s well worth the purchase in my opinion!
I love that this dish is really healthy, but also filling and easy to make!
It’s such a great way to use up ingredients you already have on hand.
So, next time you’re tempted to order takeout, try whipping up this quick and easy deconstructed egg roll.
I promise it’s well worth making.
Price Breakdown
Cabbage - $0.66
Chicken from a rotisserie chicken - $1.30
Green onions - $.25
Garlic - $0.15
Ginger - $0.10
Sesame oil - $0.25
Soy sauce - $0.20
Chicken broth - $0.24*
Total: $3.18
*For the cost analysis, I used a broth from Walmart. However, we made broth from a rotisserie chicken. Normally most people throw the carcass away, but it makes the yummiest broth. With just a few ingredients from home, the chicken broth is close to free.
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