My grandma and mom would often take me out to lunch to eat as a child. Every once in a while, they took me to Chili’s.
Chili’s is underrated. I would get the “Triple Dipper” sampler appetizer as my meal and, of course, one of the three options I would pick was the southwestern egg rolls. Those bad boys are freaking delicious. They are a little spicy and have a whole lotta flavor. The avocado sauce you dip them in is cool and cancels out any overwhelming tang. With quail in the freezer, and a constant hunger for egg rolls, there was only one recipe that I truly needed to recreate over the weekend, and it was these: Quail Southwestern Egg Rolls.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 10 Egg Rolls
Ingredients
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8 oz skinless boneless quail breasts
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Vegetable oil enough for frying and cooking meat
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2.5 tbsp red bell pepper finely chopped
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1 stalk green onion finely chopped
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1/3 cup canned corn drained
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1/3 cup blacked beans rinsed
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2 tbsp frozen spinach thawed and drained
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1/2 jalapeño, deseeded and finely chopped
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1/2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
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1/2 tsp cumin
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1/2 tsp chili powder
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1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
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Salt and pepper for seasoning throughout
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1 cup Monterey jack and mild cheddar with jalapeños (I find this at the grocery store. If you can't, pepper jack works)
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10 tortillas ~6 inches in diameter
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
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1.5 tbsp Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch seasoning
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1/2 cup buttermilk
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1/2 cup mayo
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1 tomatillo peeled
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1 clove garlic minced
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1/4 cup cilantro
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1/2 jalapeno deseeded
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1/4 tsp lime juice
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1/3 cup sour cream
Directions
For the dipping sauce, put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until well mixed. Then, chill in the refrigerator while putting together egg rolls. This sauce is only good for ~1-2 days because the buttermilk will start to curdle.
To start making the egg rolls, season your quail meat with ~1/8 tsp salt and ~1/8 tsp pepper.
In a sauté pan, heat ~2 tbsp of oil on high heat. When oil is hot, add the quail and cook until no longer pink in the middle; ~2 minutes. Then set aside to cool.
When the quail is room temp or cool enough to handle, finely chop.
In the same pan over medium heat, add ~1 tbsp of oil. Then add the bell pepper and green onions and cook until tender (not browned). Add the quail, corn, beans, jalapeño, spinach, parsley, cumin, chili powder, cayenne powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
Combine and cook for ~4 minutes. Add cheese and then stir until completely melted and then remove from heat.
Place tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp towel, and microwave for ~30 seconds. This will make it easier to roll the egg rolls without the tortillas breaking.
Then place the filling in the egg rolls and roll them like a mini burrito. Folding the ends in first and then rolling it tightly. I kept them sealed by poking a toothpick through the side of the egg roll.
Heat the frying oil to 375 °F and deep fry the egg rolls for 3-4 minutes or until desired golden brown.
Pair with dipping sauce and enjoy!