Tortilla Rolling Is Key For Perfect Copycat Chili's Southwest Egg Rolls

While Chili's might not be synonymous with pioneering fusion cuisine, this casual chain does have one appetizer on the menu that more or less fits the profile — Southwest Egg Rolls. Like the original, our copycat Southwest Egg Rolls use a tasty blend of bell peppers, black beans, cheese, chicken, corn, and jalapeños for the filling. To extend the Southwestern theme, it also uses flour tortillas in place of egg roll wrappers. But wait, doesn't that basically make these appetizers chimichangas? Shhhh! Yes, it does, but if Chili's wants to use the term "egg rolls," we'll play along. (Plus, the restaurant serves them sliced on the diagonal, so maybe that's the difference maker?) At any rate, mixing up the filling for these whatever-you-want-to-call-'ems takes just a few minutes. However, the tricky part comes when you start filling and rolling.

The medium flour tortillas used by recipe developer Kristen Carli measure about 7 inches in diameter, which is somewhat smaller than the 10-inch kind typically used for burritos. Nonetheless, you'll be rolling them up in much the same way: Plop the filling in the middle, fold in the sides of the circle, then roll it up as tight as you can. When you start frying these egg rolls, be sure to keep the seam side facing down. This will help prevent the rolls from breaking apart once it's time to flip and cook the other side.

The point of a copycat recipe is to duplicate a restaurant dish or commercial product — or at least come as close as possible. This doesn't mean you're obligated to stick to these same conventions when cooking it, though. You can tweak the recipe by adding extra spice or save time by starting with leftover rotisserie chicken. Another easy ingredient swap that will lighten up the egg rolls involves replacing the flour tortillas with store-bought egg roll wrappers like the Redditor favorite Twin Dragon. While these egg rolls won't make for as hearty an appetizer as the original, they're well suited for serving before a heavier meal or paired with a more substantial app like our copycat Awesome Blossom.

The right way to fold egg rolls in wrappers is similar to the way you'd fold ones made with tortillas. Since egg roll wrappers are square and not round, you'll orient them with the pointy part up and place the filling in the center of the diamond shape. Roll the wrapper halfway up, then tuck in the side points. At this stage, you can brush some beaten egg over the remaining flat bit of wrapper before you continue rolling. This will serve as an edible glue to help the egg roll hold its shape in the hot oil. Even if you stick with tortillas, you can still use egg wash to seal your rolls and provide extra protection against falling apart.