Chicken Spring Roll in Phyllo

Ingredients

• 1.chicken breasts, skinned; 4–6 pieces
• 2.seasoned flour, 2–3 tablespoons; to coat chicken
• 3.oil, for frying
• 4.1 onion, chopped
• 5.1 clove garlic, crushed
• 6.1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 7.2 red and green peppers, 1 of each, diced
• 8.2 cup cabbage, chopped
• 9.230 gram bamboo shoots, canned; drained
• 10.230 gram water chestnuts, canned; drained
• 11.5 spring onions, chopped
• 12.1 cup lettuce, diced
• 13.1 cup chicken stock
• 14.2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 15.1 tablespoon sherry
• 16.1 teaspoon sugar
• 17.ginger, generous sprinkling; amount and type (fresh/ground) to taste
• 18.salt and pepper
• 19.cayenne pepper, good pinch
• 20.fresh bean sprouts
• 21.snow peas, blanched and sliced; optional
• 22.1 tablespoon sundried tomatoes, diced; optional
• 23.6 sheets phyllo pastry, 6 sheets per roll; makes 3 rolls; keep covered with a damp cloth
• 24.breadcrumbs, for assembly; sprinkled between and on top of pastry layers
• 25.melted margarine and oil, mixed; for brushing phyllo

Method

1. 1.Dust chicken breasts with seasoned flour and fry until lightly browned. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. 2.Fry the chopped onion and garlic and as they are softening, add the mushrooms. Fry till pale gold.
3. 3.Add the peppers, the cabbage, the bamboo shoots, the water chestnuts and fry until softened but still crisp. Lastly, add the spring onion and the lettuce. Add a little oil from time to time, as needed.
4. 4.Slice the cooled chicken and add to vegetables. Throw over the chicken stock and toss. Season to taste with soy sauce, sherry, sugar, ginger, salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Allow to cook with lid on for 2–3 minutes.
5. 5.Toss in the fresh bean sprouts and mix through. Adding the sprouts at this stage helps retain their crispness. Add the snow peas and sundried tomatoes if using.
6. 6.Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool thoroughly before using on the phyllo. The mixture may be made the day before it is needed.
7. 7.TO ASSEMBLE: Unwrap the phyllo, unfold it and cover with a damp cloth. Always keep the phyllo covered otherwise it will dry out.
8. 8.Take one sheet and lay it flat. Brush it with a mixture of melted margarine and oil. Repeat with the next two sheets. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the third sheet.
9. 9.Repeat process with another 3 sheets of phyllo. Again, sprinkle the third sheet with breadcrumbs. You now have six sheets of pastry.
10. 10.Spread nearest long edge with the chicken mixture but be sure to leave at least a 2.5 cm space from the edge and the sides.
11. 11.Roll edge over chicken mixture and then fold in the sides. Continue rolling until the end. You fold the chicken roll as if it was a blintze.
12. 12.Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with the melted margarine and oil. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
13. 13.Bake in a 190°C/375°F oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
14. 14.For individual rolls: use only 4 sheets of pastry per roll. Cut the big sheets into quarters once you have oiled them.

Notes

• This quantity of chicken mixture is sufficient for about 3 rolls.
• Yelta suggests adding 1 cup cooked vermicelli to the stir-fried vegetables before filling.
• Yelta also suggests baking at 200–220°C (400–425°F) for a crispier result.
• The rolls can be assembled and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
• Margarine is spelled 'margerine' in the original.
• An earlier scan (Adobe Scan 24 Feb 2026.pdf, page 16) captured this recipe but the assembly instructions were cut off. This Scan 3 version (Meat-and-Chicken_Scan_3.pdf, pages 9–10) provides the complete recipe. The low-confidence QA flag from Scan 1 is resolved.
• The Scan 1 version included '1 cup cooked spaghetti' as an ingredient (not present in this version). May be a variant, or the spaghetti was later replaced by Yelta's vermicelli suggestion.

Margin notes

• can make a sweet + sour sauce (e.g. à la Rose)
• makes 3 rolls, need 1½ rolls like 30g phyllo