Sweet chilli chicken rolls

Sweet chilli chicken rolls

These sweet chilli chicken rolls are perfect for picnics and summer lunches. Load rolls with chicken thighs, homemade sweet chilli dressing, crisp veg and herbs.

Sweet chilli chicken rolls

Up your outdoor lunch game with our picnic recipes collection.

  • Serves icon Serves 4 (8 rolls)
  • Time icon Hands-on time 15 minutes, plus cooling

These sweet chilli chicken rolls are perfect for picnics and summer lunches. Load rolls with chicken thighs, homemade sweet chilli dressing, crisp veg and herbs.

Up your outdoor lunch game with our picnic recipes collection.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
246kcals
Fat
6.5g (3g saturated)
Protein
15.8g
Carbohydrates
30.3g (13.2g sugars)
Fibre
2g
Salt
1.6g

Ingredients

  • 400g skinless, boneless free-range chicken thigh fillets
  • 1½ tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp ketjap manis (see Know-how)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
  • ¼ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, freshly ground
  • 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and thinly sliced
  • Handful mixed salad leaves
  • Handful basil, mint and coriander leaves
  • 8 mini brioche rolls

You’ll also need

  • Food processor

For the sweet chilli dressing

  • 5 large red chillies, trimmed and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 70ml rice wine vinegar
  • 70g granulated sugar
Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

  1. Put the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add the fish sauce, ketjap manis, sesame oil, Chinese five spice and ground Sichuan pepper. Toss together and set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  2. For the dressing, put the chillies, garlic and ginger in a food processor and blend to a rough paste. Transfer to a saucepan and add the salt, vinegar and sugar. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 5-8 minutes until reduced and syrupy. Cool, then store in a sealed jar in the fridge until needed (see Make Ahead).
  3. Heat the grill to high. Remove the chicken from the fridge and put on a foil lined oven tray. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side until lightly charred and cooked through. Set aside to cool, then shred or thinly slice.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, carrot, cucumber, salad leaves and herbs, then chill until needed.
  5. To serve, cut the brioche rolls in half and divide the filling between them. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp chilli sauce and serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
246kcals
Fat
6.5g (3g saturated)
Protein
15.8g
Carbohydrates
30.3g (13.2g sugars)
Fibre
2g
Salt
1.6g

delicious. tips

  1. Next time: Top the rolls with crispy onions or sesame seeds for extra crunch.

  2. Marinate the chicken thighs up to 1 day ahead. Make the sweet chilli dressing, cover and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. The flavours will continue to
    develop as it sits.

  3. Ketjap manis is an Indonesian sauce similar to sweet soy sauce. Find it in larger supermarkets, or use soy sauce instead.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Louise Pickford

Subscribe

Fancy getting a copy in print?

Subscribe to our magazine

Rate & review

Rate

Reviews

Share a tip

Or, how about...?

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Canapé recipes

Mini crayfish and crab brioche bites

We’ve given the seventies-style prawn cocktail an update with these...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Chilli chicken salad

This quick chicken salad recipe makes wonderfully spicy supper.

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Smoky chicken wraps

This chicken recipe is ideal for freezing; just make and...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Barbecue recipes

Brown sugar and chilli chicken wings

Lightly charred on the grill or barbecue, these sticky, sweet...

Subscribe to our magazine

Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.

Subscribe

Unleash your inner chef

Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter

We treat your data with care. See our privacy policy. By signing up, you are agreeing to delicious.’ terms and conditions. Unsubscribe at any time.