Sweet chilli chicken rolls

Name: Sweet chilli chicken rolls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 4 (8 rolls)
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

By: Louise Pickford

Published: 26 Jul 21
Updated: 25 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

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.

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

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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

Method

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.
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).
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.
In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, carrot, cucumber, salad leaves and herbs, then chill until needed.
To serve, cut the brioche rolls in half and divide the filling between them. Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp chilli sauce and serve.

Recipe from July 2021 Issue

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

Next time: Top the rolls with crispy onions or sesame seeds for extra crunch.
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.
Ketjap manis is an Indonesian sauce similar to sweet soy sauce. Find it in larger supermarkets, or use soy sauce instead.

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Sweet chilli chicken rolls

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