Did you do anything fun for Cinco de Mayo this weekend? Maybe head out to your favorite cantina or cook up some special treats? I chose the latter. And as my husband will point out, there is nothing truly Mexican about this recipe, but it is definitely Mexican-inspired. I decided to put a new twist on deep-fried Southwestern eggrolls, and they came out muy delicioso!
I created this recipe based on an awesome eggroll recipe my brother makes (yay, Mike!). But I thought making a savory muffin (or a “cupcake” if you want to get cute) would be fun. Using the wonton wrapper lightens it up a bit, too. One Nasoya eggroll wrapper has 170 calories and 35 grams of carbs. Meanwhile, two Nasoya wonton wrappers (you use two per cupcake) have a total of 40 calories and 8 grams of carbs. (I happened to use the Nasoya brand, which is why I mention them specifically. Other manufacturers’ products might be slightly different.) One to one that’s a big difference and we’re not even talking about the fact that these are baked and not fried!
Yes, the ingredient list is lengthy, but if you have cooked chicken in your fridge or freezer, you can actually whip these up pretty fast. We totally pigged out on these on Cinco de Mayo, but the next day I had two with a salad for lunch and found that to be a reasonable portion for me.
Southwestern Wonton “Cupcakes”
2 Tbsp. oil or fat (olive oil, butter, heck I bet bacon grease would make these extra yummy!)
2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts (roasted, grilled, poached, whatever)
1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/8 cup jalapenos, finely chopped (optional – add more if you like it hot, less if you don’t)
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4-1/2 c. water
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pack wonton wrappers
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium/large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Stir in green onion, jalepenos, and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne and fry until fragrant.
Add shredded chicken, frozen corn, black beans, and spinach and mix well. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a water, a little bit at a time, if the filling doesn’t seem moist. You shouldn’t need much, but you don’t want it too try. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it is thoroughly incorporated and melted. Set aside.
Spray a muffin with cooking spray and put one wonton wrapper in each cup. Add a tablespoon or so of the filling. Top with a second wonton wrapper (make sure the points do NOT line up if you want a pretty presentation) and then fill it up with the chicken mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the wontons crisp up.
Remove from oven, let cool for a minute, and the using a fork or a spoon to help you, ease each wonton out of the tin. The bottoms won’t be totally crisp, and that’s OK! You could also add an extra layer of cheese between the layers in order to help the top wonton “stick” a little better, but mine stayed together just fine.
Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or avacado-ranch dip. Yield: approx. 24 wonton cupcakes
I don’t know… some moms might want a Pandora bracelet for Mother’s Day, but I’d be happy with a big batch of these all to myself!
