Leftover Turkey Salsa Verde Egg Rolls

28 Egg Rolls
1 hr

I created these egg rolls to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I want to share them now because they are too good to have only once a year. They are fantastic party food and great for game day too!


The egg rolls are filled with cream cheese, salsa verde, turkey, roasted red peppers, jalapneños, then deep fried until golden and crispy. My family find them irresistible!


You don’t have to have leftover turkey to make them! Chicken is always perfect substitution. Thick sliced deli turkey or chicken are great as well.


For convenience, I use store bought salsa verde. To prevent soggy egg rolls, I thicken the salsa with cornstarch on the stovetop prior to adding it into the filling.


I prefer to fry because it produces the best crispiness, but I also provided baking instructions for a healthier option.


Step-by-step images and a how-to video link can be found at In Good Flavor.

Leftover Turkey Salsa Verde Egg Rolls
Recipe details
  • 28  Egg Rolls
  • Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 30 Minutes Total time: 1 hr
Show Nutrition Info
Hide Nutrition Info
Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 generous cups leftover turkey, cut into small cubes or shred into strips
  • 1 cup Goya Medium Salsa Verde (*See Note below)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup drained roasted red pepper slices (roughly equivalent to 8-ounce canned or jarred)
  • 3/4 cups of drained pickled jalapeño peppers slices, (roughly equivalent to 8-ounce canned or jarred)
  • 20 egg roll wrappers
  • oil for deep frying
Instructions

Thicken the salsa verde so it won’t make the egg rolls soggy. Combine salsa verde and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk until there are no cornstarch lumps remaining.
Place the pan on medium high heat, stirring occasionally until it bubbles. Stir constantly at this point for one minute, reducing heat if it splatters. The salsa should be have thicken. Transfer to a shallow container. Refrigerate briefly to quickly cool to room temperature. The cooled salsa verde should have the consistency of thick gravy.
Meanwhile, drain roasted red peppers. Blot dry with a couple layers of paper towels. You want about 40 strips.
Blot jalapeño peppers dry on layers of paper towels.
Fill a deep sided frying or saute pan with about 1 1/2 inch of oil. Wait until you are almost done assembling the egg rolls to preheat oil to 350° F.
Fill a small dipping bowl with water to brush onto wontons. Set aside.
Assemble egg rolls:
Place one wonton wrapper on the work surface with one corner pointing towards you. This is the lower end of the wonton wrapper. Spread about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese in the lower end, roughly 3-inch by 2-inch in size. Avoid the edges. The 3-inch side should run parallel to you. The 2-inch side should be perpendicular to you.
Add the remaining filling ingredients over the cream cheese in this order: a spoonful of salsa verde; 2 strips of roasted red pepper; small palmful of turkey; 3-4 jalapeños slices.
Brush water onto the outer 1/2-inch perimeter of the wrapper.
Fold and roll the lower corner over the filling, tucking it in as you roll. Stop rolling when you’re almost at the halfway point. Tuck in the filling on both ends. Press gently down on either side of the filling to flatten the folds of the wrapper. Brush the top edge of the folds with water.
Fold the left and right sides over the filling and towards the center. Brush water along the top edge of the folds on either side. Continue to roll the egg roll towards the opposite corner, rolling as tightly as you can. Gently press on all seams to seal.
Place egg rolls on a parchment lined surface. Cover with foil or a tea towel. Continue rolling the remaining egg rolls.
Frying:
Carefully place a few egg rolls into the preheated 350° F oil. Do not crowd. Cook for until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Turn over egg rolls halfway. Reduce or increase heat as needed to maintain 350° F temperature. Using an instant read thermometer is recommended. Transfer egg rolls to cooling rack to drain.
Continue frying the remaining egg rolls in batches.
Baking:
Place egg rolls, seam side down, on a parchment paper lined or greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400° F oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Makes 18-20 egg rolls.
Tips
  • * If you use a different brand of salsa verde, you might need to adjust the amount of cornstarch you need to add to the salsa to thicken. Goya is pretty thick and needs only 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch. I have used Herdez in the past and found it watery. It needed 1 tablespoon cornstarch. You want it to have the consistency of thick gravy.
  • Be careful not to overstuff the egg rolls as they will be harder to wrap and may split easily when fried.
  • Total cook time may vary depending on the capacity of your frying pan and how many eggs rolls are fried at one time. More batches result in longer total cook time, and vise versa.
  • As with all fried foods, these are best served immediately. Although they are delicious reheated, some of the original crispiness is lost.
  • Use a splatter screen to contain the splashing.
  • Recipe makes about 18-20 egg rolls. Amount guidelines are given, but there are no exact measurements. The number of egg rolls depend on how generous you are with adding the filling.
In Good Flavor
Want more details about this and other recipes? Check out more here!
Go
Comments
Next