Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl

This chicken egg roll in a bowl has all the savory, garlicky flavor of an egg roll filling without the wrapper. It’s made in one skillet with ground chicken, cabbage, carrots, ginger, and a sweet-spicy sauce, and each bowl packs in protein. It’s quick to make for a weeknight dinner and works really well for meal prep, too.

Why I Love This Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl

I’ve been making a lot of high-protein bowls lately, and this chicken egg roll in a bowl is one of the easiest because everything cooks together in one skillet. You get ground chicken, cabbage, carrots, garlic, and ginger all coated in a sweet, savory, slightly spicy sauce, without having to fill or fry individual egg rolls.

I wanted this version to have flavor, so I came up with a delicious sauce that coats the ground meat and cabbage. The sauce combines coconut aminos, hoisin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and sriracha, so it has that salty, tangy, slightly sweet flavor I want from an egg roll filling. The fresh ginger and garlic add even more flavor without making the recipe complicated.

The main reason I can't stop making this recipe is the protein. Since it makes two generous bowls, each serving has over 50 grams of protein, so it’s filling enough to be a complete dinner. It also reheats well, which makes it an easy option when I want a high-protein meal I can make once and eat again the next day.

Ingredients You'll Need

For the egg roll filling:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground chicken
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ½ head green cabbage, thinly shredded
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons sriracha

Ingredient Notes That Make This Egg Roll In a Bowl Better

• Ground chicken: I use ground chicken for this version, but ground turkey or ground pork will work too. Pork will give you a richer flavor, while turkey keeps it closer to the leaner chicken version.
• Green cabbage: Slice it fairly thin so it softens in the same amount of time as the carrots without turning mushy. A bagged coleslaw mix can work as a shortcut, but it tends to cook faster because the vegetables are shredded more finely.
• Fresh ginger: I recommend freshly grated ginger here rather than ground ginger. The flavor is noticeably fresher and works much better in a quick skillet recipe like this.
• Garlic paste: If you don’t have garlic paste, use finely minced fresh garlic instead. You can swap it in without changing the rest of the recipe.
• Coconut aminos: This is my special ingredient in the sauce. It’s a little sweeter and generally less salty than soy sauce, so if you substitute soy sauce, start with slightly less and adjust to taste.
• Rice vinegar: Use plain, unseasoned rice vinegar if possible. Seasoned rice vinegar already contains added sugar and salt, which can throw off the balance of the sauce.

How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl

Step 1: Cook the Cabbage and Carrots

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shredded cabbage and julienned carrots. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften and pick up a little color. You want them tender, but not completely soft.

Step 2: Add the Ground Chicken

Push the vegetables slightly to the sides of the skillet and add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the ground chicken and break it into small crumbles as it cooks. Continue cooking until the chicken is browned and fully cooked through.

Step 3: Add the Seasonings

Season the chicken and vegetables with the white pepper, then add the garlic paste and grated ginger. Stir everything together and cook briefly until the garlic and ginger are fragrant.

Step 4: Add the sauce

Pour in the coconut aminos, sesame oil, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and sriracha. Stir until the chicken and vegetables are evenly coated, then cook for another 2–3 minutes so the sauce can warm through and coat everything.

Step 5: Taste and Serve

Taste the egg roll in a bowl and adjust the seasoning or sriracha if needed. Divide between two bowls and serve hot.

My Expert Tips for the Best Egg Roll in a Bowl

• Use your largest skillet. Cabbage takes up a lot of room before it cooks down. A wide skillet gives the vegetables more contact with the hot pan so they can soften and pick up some color instead of steaming in their own moisture.
• Cook off excess liquid before adding the sauce. Cabbage naturally releases water as it cooks. If you see liquid pooling in the bottom of the skillet, let it evaporate before adding the sauce so the coconut aminos, hoisin, and sesame oil don’t get watered down.
• Keep some crunch in the vegetables. The cabbage and carrots will continue cooking for a few minutes after the sauce goes in, so don’t take them all the way to completely soft at the beginning. The finished bowl is much better when the vegetables still have some texture.
• Taste before adding extra salt. Hoisin sauce and coconut aminos already bring plenty of seasoning. I like to wait until everything is coated in the sauce before deciding whether the skillet needs any additional salt.
• Break the chicken into small, even crumbles. Smaller pieces mix more evenly with the shredded cabbage and carrots, so you get chicken, vegetables, and sauce together in each bite instead of large chunks of meat surrounded by cabbage.
• If you double the recipe, use two skillets. Packing twice as much chicken and cabbage into one pan will trap more moisture and make everything steam. Two skillets, or cooking in batches, will give you a much better texture.

How to Store and Meal Prep Egg Roll in a Bowl

• In the refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Let the mixture cool before covering so excess steam doesn’t collect in the container and make the cabbage soggy.
• To reheat: Warm it in a skillet over medium heat for the best texture, stirring occasionally until heated through. You can also microwave it in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each one.
• For meal prep: Divide the finished egg roll in a bowl into individual containers as soon as it cools. That gives you quick high-protein lunches or dinners throughout the week without any extra prep
• Best texture tip: Reheat only until hot. Cooking it longer than necessary will continue softening the cabbage and carrots, so shorter reheating is better if you want to keep some crunch.

Egg Roll in a Bowl FAQs

What is egg roll in a bowl?

Egg roll in a bowl is a deconstructed egg roll made with the filling ingredients but without the fried wrapper. This version combines ground chicken, cabbage, carrots, ginger, garlic, and a sweet and savory sauce in one skillet for an easy dinner.

Does egg roll in a bowl actually have egg in it?

Not necessarily. Despite the name, this chicken egg roll in a bowl doesn’t contain eggs. The name refers to the flavors and filling you’d normally find inside an egg roll, served without the wrapper.

Can I use coleslaw mix for egg roll in a bowl?

Yes. A plain bagged coleslaw mix with cabbage and carrots is an easy shortcut for the fresh cabbage and carrots. Since bagged vegetables are usually shredded more finely, start checking them earlier so they don’t get too soft.

Can I use ground turkey or pork instead of ground chicken?

Yes. Ground turkey, pork, or even ground beef can replace the chicken. Pork will give the bowl a richer flavor, but ground turkey is the closest swap if you want to keep it similar to the chicken version.

Is chicken egg roll in a bowl high in protein?

Yes. This recipe uses one pound of ground chicken and makes two generous servings, with more than 50 grams of protein per bowl based on the ingredients used in this recipe. Exact nutrition will vary depending on the ground chicken and sauce brands you use.

Is egg roll in a bowl low carb?

It’s naturally lower in carbohydrates than a traditional egg roll because there’s no fried wrapper. However, this recipe contains hoisin sauce and coconut aminos, so the exact carb count will depend on the brands you use. I wouldn’t automatically consider it keto without checking those labels.

Can I make egg roll in a bowl gluten-free?

Yes, but check the sauce ingredients carefully. Coconut aminos are commonly gluten-free, while some brands of hoisin sauce and other Asian-style condiments may contain wheat. Use products specifically labeled gluten-free if you need the finished dish to be gluten-free.

What can I serve with egg roll in a bowl?

This chicken egg roll in a bowl is filling enough to eat on its own, especially since each serving has plenty of chicken and vegetables. You can also serve it with jasmine rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, edamame, or steamed broccoli if you want to make the meal larger.

Can I add rice to an egg roll in a bowl?

Absolutely. Spoon the chicken and cabbage mixture over white or brown rice for a more substantial meal. Cauliflower rice is another option if you want to keep the bowl lighter while adding more volume.

Bowl Recipes to Try Next

• Beef broth bowl
• Beef bulgogi bowl 
• Sweet potato burger bowl
• Bang bang chicken bowl