Orange Chicken Egg Rolls That Will Break Your Brain (In the Best Way)
March Madness season is here, and if you’re hosting a watch party, you already know the pressure is real. The bracket is set, the beverages are chilling, and everyone’s got opinions about who’s going to the Final Four — but none of that matters if the food isn’t hitting. This year, skip the same old wings and chips situation and bring something to the table that’s going to make you the undisputed MVP of the watch party. Enter: Orange Chicken Egg Rolls.
These crispy, golden, saucy little handheld bites are everything you want in a game day appetizer. They’re easy to pick up, easy to dip, easy to eat while you’re on your feet screaming at the TV, and dangerously easy to eat twelve of before the first half is even over. Made with InnovAsian Orange Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice stuffed inside a perfectly pan-fried egg roll wrapper and served with a homemade sweet and sour sauce — these are the kind of snacks that make people stop talking about the game for a second just to ask “wait, what IS this?” Yeah. It’s that good.
Wait — Did You Know Egg Rolls Aren’t Actually Chinese?
Before we get to the good stuff, here’s a fun little fact to drop at your next dinner party: despite the name, egg rolls generally don’t contain egg. Wikipedia The whole thing is a little bit of an identity crisis wrapped in a crispy shell. According to food historian Andrew Coe, the egg roll as we know it today was likely invented in New York sometime in the early 1930s, Vanskitchen not in China — making it a true American invention with Asian roots.
And the name itself? Also a mystery. One popular theory is that the word for “egg” in Chinese sounded similar to the word for “spring,” Wikipedia while another traces it back to a 1917 Chinese-American cookbook that wrapped filling literally inside a fried egg. So maybe the name stuck around long after the egg itself left the building. Wild, right?
Okay. Now that your mind is sufficiently blown, let’s talk about these egg rolls.
The Star of the Show: InnovAsian
I’ve been a fan of InnovAsian for a while, and for good reason — their products are genuinely good. For this recipe, I used two of my favorites: their Orange Chicken and their Vegetable Fried Rice. Both are made according to the package instructions, which is honestly part of what makes this recipe so approachable. We’re not here to stress. We’re here to eat well.
The Orange Chicken is that restaurant-quality tempura-battered white chicken meat tossed in a sweet, tangy orange sauce. You know the kind — the one where you’re eating straight from the container before it even makes it to the plate. The Vegetable Fried Rice is a hearty, savory base that fills out the egg roll perfectly and keeps every bite interesting.
Together? Inside an egg roll wrapper? Pan-fried until crispy on the outside and gloriously melty on the inside? Honestly, I don’t make the rules, but if I did, this would be mandatory.
Let’s Talk About That Sweet and Sour Sauce
Could you just dip these in the leftover orange sauce? Yes. Should you also make this five-ingredient homemade sweet and sour sauce? Also yes.
This sauce is the kind of thing that makes people think you spent way more time in the kitchen than you actually did. It’s bright, a little tangy, perfectly sweet, and it comes together in minutes on the stovetop. Pro tip: add a drop of red food coloring if you want that classic pink-red color that screams Chinese takeout in the best possible way.
It’s simple, it’s fast, and it tastes like something you’d find in a little dipping cup on the side of your delivery order — except you made it yourself, and that’s energy we love.
How It All Comes Together
The process here is genuinely low-stress. You cook the Orange Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice according to their package directions. While those are doing their thing, you make the sweet and sour sauce on the stove. Then you load your egg roll wrappers — a scoop of rice, a scoop of chicken, roll it up tight, seal the edge with a little water, and pan-fry until golden brown and perfectly crispy on all sides.
The result is this incredible mashup of textures and flavors: crunchy wrapper, tender fried rice, saucy orange chicken, all in one satisfying bite. It’s the kind of appetizer that disappears off the plate before you’ve even finished explaining what’s in it.
These are perfect for game day, a party spread, a fun weeknight dinner, or honestly just a random Tuesday when you want to feel like a kitchen genius. No deep fryer required, no complicated technique, no 47-step process — just really good ingredients doing really good things together.
A Few Tips Before You Start
Chop the orange chicken into smaller pieces before rolling — it makes everything easier to wrap and gives you better chicken distribution in every bite (because nobody wants to bite into a wall of plain rice).
Don’t overfill the wrappers. I know it’s tempting. I overfilled mine on the first batch. Learn from my mistakes.
Keep the pan at medium heat when you’re frying. Too high and the outside gets dark before the inside is warmed through. Low and slow is your friend here — well, medium and patient.
And make the sweet and sour sauce first so it has time to thicken up and cool slightly before you’re ready to dip.
Find InnovAsian Orange Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice in the frozen aisle at your local grocery store. For more InnovAsian recipes and product info, visit eatinnovasian.com.
🥢 Orange Chicken Egg Rolls with Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
For the Egg Rolls:
- 1 bag InnovAsian Orange Chicken prepared according to package instructions
- 1 bag InnovAsian Vegetable Fried Rice prepared according to package instructions
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- Vegetable oil for pan frying
- Water for sealing wrappers
For the Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 drop red food coloring optional, for that classic pink-red color
Instructions
Make the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine ½ cup water, sugar, and vinegar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour into the saucepan and stir to combine.
- Continue stirring over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 3–5 minutes. Add a drop of red food coloring if desired. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare the Fillings:
- Cook the InnovAsian Orange Chicken according to package instructions (oven baked).
- Cook the InnovAsian Vegetable Fried Rice according to package instructions.
Assemble the Egg Rolls:
- Lay an egg roll wrapper flat on a clean surface in a diamond shape (one corner pointing toward you).
- Add a spoonful of vegetable fried rice in the center, followed by a few whole pieces of orange chicken. Be careful not to overfill!
- Dip your finger in water and lightly wet the edges of the wrapper.
- Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, then fold in the two side corners. Roll upward tightly and press the top corner to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Pan Fry the Egg Rolls:
- Pour about an inch of vegetable oil into a skillet or pan and heat to 350–375°F over medium heat.
- Working in batches, place egg rolls seam-side down in the hot oil. Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, turning as needed, until all sides are golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Serve:
- Serve immediately with the homemade sweet and sour sauce (and any leftover orange sauce from the bag!) for dipping. Enjoy!
