Chicken Nems (Crispy Rice Paper Rolls)
Homemade chicken nems filled with ground chicken, garlic, ginger and mint, wrapped in perforated rice paper and fried until crispy. Eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf with a soy and lemon dipping sauce.
By Noga Schryer · September 20, 2026
Ingredients
For the filling
- 500 g ground chicken
- 1/2 white onion
- Green onion (green part only)
- Fresh mint
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1.5 tsp brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ginger
- Perforated or regular rice paper (perforated is preferred)
- Oil for frying
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp brown sugar
For wrapping
- Lettuce leaves
Instructions
- 1
In a food processor, finely grind the garlic, ginger, mint, green onion and white onion.
- 2
Transfer to a bowl, add the ground chicken, brown sugar and salt, and mix until combined.
- 3
Make the sauce: in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, the juice of half a lemon, a crushed garlic clove, ginger and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.
- 4
If using regular rice paper, fill a wide plate with lukewarm water and dip a sheet in it for a few seconds, until it begins to soften, then place it on a clean work surface. Perforated rice paper is very delicate, so do not wet it; place it dry on the work surface.
- 5
Place a spoonful of the filling at the edge of the sheet, fold in the sides and roll tightly into a cylinder. Continue until the filling is used up, keeping the rolls apart so they don't stick together.
- 6
Heat oil in a deep pot or pan and fry the rolls in batches over medium heat for about 7 minutes, until golden and crispy. Turn them halfway through, and check that the chicken inside is cooked through.
- 7
Drain on paper towels. Eat hot, wrapped in a lettuce leaf, with the sauce for dipping.
Noga's tip
Perforated rice paper gives an especially crispy, lacy coating, so it is preferred, but regular rice paper works well too.