Avocado Club Egg Rolls

My wife celebrated a birthday recently, and she requested dinner out at California Pizza Kitchen. Of course I obliged. We don’t go there often but when we do we enjoy it. This time, though, it wasn’t the pizza that we were thinking about at the end of the meal.

CPK serves these Avocado Club Egg Rolls that we decided are the best thing on their menu. They were so good we vowed to find a recipe and attempt to make them ourselves. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, we found the recipe on the #1 St. Louis website, and now we want to share it with you.

from California Pizza Kitchen

Ingredients

Ranchito Sauce:

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1½ tablespoons hot sauce or to taste [we actually used a chipotle rub from Williams-Sonoma instead]
• ½ cup ranch dressing, plus extra for dipping

Egg Rolls:

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, grilled
• 1 avocado
• 8 (6-inch) egg roll wrappers
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 slices cooked bacon, chopped [or more, if you like bacon]
• ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Cornstarch, for dusting
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Ranchito Sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, hot sauce and ½ cup ranch dressing. Set aside to serve with finished egg rolls.

Egg Rolls:

Slice chicken diagonally into strips about ⅓-inch thick. Cut avocado in half lengthwise; discard pit. Remove flesh from skin and slice flesh into 16 wedges.

Place one egg roll wrapper on the counter, one corner pointing toward you in a diamond (not square) shape. Stack one-eighth of the chicken, tomatoes, bacon and cheese in a line across the lower third of the wrapper, being careful to leave at least 1 inch between the filling and each edge of the wrapper. Top with 2 slices of avocado.

Fold the lower third of the wrapper over the filling, and gently pull back to tuck into a tight bundle. Wet the remaining edges of the wrapper with water. Fold sides of wrapper over filling; roll up and press edges firmly to seal.

Dust a tray or baking sheet lightly with cornstarch; place finished egg roll, seam side down, on the tray. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Heat oil in a deep skillet to about 375℉ (we had no way of knowing how hot our oil was, but a drop of water sizzled violently when dropped in the oil). Fry egg rolls about 90 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Drain well on paper towels. If desired cut in half so they cool faster (and look like they came from a fancy restaurant). Serve with Ranchito Sauce and plain ranch dressing for dipping.