Grilled hoisin chicken and grilled asparagus make a fresh and cooling appearance inside of these Vietnamese inspired appetizers.

Grilled Hoisin Chicken and Asparagus Summer Rolls

By Sue Lau

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Michigan Asparagus. I received compensation and/or product to develop this recipe, however, all opinions are my own.

Welcome to #BBQWeek! Can you believe the hot weather is already here? Time really is flying for me.

This week, I am participating in a cookout event with some of my blogging friends that is being sponsored by Michigan Asparagus.  They were gracious enough to send me along some lovely spears to pop into this recipe,  but you know you most certainly can grab some at your local farm market or grocer. I spied some just today over at Pipkin’s Market in Blue Ash.

I thought I had this week  all figured out when Ellen over at Family Around the Table announced it in one of our bloggers groups. I am grilling  all the time,  so have no end of that kind of recipe tucked away in my files. But when Michigan Asparagus jumped on board, I knew I wanted to  do something really special and delicious with this wonderful vegetable.

I’ve been on a bit of a run doing a lot of  Asian recipes at home (you may not always see things as I do them). And just today I ran mouth-first into some Indian tomato chutney that has left me crazy to put together some new recipes in that type of cuisine. Bill says he always likes to see me get this way about an ingredient because I can be quite infectious with enthusiasm.

So when thinking  of  asparagus I was remembering  fondly a recipe I did years ago at the old Recipezaar in a recipe contest there that had crab and  asparagus as a summer roll. I had also been remembering fondly a grilling recipe I did for Hoisin Chicken with Mai Fun. For some time I have been wanting to  do yet another soft roll with less carbs in it so I struck out the noodles  and smashed these two wonderful recipes together.

The Vietnamese usually make these type of rolls with shrimp or pork with herbs and rice vermicelli, and call them summer rolls,  since they are not fried like spring rolls. And  depending,  these will get served with a nuoc cham fish sauce that is sweetened, or sometimes  a hoisin dipping sauce,  occasionally topped with peanuts. These cold rolls are very refreshing in the hot summer months. You may have seen those on menus as goi cuon.

Of course,  in my recipe, I wanted to have something grilled in it, so my hoisin chicken became my choice. It’s not authentically Vietnamese. The hoisin sauce is Chinese, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call the chicken Chinese. It has some in common with chargrilled meats in Vietnamese cuisine, such as the grilled pork (thit). The rice paper wrappers are Vietnamese but I  haven’t seen very many  recipes use much outside of  the traditional noodles, bit of shrimp or pork and herbs.

I took  another turn with this getting rid of the noodles and  just popping some lettuce in, so in some ways it is inspired by the old Chinese lettuce wraps.  But you know the asparagus adds body to the rolls, so it’s not like there is a hole where the noodles had been.

These are all very good but they don’t tend to store well, and they can stick if you let them touch too much. One of the restaurants we used to frequent  up  in Dayton (Little Saigon) used to wrap them in plastic to  help protect them. But even so, they don’t like being made way ahead- one  time  I picked some up just to keep on hand, and after a few hours, even wrapped, they kind of lost quality.

But the great part is that you can get all the filling ready to  go ahead. Then just dip the wrapper for a few  seconds and pat it dry with paper towels, fill and roll.  You can even experiment  with different fillings.

The dipping sauce you can make ahead  and that should keep about one week, if necessary.  If you don’t use all of it in one sitting,  try it as a dip for crudite or raw veggies.

Join me throughout the week for other  grilling and BBQ recipes as well as things suitable for a backyard bbq. I have Tandoori Chicken Tikka with Masala Grilled Corn coming  on Wednesday and my recipe for Jerk Chicken on Friday with a couple other things in-between,  since #BBQWeek runs M-W-F only. Join me each and every day so you don’t miss a mite!

~Sue

Welcome to #BBQWeek

Let’s fire up the grill, serve up some burgers or steaks or chicken and some delicious sides and desserts! Follow #BBQWeek so you don’t miss one delicious recipe. There are more than 20 recipes this week from some amazing bloggers.

• Best Grilled Vegetables (with Asparagus) from Feeding Big
• Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Beef) + Asparagus with Gochujang Sauce from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Grilled Asparagus and Parmesan Pasta with Toasted Pecansfrom Tip Garden
• Grilled Asparagus Nachos from Red Cottage Chronicles
• Grilled Asparagus Halloumi Salad from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Grilled Asparagus Tart from A Day In The Life On The Farm
• Grilled Asparagus with Balsamic Glaze and Toasted Pecans from Family Around The Table
• Grilled Breakfast Flatbreads with Asparagus and Bacon from Caroline’s Cooking
• Grilled Citrus Chicken and Asparagus Packets from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Grilled Hoisin Chicken and Asparagus Summer Rolls from Palatable Pastime

Thank you to Michigan Asparagus for sponosoring #BBQWeek

and offering the amazing prize package.

Michigan Asparagus is giving one winner two grilling baskets and $50 gift card.

CLICK HERE—–>>>A Rafflecopter Giveaway<<<—–

Fresh asparagus is the taste of spring and Michigan is one of the largest domestic asparagus growers in the United States. Michigan Asparagus is available mid-May through June and is the only hand snapped harvested asparagus which means more usable asparagus and less waste. Local Michigan farmers produce approximately 25 million pounds of Michigan Asparagus during the state’s 6-7 week harvest. Michigan Asparagus has excellent flavor and a long shelf life. It is a nutrient-dense, low-calorie vegetable with no fat, no cholesterol, and very little sodium.

Giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Prize will be sent after the close of the giveaway. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment.