Vietnamese Chicken Spring Rolls

There is time that I just want to make something light but delicious for dinner.  This is what it came to my mind today.  I was thinking that a simple, healthy Vietnamese Fresh Spring rolls would probably be a good choice.  I like Vietnamese Fresh Spring rolls because all the ingredients are wrapped in one roll, which gives a balanced diet that we need.  We can get creative when making the spring rolls by choosing any ingredients that we like.   The fresh spring rolls may taste dull without dipping sauces.  That's why they don't stand alone.  The most popular dipping sauces are peanut sauce and hoisin sauce, but I like my mango coconut sauce which we seldom see restaurants put it on the side of the fresh spring rolls.   For the rice papers, there are two different sizes that I can get from my local supermarkets.  I bought the big one as I find it easier to roll without tearing when the filling is overloaded sometimes.  I baked my own chicken thighs and added to the ingredients, but you can always get roasting chicken or deli meats from the supermarket for your convenience.  

Ingredients
Baked Chicken Thighs
8 chicken thighs - boneless and skinless
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ginger - minced
2 garlic cloves - minced

Mango Coconut Dipping Sauce
2 mangoes - peeled, pitted and cut into chunky pieces
6 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 garlic clove - chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

For assembling

10 large sheets rice paper - 12" diameter 

Baked chicken thighs - cut into small pieces

3 to 3 1/2 oz rice vermicelli  - one block 

1 head lettuce - I used butter lettuce 

1 cup carrot - shredded 

1 small cucumber - cut into strips

Baked chicken thighs

Mango Coconut Dipping sauce

Directions
Baked Chicken Thighs

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except chicken thighs together. 
2. Arrange chicken thighs in a baking dish.  Pour the ingredient mixture all over the chicken thighs.  Marinate for half an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Place the chicken thighs in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  
5. Remove from the oven.
6. Preheat the oven to broil/grill. 
7. Put the chicken thighs back into the oven and broil for 5 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven again.  Set aside.

For cooking rice vermicelli 

1. Place the rice vermicelli in a pot of boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the noodles are soft.  
2. Drain well and rinse with cold water.  
3. set aside.

For Mango Coconut Dipping Sauce

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender.  Blend until smooth.
2. Transfer to a serving bowl.

For assembling

1. Fill a large bowl with water.  Dip one rice paper in the water.  Remove the rice paper from water when it's almost soft.  Lay flat and begin to assemble. 
2. Layer with lettuce, handful of noodles, carrot, cucumber and chicken near the bottom edge of the wrapper.  Leave 1" border on each side. Tightly wrap the ingredients.  Roll toward the center.  Fold the right and left edges of the wrapper.  Continue rolling up.
3. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Makes 10 rolls.  Serve with dipping sauce.