I Tried H Mart’s Trick for Making Crispy Chicken Bites with Rice Paper
While you may associate rice paper with spring rolls or summer rolls, the supermarket chain H Mart has something else in mind. Recently, @hmartofficial‘s recent Instagram posted about air-fried rice paper chicken, and I was immediately intrigued. I’d never wrapped chicken in rice paper, and I knew I needed to try it. After putting my air fryer to use, I was surprised by my first taste of this crispy, bite-sized snack.
Get the recipe: Rice Paper Chicken
How to Make Rice Paper Chicken
I started things off by cutting my chicken breast into 1/2-inch pieces. Then, I placed them in a bowl of whole milk to soak for 10 to 15 minutes (this helps tenderize the meat). After giving the chicken its much-needed spa treatment, remove it from the milk and give it a nice salt and pepper rub. You can also add a few additional seasonings; I added garlic powder and paprika.
Next, grab a few sheets of rice paper and cut them in half with scissors. Place one piece into a bowl of warm water until the paper becomes translucent, about five or 10 seconds. Remove it from the water and place a chicken piece in the center. Fold in the sides and roll up the wrapper around the chicken like a burrito. After wrapping all the chicken, brush each one with oil or cooking spray, then place in the air fryer in a single layer. Air fry for 25 minutes, flipping them within the first 15 minutes to provide crispy action all around.
When it comes to serving your rice paper chicken bites, @hmartofficial suggests using sweet chili sauce, Ottogi’s Korean Spicy Chicken Sauce (양념치킨 소스), or honey mustard for dipping. I used a combination of sweet chili sauce and low-sodium soy sauce.
My Honest Review of the Rice Paper Chicken
Considering their simplicity (just chicken breast, rice paper, and a dipping sauce), I found these rice paper chicken bites quite tasty! Thanks to the air fryer, they’re considerably lower in fat than deep-fried chicken while still being low-carb. With that being said, I found them a bit bland, and thought they could use more flavor. While the rice paper is an excellent substitute for flour or panko if you’re attempting crispy chicken, it doesn’t add any flavor, leaving the seasoned chicken and the dipping sauce to do all the heavy lifting.
If I were to make these again, I would take advantage of the versatile flavors that rice paper can take on and add some thinly sliced vegetables inside with the chicken, or brush the exteriors with a flavor-packed glaze, such as hoisin or sweet chili sauce. Adding some flavorings to the milk marinade is also a good option.
My #1 Tip for Making Rice Paper Chicken
As I mentioned above, I would recommend that you pack some bold flavors into this relatively simple snack. When seasoning your chicken, try adding a few flavorful spices, like garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, onion powder, or any of your other favorites. Also, try being creative with your dipping sauce: Mix things up by creating a spicy mayo, sweet hoisin, or soy ginger.