Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls with Cheddar

Shredded chicken. Buffalo sauce. Cheese. Egg roll wrapper. That’s it. Fry it. Spicy, crispy, gone in three minutes flat.

Why You’ll Love These Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls

Tastes exactly like buffalo wings — the spice, the heat, the comfort — but in a format that doesn’t destroy your fingers. Takes 12 minutes to prep if you move fast. Cook time is 20 minutes total, most of it just freezing and waiting. Works as an appetizer, works as a snack, works as the thing you eat standing at the counter at midnight. Freezer-friendly. Make a batch. Fry two or ten whenever. Crispy outside. Creamy cheese pocket inside. Spicy kick that doesn’t fade.

What You Need for Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls

Two cups of shredded chicken — rotisserie works, pulled leftovers work, doesn’t matter much. One-third cup buffalo wing sauce. Frank’s RedHot or whatever you have. Not hot sauce from a bottle that’s been open for six months. Three-quarters cup sharp cheddar. Pre-shredded is fine. Actually better sometimes because it doesn’t clump. Eight egg roll wrappers. Frozen section. Don’t use wonton wrappers — they’re thinner, tear easier. One egg white mixed with two tablespoons water. This seals everything. Skip it and they come open in the oil. Oil for frying — canola, vegetable, peanut, whatever’s neutral and doesn’t smoke at high heat. Blue cheese or ranch for dipping. Cold. Creamy. Necessary.

How to Make Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls

Mix the chicken, buffalo sauce, and cheddar in a bowl. Don’t overmix — you want pockets of cheese that stay separate, not fully blended into mush. Takes maybe 90 seconds.

Whisk the egg white with water in a small bowl until it’s combined but still watery. That’s your glue. Brush it on the edges of each wrapper or nothing seals right when it hits the oil.

Lay one wrapper on the counter with a corner pointing at you. Brush all four edges with egg wash. Spoon three tablespoons of filling into the center — this is the exact amount. More and the wrapper bursts when it fries. Less and the inside dries out.

Fold the corner closest to you over the filling. Then fold the two side corners in, making an envelope shape. Roll it tight toward the far corner. Snug but not suffocating — steam needs room to expand or the whole thing splits open.

Do this seven more times. As you finish each one, brush any exposed wrapper edge with more egg wash so nothing unravels in the fryer.

Put them on a parchment-lined container or plate, space them out so they don’t touch, and freeze for at least one hour. Can freeze them up to 16 weeks. Anything longer and freezer burn shows up.

Heat two to three inches of oil in a heavy pan or Dutch oven — doesn’t have to be a proper fryer, just something deep with sides that won’t tip. Use a candy thermometer. Aim for 320 to 345°F. Hot enough that the oil bubbles the second the egg roll hits it, but not so hot the outside burns before the inside cooks.

Lower two or three rolls in at a time. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and you end up with greasy sadness instead of crispy excellence. Fry for three to four minutes total. Flip once halfway through. Listen for the steady crackle. Watch for deep golden brown. No dark spots.

Drain on a wire rack set over a tray. Not paper towels. Paper towels trap steam and make them soggy. Rack lets air circulate underneath.

Repeat until all are fried.

How to Get Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls Crispy and Spicy

The oil temperature is everything. Too cool — you get grease-soaked sadness. Too hot — burnt outside, cold center. 320 to 345°F. Non-negotiable. Get a thermometer if you don’t have one.

Don’t overcrowd the pan. Two or three at a time. The oil stays hot that way. The outside crisps. The inside stays spicy and soft. Crowding means fighting each other in the oil for space and heat.

The egg white mixture is why they seal. If you skip it, the wrappers don’t stick to themselves. They unravel in the fryer and oil floods inside and nothing tastes like buffalo wings anymore. It tastes like hot oil. Make the egg wash.

Serve them immediately. Right out of the oil. Still hot. Still crispy. Cold ones aren’t terrible but they lose the whole point of texture.

Blue cheese or ranch is not optional. It’s the cooling agent. It’s the thing that makes the spice land right instead of just burning the back of your throat.

Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls Tips and Common Mistakes

The filling stays mixed better if you use freshly shredded cheese, not pre-shredded from a bag, but honestly pre-shredded works fine. It’s not a hill to die on.

If the oil is too cool, the wrapper absorbs oil instead of crisping up. Use the thermometer. Don’t guess.

Frozen egg rolls go straight into hot oil. Don’t thaw them. The water on the surface will cause splattering but that’s normal. Hot oil and cold surface. It’s fine.

One batch takes about four minutes. Two batches take eight. Do the math based on how many you’re making.

The air fryer version doesn’t work as well with these because the cheese leaks and gets everywhere. Deep fry or shallow fry in a skillet. Both work.

Leftover cooked rolls reheat in a 350°F oven for about four minutes. Gets them crispy again. Microwave makes them soggy. Don’t microwave.

Make them ahead. Freeze raw. Fry whenever. That’s the whole point.

The sauce-to-chicken ratio matters. One-third cup is correct for two cups of shredded chicken. More sauce and everything gets soggy from the moisture. Less and they taste like plain fried chicken with a hint of spice.

Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls with Cheddar

By Emma

Prep:

12 min

Cook:

20 min

Total:

32 min

Servings:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 egg roll wrappers
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons water
• neutral frying oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
• blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping

Method

1. Making the Egg Rolls
2. 1 Mix shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, and cheddar cheese in medium bowl until combined but don’t overmix—want some cheesiness pockets.
3. 2 Whisk egg white with 2 tablespoons water in small bowl, this acts as glue, skip and wrappers won't seal right.
4. 3 Place one egg roll wrapper on clean surface with single corner pointing towards you, brush edges generously with egg wash.
5. 4 Spoon about 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture onto center of wrapper—too much and rolls burst when frying, too little leads to dryness.
6. 5 Fold corner closest to you over filling, then fold two side corners inward creating envelope shape, roll tightly toward far corner; get snug but leave space for steam to expand.
7. 6 Repeat wrapping for all, add egg wash on loose spots to ensure seal or they’ll unravel in fryer.
8. 7 Layer wrapped rolls on parchment lined container separated individually to avoid sticking, freeze at least 1 hour before frying, up to 16 weeks max to maintain freshness; freezer burn is real here if wrapped loosely.
9. Frying
10. 8 Heat 2 to 3 inches oil in heavy pan or Dutch oven; monitor with candy/deep-fry thermometer aiming for 320° to 345°F—hot enough to bubble on contact but not burn outside.
11. 9 Carefully lower 2-3 egg rolls in oil at once, no crowding, fry 3 to 4 minutes total, turn once halfway; listen for steady crackle and watch for deep golden brown surface without dark spots.
12. 10 Drain on wire rack set over tray or paper towels but rack preferred to keep crispiness.
13. 11 Repeat in batches until all fried.
14. 12 Serve immediately with blue cheese or ranch dips—cool, creamy pairs well with crisp, spicy rolls.
15. 13 Freeze leftover cooked rolls for easy reheating in oven to bring back crunch.

Nutritional information

Calories

210

Protein

13g

Carbs

15g

Fat

12g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Buffalo Wing Egg Rolls

Can I make these ahead and freeze them? Yeah. That’s the whole thing. Wrap them individually on a tray, freeze solid for two hours, then bag them. Lasts 16 weeks. Fry straight from frozen.

What’s the difference between these and hot wings in an air fryer? Air fryer hot wings get crispy faster, less mess, but you lose the deep fry texture. These egg rolls have that exact fried chicken wing skin crispness because of the oil. If you want that specific crunch, deep fry them.

Do I have to use Frank’s RedHot for the buffalo wing sauce? No. Any buffalo wing sauce works. Frank’s is the standard but it doesn’t matter if you like something else. The spice is what matters, not the brand.

Can I bake these instead of frying? Not really. Baking makes them dry and tough and the wrapper doesn’t crisp right. The oil is what gives you the texture. Try it if you want but don’t expect the same thing.

What if the filling leaks out while frying? Means the seal wasn’t tight enough or the egg wash didn’t dry before it hit the oil. Happened to me twice. Make sure the egg wash is applied generously and let it sit for like 30 seconds before frying. Tighter fold helps too.

Why do some stay crispy longer than others? The ones that drain on a rack stay crispy longer. The ones on paper towels get soft because steam doesn’t escape. Rack is the only way.

Can I use rotisserie chicken? Yeah. Shred it, drain any excess liquid, mix it in. Works perfect.

Is blue cheese dipping necessary? Not necessary but essential. The cool, creamy, tangy thing is what makes the spicy land right. Ranch works too but blue cheese is the move.