Crispy Wonton Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 3 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp. peach or apricot preserves
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- Salt, to taste
For the Salad:
- 2 cups chicken, cooked, torn into bite-size pieces
- 8 wonton wrappers (see note below)
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt, to taste
- 2 romaine hearts, coarsely chopped
- 4 scallions, coarsely chopped
- 1 packed cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems
- 1 packed cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
Instructions
To prepare the dressing:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, peach preserves, mayonnaise, soy sauce, chili powder and onion powder; season to taste with salt.
To prepare the salad:
- Add the chicken to the dressing and toss.
To prepare the wontons:
- To fry the wonton wrappers, cut the squares into 1/2-inch strips, then cut those strips in half crosswise to shorten them.
- In a medium saucepan, heat an inch of oil over medium to 350°F, or until a wonton strip immediately bubbles when added.
- Carefully add the wonton strips to the hot oil and, stirring constantly with a slotted spoon, fry until puffy and golden; 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
- Transfer the crispy wontons to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.
To assemble and serve the salad:
- Add the chopped romaine, scallions, cilantro, mint and half of the fried wontons to the bowl with the dressed chicken; toss to combine.
- Season with salt as needed.
- Top with the remaining fried wontons and serve immediately.
Notes
Wonton wrappers are uncooked, flour-based thin sheets of dough, about 3-1/2 inches square. You can find them in the refrigerated section of supermarkets. Store-bought fried wonton wrappers, often packaged as “wonton strips,” are a convenient alternative, though they can be harder to find; look for them near the salad croutons.