Asian Wonton Salad

Posted by Vanessa in Cooking, January 18, 2010

(This picture shows chopped carrots instead of cucumber because that’s what I had on hand the day I took this picture.  We missed the cucumbers.)

I’ve been known to drag The Phoenix to girly bakeries from time to time for lunch.  (In my defense, he asks where I want to go and is usually driving, so there’s at least some form of consent on his part.)  And almost always, he orders an Asian chicken salad if they offer it.  He basically won’t eat anything else at these places because soup and sandwiches really aren’t his thing.  We’ve run across some really good Asian salads too, but nothing quite like this.

This, my dear friends, got praises all throughout dinner.  Not just a ‘this is pretty good’ at the beginning of the meal or a nice comment at the end, but repeated praises of how awesome it was ALL during dinner.  And then afterwards as well while we were doing dishes.  And then hours later while we were watching tv after the kids had went to bed.  Yes, it’s that good.  The Phoenix even asked for me to make it again soon while he was still eating.  And he told his mom about it while they were on the phone the next day.  Shall we say we’ve found a keeper?

Yes, I do think so.

My only suggestion is to serve it with something else as well, because even after a couple bowls each, we were both still a little hungry, but had had enough salad.  Maybe some bread, maybe soup, whatever you fancy. I’m thinking next time I’ll serve it with these rolls, minus the rosemary.

(If you’re not familiar with wontons, they are usually found next to the bagged lettuce in the produce section of a grocery store.)

Asian Wonton Salad

recipe from Our Best Bites
Details
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes.
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes.
  • Ready in 20 Minutes.
  • Makes: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, or 1 bag of romaine lettuce
  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • 1 tomato, diced or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
  • 1/3 package wontons
  • canola oil for frying
  • Sweet Sesame Dressing, recipe follows
Directions
  • Heat approximately 1 inch of oil in a cast iron skillet to about 375 degrees.
  • Use a pizza cutter to cut wontons into thirds (3 strips).
  • Test oil by dipping a wonton in and seeing if it bubbles up quickly. Fry wontons a few at a time, flipping halfway through cooking, and set on paper towels to dry. (They only take a few seconds to cook, so watch closely.)
  • These can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container.
  • Tear clean lettuce into chunks and place in a large salad bowl.
  • Top with tomatoes, cucumber and red onion.
  • Add shredded chicken and top with Sweet Sesame Dressing. Toss salad together.
  • Once everything is well coated, add fried wonton strips and gently toss to combine.

Sweet Sesame Dressing

recipe from Our Best Bites
Details
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes.
  • Ready in 10 Minutes.
  • Makes: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions
  • Place all ingredients into a jar and shake vigorously.
  • Dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

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