This Asian Wonton Salad is one of my absolute favorites. It’s the salad that you take to work potlucks and church parties and baby showers and people want to be your friend just because you made it. It’s full of greens and crunchy vegetables and a spectacular sweet and savory sesame dressing. The best part of the salad however, are the pieces of fried wontons. They’re crisp and crunchy and when they get coated in the dressing you’ll be picking them out to snack on.
The recipe comes from two long-time friends, Gisela and Helen, who ran a catering company together. Helen is the mother of one of my best friends, Melanie. I spent a lot of time at their house in my teen years and nearly every time I walked through the door I would find her sweet Dad in his chair in the family room and her smiling Mom in the kitchen with an apron on. I was always just as excited to go see what Helen was cooking as I was to find Melanie and get on with whatever teenage shenanigans we had planned. I’m confident you’re going to love this salad as much as I do!
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Dressing
- Rice vinegar – Also called rice wine vinegar. Regular or “seasoned” (just has a bit of salt and sugar) are both fine here.
- Canola oil – Or any light tasting oil.
- Sesame oil
- Fresh garlic
- Soy sauce – I love the Aloha brand! I get it at Fred Meyer, which is a Kroger brand store.
- Granulated sugar
- Sesame seeds – Find sesame seeds with the spices in the grocery store. You can use toasted or un-toasted. If you purchase un-toasted seeds and would like to toast them, just place them in a dry skilled over medium heat and gently stir until golden brown.
Salad
- Greens: The original recipe calls for romaine lettuce, but I love to mix a variety of greens if I have them. Chopped cabbage (red or green) is especially great.
- Cooked, shredded chicken breasts – Rotisserie chicken would work well, too.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- Cucumber
- Wonton wrappers – You’ll find wonton wrappers in the refrigerated section in the produce department of the grocery store. They’re square (or rectangle) pieces of thin dough that are used to make wontons. You aren’t adding any filling in this recipe, you’re simply frying the pieces of dough to create crispy strips. Egg Roll Wrappers would be just fine to purchase as well.
- Vegetable oil – You can use any frying oil. Vegetable, Canola, or peanut oil are all good choices.
Equipment
- Pot for Deep Frying: It takes very little oil to fry the wonton wrappers. An inch or two is sufficient. I suggest a pot with sides that are at least 3-4 inches high to avoid splattering oil.
How to Make and Asian Wonton Salad
Fry Wonton Wrappers
- Cut wonton wrappers in into 1-inch strips. Fry, and drain on paper towels.
Make the Dressing and Assemble Your Salad
- To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until combined.
- Mix greens and chopped vegetables and chicken in a large bowl.
- Drizzle with dressing and toss well. Add fried wontons and toss again. Add more dressing as desired and season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Storing and Other Tips
- Assembled salads are best eaten fresh! If you have leftovers or want to plan ahead, store salad components in the refrigerator (except fried wontons) and build your salads as needed.
- Store your finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- From the comment section: Yummy add ins include cashews or candied pecans/walnuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to save time and prep ahead do the following steps up to a day ahead:
1. Make dressing and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
2. Fry wontons, let cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temp.
3. Chop vegetables and shred chicken and store until ready to assemble salad.
If you’d rather not deep fry your wonton wrappers, you can try one of these alternate cooking methods:
1. Bake – Cut your wonton wrappers into strips and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and bake at 400 °F until browned and crispy.
2. Pan-fry – You can pan fry wonton wrappers in a very small amount of oil in a skillet. Cook for a couple of minutes on one side, then carefully flip and cook for a couple of minutes more, until browned and crispy.
3. Air Fry – Spray or brush wonton strips lightly with oil and air fry at 350°F for 3-4 minutes.
You could fry tortilla strips if tortillas are all you have!
Asian Wonton Salad
Equipment
- Pot for frying wontons It takes very little oil to fry the wonton wrappers. An inch or two is sufficient. I suggest a pot with sides that are at least 3-4 inches high to avoid splattering oil.
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅔ cup rice vinegar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic pressed or very finely minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
Salad
- 2 heads romaine lettuce or a combination of greens (romaine, shredded cabbage, spinach etc)
- 2-3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (or 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken)
- large handful cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 small red onion sliced thinly
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 package wontons
- vegetable oil for frying canola or peanut work great
Instructions
Dressing
- Place all dressing ingredients into a quart jar (or something equivalent) and shake vigorously. If desired, make ahead of time and store in the fridge.
Wontons
- Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pot on the stove top. Use pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut wontons into thirds (about 1" strips). You may not need the entire package, depending on how much salad you're making. I usually use about half of the wonton wrappers. You'll want the oil at about 375℉. Test by dipping a wonton in and seeing if it bubbles up quickly. Fry wontons a few at a time and set on paper towels to dry. These can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container.
Salad
- Tear clean lettuce into chunks and place in a large salad bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Add shredded chicken and top with Sweet Sesame Dressing. Toss salad together. Once everything is well coated, add wonton strips and gently toss to combine.
Notes
- Assembled salads are best eaten fresh! If you have leftovers or want to plan ahead, store salad components in the refrigerator (except fried wontons) and build your salads as needed.
- Store your finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- From the comment section: Yummy add ins include cashews or candied pecans/walnuts.
Questions & Reviews
Thanks for the recipe! Just made this salad and it was AWESOME! My husband and I both LOVED the dressing! For sure will be making again.
I really don't know Michelle- I absolutely love the dressing as-is!
I made this for a party and it was great. I agree with the previous post about the dressing needing to have a bolder flavor. I did make it a day ahead hoping the flavors would marry. I don't like to drench my salad so I'd rather use a little and have a bolder taste. Any ideas? Maybe emulsify the dressing in the food processor?
This dressing was AMAZING!!! It is my new favorite.
That surprises me Julie because I think this dressing is FULL of flavor! People usually say that's the beat part. My only suggestion would be to add more of the ingredients already in there (garlic, sesame oil, etc)
So I just made this salad for the first time. My husband and I both thought the dressing was a little bland and lacking flavor. I'm taking a huge salad to a party tomorrow night. Any suggestions on how to doctor up the dressing and add some more flavor???
This salad is almost the same as the chinese chop salad at Noodles & co. which I absolutely love. I am so happy that I can make it at home! Some of the things they put on theirs are bean sprouts, julienned red bell peppers, napa cabbage, and carrots. I made this for dinner tonight and couldn't stop eating! Thanks!
Yum! Tried this tonight and loved it. Definitely a bit time intensive but would be easy to prep ahead of time and throw together at dinner. Thanks for helping me find a way to REALLY enjoy my veggies 🙂
We just ate this salad tonight for dinner. Put a little chicken on top and it was a complete and filling meal. SO delicious!! I believe my husband said the dressing was "impressive." Thanks for yet another great recipe!
Kristin- it makes approximately 2 cups total.