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
Mmmmm….I've been wanting more salad recipes, since my hubby loves vegetables almost as much as sugar, sometimes more! This looks easy and super yummy. Thanks!
mmmm… looks yummy!
Sounds delish! I think I would add some chicken too. Maybe marinate it in the dressing, then grill? Think that would work?
That looks so yummy! I think I am going to make it tonight. My mouth is watering!
awww congrats on the new little one!! and this salad looks A-MAZING… yum.
the salad looks absolutely delicious and very colourfuli love the step by step pictures that accompany.
I love, love, love this salad!!! And every time I've ever taken it to a party, people freak out at its awesomeness.
P.S. My verification word is "fatso." Nice for a food blog, right?
This sounds so interesting… can't wait to give it a try!
🙂
ButterYum
Oooh I love those wonton skins! They're so good! This salad looks great.
Wow, I love a good Asian salad so I am just drooling over this one! Except I have one problem….I am allergic to seasame seeds. I know, what a random and weird allergy. It sucks, but that's beside the point… My question is there any other oils that make a decent substitude for seasame oil? I know, I know, seasame oil is like the secret ingredient, but if you have any suggestions I would appreciate it. Thanks so much! And I also wanted to say that I just recently found your blog and I. LOVE. IT! So many incredible recipes, so thank you for sharing!
How about walnut oil?