Chicken, Garden Produce, Main Dish, Salad, Savory Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen Chicken, Garden Produce, Main Dish, Salad, Savory Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen

Chinese Chicken Salad

An easy chicken salad recipe full of flavor and crunch!

Brenda was introduced to this Chinese Chicken Salad by her college roommates. The recipe has stayed in her repertoire and is a fabulous use of garden-fresh lettuce. Go ahead, grab a fork and eat this right out of the serving bowl.


Chinese Chicken Salad

Step 1: Dressing

To a small pot, add:

2 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Place over high heat, stirring carefully. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Step 2: Fried Wontons

  1. Begin heating oil to deep-fry the wonton strips*

    • Note: It can take approximately 10-15 minutes for the oil to heat to 350F.

      While oil heats, prepare:

      1 pkg wonton wrappers, sliced into 1/4-1/2” strips

      • OR make wrappers from scratch, and slice into 1/4-1/2” strips

  2. Line a 13”x9” pan with paper towels or a clean paper bag, this will be used to drain the fried strips.

  3. Fry wonton strips in batches:

  • Add only enough strips to allow easy movement

  • Wontons will quickly puff up and float to the top

  • Use a heat-proof slotted spoon to gently stir the strips for even cooking

  • Wontons will quickly brown, indicating that they are done

  • Remove using the slotted spoon, transferring fried wontons to prepared pan to drain

  • Repeat with next batch until all strips are fried

Step 3: Salad

To a large bowl, add:

1 head lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces

1 lb. chicken, cooked & chopped**

1 cup carrots, julienned

1 cup vegetables of choice, chopped

Toss with:

Dressing (Step 1)

Toss using tongs until well dressed, top with:

Wonton Strips (Step 2)

Serve immediately.


Brenda’s tips:

  • Serving size: 4

  • *Methods for heating oil:

  1. Deep fryer

    • Fill with oil to the fryer-specified level

    • Turn on fryer and set temperature to ~350F

  2. Deep pot on stovetop

    • Place a deep pot on the stovetop

    • Add ~2” of oil to the pot

    • Turn heat to medium and allow to heat to ~350F

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