Chinese Chicken Salad with Crispy Wontons
By Better Plate RecipesAll the crunch you want in a salad and then some, shredded napa and red cabbage, juicy poached chicken, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, and a shower of golden crispy wonton strips, all coated in a sweet tangy sesame ginger dressing. It tastes like the deli classic, just fresher.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You will love this salad because it has the crunchy, sweet-savory feeling of the classic deli version but tastes fresher and brighter. The chicken is gently poached with ginger so it stays juicy, then shredded into cabbage, carrots, scallions, cilantro, mandarin oranges, almonds, and crispy wontons. The sesame ginger dressing is quick to shake together and has enough honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil to coat the cabbage without making it heavy. It is a great beginner recipe because every doneness cue is visible: chicken reaches 165°F, almonds smell toasted, and wontons puff and turn golden. The final bowl is colorful, crisp, and satisfying, with a little sweetness from the oranges and lots of crunch on top.
What Makes This Recipe Work
This salad works because the cabbage base is sturdy enough to hold dressing without collapsing. Napa cabbage and red cabbage give two kinds of crunch, while carrots add sweetness and color. Poached chicken keeps the protein tender and clean-tasting, which lets the sesame ginger dressing stand out. Mandarin oranges bring juicy sweetness, sliced almonds add nutty crunch, and fried wonton strips give the salad its classic crisp topping. The dressing balances rice vinegar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds, so it is tangy, salty, sweet, and aromatic at once. Adding the oranges, almonds, and wontons at the end is what protects the texture. The salad should feel lively and crisp, never soggy or weighed down. That balance is why the salad tastes fresh instead of like takeout dressing.
Before You Start
Start with the chicken because it needs time to cook and rest before shredding. Use a medium saucepan and keep the water at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil. Boiling makes chicken tough, while gentle bubbles cook it evenly. Slice the wonton wrappers before heating the oil, and keep a paper towel-lined plate next to the stove so you can move fast once they turn golden. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet and remove them from the heat as soon as they smell fragrant. Have the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl before shaking the dressing. The crispy toppings should wait until serving so they do not soften in the dressing. A little setup makes the fast frying step safer and easier.
Make-Ahead and Serving Notes
The chicken can be poached and shredded a day ahead, and the cabbage, carrots, scallions, and cilantro can be prepped ahead too. Store the dressing separately and shake it again before serving because sesame oil can separate as it sits. Fried wonton strips are best the day they are made, but they stay crisp for several hours in an uncovered container once completely cool. If packing this salad for lunch, layer cabbage and carrots first, chicken next, dressing in a separate cup, and oranges, almonds, and wontons in a dry container. Toss only when ready to eat. This keeps the salad crunchy and prevents the oranges from making the cabbage watery. The separate containers make the final toss taste freshly made. That last-minute toss is what keeps the wontons crisp.
Ingredient Notes & Easy Swaps
Chicken breasts: Poaching keeps the chicken tender and easy to shred. Keep the water at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, so the chicken does not turn tough.
Ginger: Ginger seasons both the poaching water and the dressing. Fresh ginger gives the cleanest flavor, but a small pinch of ground ginger can work in the dressing if needed.
Napa and red cabbage: Napa cabbage is tender, while red cabbage adds crunch and color. Green cabbage can work if you want one simple cabbage option.
Mandarin oranges: Drain them well so extra syrup or juice does not water down the dressing. Fresh orange segments can work for a less sweet option.
Sliced almonds: Toasted almonds add crunch and nutty flavor. Cashews or peanuts can work too, depending on what you have.
Wonton wrappers: Thin wonton strips fry quickly, so watch them closely. Add them right before serving so they stay crisp.
Neutral oil: Use a neutral oil for frying the wontons so the flavor stays clean. Avocado oil or canola oil can work.
Rice vinegar and soy sauce: Rice vinegar gives tang, while low sodium soy sauce adds savory flavor without making the dressing too salty. Tamari can be used if needed.
Toasted sesame oil: A little sesame oil adds strong nutty flavor. Measure it carefully because too much can overpower the dressing.
Meal prep tip: Store the crispy wontons and dressing separately if making this ahead. Toss them in right before eating for the best crunch.
Chinese Chicken Salad with Crispy Wontons
Description
All the crunch you want in a salad and then some, shredded napa and red cabbage, juicy poached chicken, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, and a shower of golden crispy wonton strips, all coated in a sweet tangy sesame ginger dressing. It tastes like the deli classic, just fresher.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp salt, for poaching
- 1 thumb sized piece ginger, sliced
- 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 12 wonton wrappers, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (for frying wontons)
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1Equipment: a cutting board, a chef's knife, a large salad bowl or platter, a small bowl and whisk or a small jar for the dressing, measuring spoons and cups, a medium saucepan, a small skillet, a small dry skillet for toasting the almonds, a can opener, an instant-read thermometer, and paper towels.
- 2Place 1 1/4 lb chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with cool water by about 1 inch, then add 1 teaspoon salt and the sliced ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat; look for small bubbles around the edges, not a rolling boil.
- 3Cook the chicken for 12 to 15 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 165°F. Lift it onto a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Shred with two forks into bite-size pieces.
- 4While the chicken cooks, heat 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the wonton strips in small batches and stir constantly for 30 to 60 seconds, until they puff and turn light golden. Move them to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle lightly with salt.
- 5Toast 1/2 cup sliced almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking often, until they smell nutty and look just golden. Pour them onto a small clean plate so they stop cooking.
- 6In a small jar, add 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, 1 grated garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Shake until the honey dissolves and the dressing looks glossy.
- 7In a large bowl, toss napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, scallions, cilantro, and shredded chicken with about three quarters of the dressing. Top with drained mandarin oranges, toasted almonds, and crispy wontons right before serving. Add more dressing only if the cabbage looks dry.
Tips and Tricks
- 1
Keep the Simmer Gentle: Poach chicken at a gentle simmer with small bubbles, not a hard boil. Boiling tightens the meat and makes shredding dry and stringy. A softer simmer cooks the chicken evenly, keeps it juicy, and gives you tender pieces that mix easily into cabbage.
- 2
Fry Wontons in Small Batches: Add only a handful of wonton strips to the skillet at a time. They puff and brown fast, so crowded oil makes them cook unevenly. Small batches give you light, crisp strips and make it easier to pull them before they get too dark.
- 3
Toast Almonds Off to the Side: Toast almonds in a dry skillet and transfer them to a plate as soon as they smell nutty. If they stay in the hot pan, they keep cooking and can burn. Properly toasted almonds add warm flavor without making the salad taste bitter.
- 4
Add Crunch at the End: Mandarin oranges, toasted almonds, and crispy wontons should go on after the cabbage is dressed. The oranges release juice and the wontons soften quickly. Adding them last keeps the salad fresh, bright, and properly crunchy instead of heavy and wet.
Nutrition
Per serving — Calories: 490kcal, Protein: 50g, Carbs: 41g, Fat: 14g, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 14g, Sodium: 1300mg.
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredient brands, product sizes, preparation methods, and substitutions. It is not intended as medical or dietary advice.