Wonton Chicken Taco Salad: Your Ultimate Easy Weeknight Meal for Restaurant-Style Flavor
Craving the irresistible flavors of Wonton Chicken Tacos but dreading the mess and effort of frying individual wonton shells? You’re not alone! While delicious, the traditional method can be quite time-consuming and messy. But what if we told you there’s a brilliantly simple solution that captures all that amazing taste with a fraction of the work?
Enter the Wonton Chicken Taco Salad. This innovative dish delivers all the vibrant flavors and satisfying crunch of your favorite Wonton Chicken Tacos, transformed into a convenient, delicious, and easy-to-assemble salad. It’s perfect for those busy weeknights when you want a meal that feels special without hours in the kitchen.
Last year, dining out at our favorite restaurants became a rare treat. This inspired me to bring some of those beloved appetizer flavors home and transform them into easy, satisfying main dish recipes. So far, I’ve successfully created a Southwestern Chicken Eggroll Bake, capturing the essence of classic Southwestern Eggrolls. Now, I’m thrilled to share this incredible Wonton Chicken Taco Salad, directly inspired by those highly sought-after wonton tacos.
Why You’ll Love This Wonton Chicken Taco Salad
This salad isn’t just a meal; it’s a culinary experience designed for convenience and flavor. Here’s why it’s destined to become a staple in your dinner rotation:
- Effortless Preparation: Say goodbye to fiddly taco shells and greasy frying. This recipe streamlines the process, making it incredibly fast to get dinner on the table.
- Bursting with Flavor: The marinated chicken is savory and slightly sweet, perfectly complemented by the fresh, crisp vegetables and tangy sesame dressing.
- Satisfying Texture: From the tender chicken to the crunchy wonton strips and crisp coleslaw, every bite offers a delightful textural contrast.
- Restaurant Quality at Home: Recreate your favorite Asian-inspired taco flavors without ever leaving your kitchen. It tastes just like a dish you’d order out!
- Healthy and Customizable: Loaded with fresh vegetables and lean protein, it’s a wholesome meal that can be easily adapted to your preferences.
Key Components of Our Wonton Chicken Taco Salad
Let’s dive into the delicious details of what makes this salad so special. Each component plays a vital role in creating a harmonious and utterly delightful dish.
The Flavorful Marinade and Chicken
The heart of this Wonton Chicken Taco Salad lies in its incredibly delicious and easy chicken marinade. We start by dicing chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, ensuring they cook quickly and absorb maximum flavor. The marinade itself is a simple yet powerful blend of savory soy sauce, sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce, creamy Asian toasted sesame dressing, and a hint of light brown sugar. This combination creates a perfect balance of umami, sweetness, and a subtle nutty undertone.
You’ll need to let the chicken marinate for a minimum of 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate. This short marinating time makes it ideal for last-minute meal preparation, though you can certainly prepare it in the morning or even the night before for an even deeper flavor profile.
The Crisp and Colorful Salad Base
While your chicken is marinating, you can easily prepare all the fresh, vibrant vegetables for your salad base. The main component is a simple bagged coleslaw mix, which saves a significant amount of prep time. To this, we add shredded carrots for extra sweetness and crunch, thinly sliced green onions for a mild oniony bite, and plenty of fresh chopped cilantro for its bright, herbaceous notes. A final touch of fresh lime wedges is essential for that zesty finish.
All the salad ingredients (except the lime wedges) are tossed together with more of that delicious Asian toasted sesame dressing, ensuring every leaf and shred is coated in flavor. This prepares a refreshing and colorful foundation for your chicken.
Cooking the Chicken and Assembling Your Salad
Once marinated, the chicken quickly cooks in a hot skillet or saute pan until beautifully browned and cooked through. We’ll drain off any excess liquid to ensure the chicken gets a nice sear, locking in all those wonderful flavors. This step takes just a few minutes, making it incredibly efficient for a fast dinner.
Now for the grand assembly! You can either layer all the components beautifully on a large serving platter, making for an impressive centerpiece, or serve it individually in bowls. Individual servings are a great option for families with picky eaters who might prefer to customize their own salad. The final, and arguably best, touch is a generous topping of crunchy wonton strips. These crispy delights add that signature texture that elevates the dish from a simple salad to a true Wonton Chicken Taco experience.
Don’t forget the final touch! A generous squeeze of fresh lime juice over each serving before digging in truly brightens all the flavors and adds a refreshing tang that ties everything together. It’s a simple addition that makes a huge difference, enhancing the entire dish and leaving you wanting more.
Tips for the Perfect Wonton Chicken Taco Salad
While this recipe is incredibly straightforward, a few tips can ensure your Wonton Chicken Taco Salad is nothing short of perfect every time:
- Don’t Skip the Marinade: Even 20-30 minutes makes a significant difference in the chicken’s flavor and tenderness. For best results, plan ahead and let it marinate for a few hours.
- Hot Skillet for Browning: Ensure your skillet is hot before adding the chicken to get a nice sear and caramelization, which adds depth of flavor.
- Crispy Wontons are Key: The wonton strips are crucial for texture. Add them just before serving to prevent them from getting soggy.
- Fresh Lime is a Must: Bottled lime juice won’t give you the same bright, zesty kick. Freshly squeezed lime juice truly elevates the salad.
- Adjust Dressing to Taste: Feel free to adjust the amount of sesame dressing used for the salad greens based on your preference.
Make it Ahead of Time & Meal Prep Friendly
One of the many reasons we adore this main dish recipe is its incredible versatility for meal prep. It’s so quick to prepare when fresh, but it can also be prepped extensively ahead of time, saving you even more precious minutes on a busy evening.
- Marinate in Advance: Get the chicken ready in the morning, or even the night before, and let it marinate in the fridge. It’ll be perfectly flavored and ready to cook in minutes when dinner time rolls around.
- Freeze for Later: For ultimate convenience, mix up the marinade and chicken in a freezer bag and freeze it flat. When you’re ready for a quick meal, simply thaw it completely in the refrigerator before browning the chicken as directed. This is a fantastic way to have a flavorful, healthy meal ready to go with minimal fuss.
- Prep Veggies: You can chop your cilantro and slice your green onions ahead of time and store them in airtight containers in the fridge. The coleslaw mix is already pre-cut, making it even easier!
- Store Separately: If you’re prepping for individual meals, keep the chicken, salad greens, wonton strips, and lime wedges in separate containers to maintain freshness and crunch until you’re ready to assemble and eat.
Here are a few more of my favorite busy weeknight dinner recipes:
If you’re looking for more quick, flavorful, and easy dinner inspiration, these recipes are perfect for bustling evenings and family meals:
- French Onion Smothered Pork Chops
- Juicy Burgers, A Midwestern Loose Meat Sandwich Recipe
- The Easiest Instant Pot Beef and Noodles
- One Pot Italian Chicken and Orzo
Wonton Chicken Taco Salad
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Ingredients
For the Marinated Chicken
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1/3 cup Asian toasted sesame salad dressing
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2.5 pounds chicken (diced into bite sized pieces, boneless, skinless breasts or thighs work best)
For the Salad
- 1 16 ounce bag coleslaw mix
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 bunch green onions (sliced, about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup Asian toasted sesame salad dressing
- 1 4 ounce bag crispy wonton strips
- 2 fresh limes (quartered, for serving)
Instructions
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In a medium sized bowl, or a gallon-sized ziploc bag for easy cleanup, combine the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, sesame dressing, brown sugar, and diced chicken. Toss well to ensure all chicken pieces are evenly coated. Cover the bowl or seal the bag and place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 20-30 minutes. For even deeper flavor, you can marinate for up to 4 hours or overnight.
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While the chicken is marinating and when you are almost ready to cook, prepare your salad components. In a large salad bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, shredded carrots, sliced green onions, and chopped fresh cilantro. Drizzle with 1/3 cup of Asian toasted sesame dressing and toss gently until all vegetables are lightly coated.
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Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and discard any excess liquid from the marinade. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and brown, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through and lightly caramelized, which usually takes about 8 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
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Once the chicken is fully cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pan, leaving any remaining juices behind. This helps keep your salad from getting soggy.
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To assemble, either layer the prepared salad base, cooked chicken, and then a generous topping of crispy wonton strips on a large serving platter for a beautiful presentation. Alternatively, you can toss it all together in a large salad bowl for a family-style meal, or arrange individual servings in separate bowls.
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Serve immediately with the fresh lime wedges on the side. Squeeze fresh lime juice over each serving just before eating to brighten all the flavors. Enjoy your easy and delicious Wonton Chicken Taco Salad!
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Share Your Favorite Restaurant-Inspired Dishes!
What’s your all-time favorite restaurant appetizer? Do you have a specific dish you’d love to see reimagined into an easy, family-friendly main course? I’m always looking for new inspiration! Pop over to the AHB Facebook page and let me know your ideas. Your suggestion might just be my next recipe! Happy cooking!