Asian Chicken Wonton Salad

Near my house, in the Chicago area, there is this great hot dog place called Portillo’s. Now they don’t just sell hot dogs. They have all kinds of specialty sandwiches, salads and Italian beef.

Well one of my favorite salads they serve is called the Asian Chicken Wonton Salad. Actually I should say it was my favorite salad on their menu. Because they just recently discontinued it. I was shocked. And sad. But I decided I would have to go home and duplicate it because it was really just that good.

So this Asian Chicken Wonton Salad is a perfect recipe to go along with our series that features fresh fruit: Our “Fruit-a-Palooza” series. The first recipe in this series was this delicious Bananas Foster French Toast. Fun to make and yummy to eat! Go check it out if you haven’t seen it yet. It is perfect for a weekend breakfast treat or to adorn the Easter brunch table!

Now the star fruit in this fresh salad is clementine oranges. Don’t you just love how adorable and sweet they are!! The pop of citrus from these oranges mixed in with the fresh red peppers, spinach and honey toasted almonds taste great together! The chicken I used in this recipe is oven baked buttermilk chicken breasts dredged in a red pepper panko crust! Filled with flavor and a bit zesty, the chicken tastes amazing in this salad. Finally, to top it all off, there are crunchy wontons and my husband, Erik’s homemade honey mustard vinaigrette!

With all the fresh produce and zippy flavors here, this is a perfect salad for the start of spring!!

When I set off to create this salad, I did it hoping to alleviate my sadness that my favorite salad was gone forever from one of my favorite eateries. But having created and eaten this delicious recreation I have to say: This salad is honestly better than the original!! No more moping that my favorite salad is gone. This is my new favorite salad and the best part is: I can have it whenever I want!! 🙂

Continue to join us over the next several days as we show you more ways to bring fresh fruit into your culinary repertoire as we move towards the sunny days of spring and summer!!

Asian Chicken Wonton Salad

Ingredients

For the chicken

3 large chicken breasts
2 c. buttermilk
2 c. panko bread crumbs
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. italian seasoning
1 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. onion powder
salt and pepper
olive oil for drizzling

For the salad

1 package of spinach or a spinach mix
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced thin
4 clementine oranges
1 package of honey roasted almond slivers (from the produce or salad dressing section)
1 package of wonton sheets

For the salad dressing

1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBLSP honey
1 TBLSP dijon mustard
1/2 shallot, coarsely chopped
1/2 t. cracked black pepper

Instructions

Pour the buttermilk in a large bowl and after trimming the chicken, put it in the buttermilk, cover it, and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or over night.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a shallow dish, mix the bread crumbs, garlic powder, seasoning, pepper flakes, onion powder and salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the mixture and place in a large baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle the top of the breasts with olive oil.Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest and then slice it into 1 inch squares.
Next, make the dressing by putting all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Next, make the wontons by cutting the square sheets into 1/2 inch strips and either fry them in oil in a small skillet for just a few seconds per side (Until each side begins to brown), or by placing them on a baking sheet and baking them for 8-10 minutes or until they begin to brown) Set aside. ( I fried mine.)
Now prepare the salad. First, toss the spinach in most of the salad dressing, saving some to drizzle on top. Divide the spinach between two or three bowls. Layer it with the oranges, red pepper slices, chicken square pieces, almonds and wontons and then drizzle a little more dressing on the top.
Serve immediately

https://two-in-the-kitchen.com/asian-chicken-wonton-salad/

Try these other chicken dishes:

Orange Sriracha Chicken Satay Skewers