These Chicken Wonton Tacos are just like the famous Applebee’s tacos that are made with shredded chicken and a zesty slaw in a crispy wonton shell. If you’re a fan of Applebee’s you might have seen this on their appetizer menu. I’ve ordered them a number of times and just decided to start making my own copycat recipe, because I like them so much.
A delicious cross between a crispy Chinese wontons and a chicken taco, this wonton tacos recipe is crispy, savory, and utterly delicious. You can really make them any way you like – mix and match the filling, change up the sauce. They’re very easy, versatile appetizers.
Why You’ll Like It
- Unique Taste: The crispy wonton shells and savory chicken offer a delicious fusion of textures and flavors.
- Customizable: These tacos are adaptable with various toppings, catering to different taste preferences.
- Interactive Dining: Ideal for social meals, they provide a fun and engaging way to enjoy food.
» You might also like these Jalapeno Popper Wontons.
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken breasts – I use shredded chicken because it’s so easy to make, or you can just use any leftover chicken you have. The easy way is to buy a rotisserie chicken or cook boneless skinless chicken breasts and shred it yourself.
- Sauce ingredients – Soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce
- Veggies – Green onions, cabbage, carrots
- Wonton wrappers – Make sure you’re using fresh wonton shells (not ones that have been in your freezer for weeks). Try making them at home with this recipe.
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Optional toppings: sliced green onions, sesame seeds, cilantro, sriracha sauce, sweet chili sauce
Equipment Needed
- 2- Medium skillets
- Meat thermometer
- Cutting board
- Slotted spoon
- Paper towel lined plate
Helpful Tips
- These can be made in the air fryer if you want to skip the stovetop.
- Top these tacos with Sriracha or Thai sweet chili sauce.
- Top with fresh ingredients like shredded cabbage, green onion, shredded carrot, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
How to Make Chicken Wonton Tacos
Step 1: Cook the chicken
Begin by cooking the chicken breast in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once it’s browned and cooked (internal temperature of 165°F), let it cool and shred it. You can also boil the chicken, if you’d rather cook it that way.
If you’re using rotisserie chicken or some chicken you’ve already cooked, you can skip this step.
Step 2: Make the filling
Return the shredded chicken to the skillet. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger, green onions, cabbage, and carrots and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened. Stir in the hoisin sauce, ensuring the chicken and veggies are well-coated. Remove from heat.
A quick note about the veggies – they can be cooked or fresh, depending on how you like it. I sometimes don’t cook the veggies. Instead I’ll mix them with the sauce in a bowl and add this Asian slaw to the fried chicken tacos once they’re cooked. Maybe try it both ways and see how you like it best!
Step 4: Fill the wontons
Spoon the chicken mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper, then fold them in half diagonally to form a taco shape.
Step 5: Fry the wonton tacos
You need to fry the wontons to make wonton taco shells. Unfortunately there aren’t any premade shells you can buy. But it only takes a few minutes.
In a separate pan, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium to medium high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, it’s ready.
Once hot carefully lay the filled wonton into the pan and fry the wonton tacos until they’re golden and crispy, about 1-2 minutes on each side.
Drain the tacos on a paper towel-lined plate and serve immediately with your choice of toppings.
Cooking in the Air Fryer
You can make these chicken wonton tacos in the air fryer, if you want. It’s a great way to cut down on oil. Instead of frying the tacos in a pan of oil, spray them with cooking spray and put them in the air fryer at 375° F for 2-3 minutes per side, until crispy.
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Chicken Wonton Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup cabbage shredded
- 1/4 cup carrots shredded
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 12 wonton wrappers
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Optional toppings: sliced green onions cabbage, cilantro, sriracha sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken breast until browned and cooked through, turning once. The internal temperature should reach 165°F. Remove the chicken from the skillet and let cool until you’re able to shred it.
- Return the shredded chicken to the skillet. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onions, cabbage, and carrots. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the hoisin sauce to the skillet and stir to coat the chicken and vegetable mixture evenly. Remove from heat.
- Fill the center of each wonton wrapper with the chicken mixture.
- Fold the wrapper in half diagonally to form a taco. There’s no need to press the edges together or seal.
- Add about 3 tablespoons of oil in a separate pan over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, it’s ready.
- Carefully place the filled wontons in the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side and the fold, until golden brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried wonton tacos to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Serve immediately with optional toppings.
Notes
- You don’t need to fill the pan with oil. Just enough to coat the wonton.
- These can be made in the air fryer if you want to skip the stovetop.
- Top these tacos with Sriracha or Thai sweet chili sauce.
- Top with fresh ingredients like shredded cabbage, green onion, shredded carrot, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
Laura is the founder and editor of the travel blogs Savored Sips and Savored Journeys. She is dedicated to sharing the best information about drinks found around the world.