Asian Chicken Salad WFMW

My step mom made a delicious asian chicken salad a while back and it was one of those experiences where you know you have found a new BFF.  I have since tweaked it a bit, and the result is the closest I've come to the Mandarin Salad from the Hudson's (then Marshall Fields) restaurant, God Rest It's Soul. I doubt you've ever heard of Hudson's, but just trust me on this one...

Asian Chicken Salad

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I cook my chicken in the crock pot)

oil for frying

12 wonton wrappers, cut into strips

romaine lettuce 

4 green onions

1 can sliced water chestnuts

fresh pea pods

1 red pepper sliced

dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 white wine (or rice wine) vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp slat

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine the 1/4 cup soy and 1 tsp. sugar.  Add cooked cube chicken, turn to coat and soak.  Can be soaked overnight.  My step-mom thought it strange to "marinate" cooked meat, so she marinated her chicken raw.  I followed the recipe as directed and I see why they say to do that.  

Just before serving, in an electric skillet or deep fat fryer heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry wonton strips for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.  {I will just be real here.  This is a pain and I had a really hard time with this step.  Probably because I used a sauce pan and had no way of knowing how hot my oil was.  If you don't have a deep frier, you might want to buy the ready made wonton strips.  I think that's what I'll be doing next time.}

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, green onions, water chestnuts, pea pods and red pepper.  Add chicken and wonton strips to the top.

In a jar with a lid, combine all dressing ingredients and shake well.

Enjoy!

Head on over to We Are THAT Family the Summer Recipe edition of Works for me Wednesday.