You know on the very first bite when you’re onto something really special. This is exactly how I felt when I had lunch in Las Vegas at our hotel’s restaurant, the Solaro Poolside by Wolfang Puck, a few years ago and tasted that Chinois Chicken Salad. I liked it so much that I had it again the next day and, you know me, I had to find the recipe no matter what and with some looking, I did! The salad by itself is very interesting, pieces of chicken lying over a mix of Nappa cabbage, romaine lettuce, raddichio, shredded carrots and mango. It’s topped with fried wonton strips and toasted cashews for a nice crunch! But what really makes this salad is the Asian dressing, it’s so flavorful. It’s a combination of ingredients that I would never have thought of mixing together, like tahini, pickled ginger and hot mustard to name a few, but it works perfectly. It has become my favorite summer salad. When it’s too hot to cook I like to buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store instead of cooking the chicken myself (What? We’re allowed to cheat once in a while!!!).
Chinois Chicken Salad
Prep time
Total time
Author: Adapted from Wolfgang Puck
Serves: 6 portions
Ingredients
- DRESSING
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup Chinese Mustard or Dijon Mustard
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)
- 2 tbsp. chopped pickled ginger
- ¾ cup peanut oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- SALAD
- 1 medium mango, julienned
- 5 cups Nappa cabbage, cut into ¼ inch julienne strips
- 2 medium carrots,grated
- 1 head radicchio, cut into ¼ inch julienne strips
- 4 cups romaine lettuce, cut into ¼ inch juliennes
- 3 skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced into ¼ inch strips
- 2 cups fried wonton strips (recipe at the end)
- ¼ cup toasted cashews
Instructions
- DRESSING
- Put all the ingredients except the oil in a blender and mix well for about 10 seconds.
- With motor running, slowly add the oil until well combined.
- SALAD
- Mix all the ingredients in a large salad bowl except for the wonton strips and cashews. Slowly add some dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing to taste little by little (you won't need all the dressing, be careful not to overdress the salad).
- Divide salad on 6 plates and top with the wonton crisps and cashews.
- WONTON FRIED STRIPS
- Cut about 10 wonton wrappers into long strips, about ¼ inch wide.
- In a heavy-bottomed high-sided pan, heat oil on medium-high ( about 1 inch canola or peanut oil). Once the oil is hot, drop in a few strips at a time (don't crowd the pot) and fry until golden brown (about 20 seconds).
- Remove the wonton strips and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
I love chinos chicken salad and I have it anytime i am at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. I will try your recipe soon, but I am little concerned about the amount of Mustard you specified (1/3 cup). it seems a lot and worried it might overpower the other ingredients. Other recipes I found call for 2 tsp of mustard.
Hello Nick, I understand I was a bit worried myself the first time I tried it but it really works!