These Applebee's Chicken Wonton Tacos are the perfect copycat, filled with honey-garlic chicken and zesty slaw in a crispy wonton shell.
Ingredients and substitutions
Chicken
- Chicken breasts – if you prefer dark meat, you can use boneless chicken thighs instead.
- Hoisin sauce – if you don't have hoisin sauce, you can use bean paste or 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp soy sauce mixed together.
- Sesame oil – you can try using a neutral cooking oil like olive oil or avocado oil instead.
- Soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but the jarred variety will work as well.
- Ginger – use 1 tsp. of ground ginger powder if you don’t have any fresh ginger on hand.
Asian-inspired slaw
- Coleslaw – chop up some red or green cabbage instead (although buying the bagged coleslaw is easier).
- Green onions – chives or shallots would be the best substitute here.
- Sesame oil – swap out for a neutral oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Rice vinegar – white wine vinegar or apple cider would also work.
- Soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Honey – try using agave syrup or brown rice syrup instead for a bit of sweetness.
Toppings
- Wonton wrappers – if you want to make these tacos low-carb, use lettuce wraps instead.
- Sweet chili sauce – make your own using a blend of hot sauce and honey.
- Chopped cilantro – leave this out altogether if you don’t have any cilantro.
- Sesame seeds – both white and black sesame seeds would work here.
How to make Applebee's chicken wonton tacos
Step 1: Make the coleslaw.
Mix ingredients for coleslaw together in a large bowl.
Step 2: Prep the wonton wrappers.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray wonton wrappers with cooking spray or brush with a bit of olive/canola oil, then drape over the side of a 9×13 baking dish.
Step 3: Bake until crispy.
Bake for 7-8 minutes, watching closely so they don't burn. Take wonton shells out of the oven, then gently pull them apart while they are still pliable so that they are more easily filled with toppings. Bake another 7-8 minutes until crispy.
Step 4: Marinate the chicken.
Mix diced raw chicken in a large bowl with hoisin sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger.
Step 5: Cook the chicken.
Heat a large skillet over high heat and saute chicken for 7-8 minutes, tossing frequently until cooked through.
Step 6: Assemble your tacos and serve!
Add chicken mixture to wonton shells, then top with coleslaw, drizzle with sweet chili sauce and sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Topping ideas for wonton tacos
These Applebee’s wonton tacos are appetizer-sized, but if you have a sharp kitchen knife and are good at mincing, consider adding some of these other toppings:
- Minced mushrooms
- Minced bamboo shoots
- Grated carrot or parsnip
- Kohlrabi (German turnip) cut into matchsticks
- Plum sauce
- Sriracha sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
There are just 350 calories per serving in this chicken wonton tacos recipe, significantly less than at Applebee’s! One serving is made up of four tacos so you’re looking at just 88 calories per taco. If you were to order the original dish at Applebee’s, you’re looking at 570 calories per serving – and the serving size is likely smaller.
If you shop at an Asian market, wonton wrappers will be easy to find for your wonton tacos. They are usually in the refrigerated foods section. At traditional grocery stores, they are typically in the refrigerated section of the ethic food aisle. Otherwise, look in the produce section. They might be near the spice roots (like ginger), or near the refrigerated salad dressings.
These Applebee’s wonton tacos have 33 grams of carbs per serving. The wonton wrappers are part of what make these tacos so delicious, but if you’re looking for a low-carb option, you can always swap out the wonton wrappers for lettuce wraps.
Storing and reheating
Anytime you combine hot and cold foods together, it can be tricky to reheat them without losing some flavour, texture or both. Because of this, these Applebee’s wonton tacos are best eaten on the day they are made.
If you do have leftover chicken that you want to keep to enjoy later, store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can always bake the wonton shells fresh again in the oven.
Freezing this recipe
Unfortunately, fully assembled, chicken wonton tacos do not freeze well. However, you can definitely freeze the chicken by itself!
After cooking the chicken, be sure to allow it time to cool down before you transfer it to freezer-safe storage containers. Once frozen, the chicken will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat it in the microwave or in the oven before assembling your fresh tacos.
More Applebee's copycat recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing any leftover chicken.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Applebee's Chicken Wonton Tacos
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts, finely diced
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
Asian-inspired slaw
- 1 bag coleslaw
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
For tacos + toppings
- 16 Wonton wrappers
- Sweet chili sauce, to serve
- Chopped cilantro, to serve
- Sesame seeds, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray wonton wrappers with cooking spray or brush with a bit of olive/canola oil, then drape over the side of a 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 7-8 minutes, watching closely closely so they don't burn. Take wonton shells out of the oven, then gently pull them apart while they are still pliable so that they are more easily filled with toppings. Bake another 7-8 minutes until crispy.
- Mix diced raw chicken in a large bowl with hoisin sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Heat a large skillet over high heat and saute chicken for 7-8 minutes, tossing frequently until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, mix ingredients for coleslaw together in a large bowl.
- Add chicken mixture to wonton shells, then top with coleslaw, drizzle with sweet chili sauce and sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Tammy Goldreyer says
I had trouble with the wonton wrappers too. It would help if the recipe directions were more specific for them. Both sides of the wonton wrapper need to be oiled and the baking dish needs to have a thicker rim or they just collapse when cooling. They also wanted to stick to the baking dish. I would bake as tostadas next time or try baking over small oven proof ramekins to make like little bowls. The flavors were delicious in our taco salads!
Rosea says
The recipe was awesome. Just want to add a few tips for others. I actually mix the sauces for the chicken and slaw in separate containers before adding to dish, that way you can adjust the flavors before you add to dish. I doubled the sauce for the meat as I used ground chicken. The sauce for the slaw I only used 2 tsp of sesame oil and 1 tsp of rice wine vinegar and it came out perfect for me. Since those are strong flavors add 1 tsp at a time and taste it to your liking. As for the wontons, I failed on making them tacos, but turned them into nachos and my family loved it.
Kathleen says
I’ve made them into wonton tostadas to keep it even simpler. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! Delish….
Lori Williams says
What would you serve these with for a main meal? They look Delicious!
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Lori – any stir fry on my site would make a great accompaniment! https://thegirlonbloor.com/category/recipes-food-2/stir-fries/
Jacqueline says
I found these were so good ! But I found them tasting to much like sesame oil :/? Has anyone else had this issue ? I think it was just in the sauce for the coleslaw. Because the chicken was delicious !
Taylor Stinson says
Ho Jacqueline – sesame oil is a strong flavor so you can always cut the amount in half next time if you personally found it too overpowering.
Linda Miller says
The restaurant coleslaw dressing is Marzett’s slaw dressing.
Keishamarie Bailey says
Thank youuuuuuuuu
Lori C. says
What delicious flavor combinations and easy peasy! I will say making my wonton wrappers taco shell like was a giant fail for me so I opted to turn it into a taco salad instead, breaking up the baked wonton and using like croutons. So delicious! Thanks for this one-adding it to my meal prep rotation for sure :).
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Lori 🙂 The wonton wrappers can be a bit tricky but I’m glad you were able to pivot! Separating them from the chicken and coleslaw would probably work best for meal prep anyway 😉
Kevin Gribben says
Just wow…yes Lady..amazing done it too the letter but bit more chilli in he salad…wow…go girl
Kevin Gribben says
Where does the honey come in to play?
Taylor Stinson says
The honey is in the coleslaw – it’s listed under the heading coleslaw, and the recipe states to mix ingredients for the coleslaw together in a large bowl.
Hannah says
These are delicious!!! Did not have any sweet chili sauce, so we used some of our homemade hot sauce, and they turned out amazing. Will make them many more times I’m sure. Would be fun to bring to a party or potluck!