This is exactly like Houston's salad, which I love, only it is missing one piece, and i think that is what is frustrating some of the reviewers. At Houston's, the peanut sauce is drizzled over the salad (or put on the side if requested). The main dressing is a LIME VINAIGRETTE. you can make a simple lime vinaigrette if you like, or Paul Newman's line makes a light lime vinaigrette that is great - i like very few dressings out of the bottle, and this is one of them. So if you make the salad, toss it in the lime vinaigrette, and then drizzle the peanut sauce after you put the tortilla strips, then you have a Houston's chicken salad. YUM!
Well finally I know the secret ingredient in my favorite salad at Houston's Restaurant: Hoisin sauce. The salad was good, I just didn't love it. The sauce was good but I should have added the veg. oil as suggested by other reviewers - it clung heavily to the greens. Also I love spicy but I thought the chili paste was too much. Maybe cutting it in half or even leaving it out would be prudent. I tried 1/2 Napa cabbage, wish I had stuck with all romaine. Oh, and the wontons were great. If you cut them thin and bake them on a cookie sheet - at low heat as suggested by another user - they puff up and taste great. Make extra b/c your family might snap them up before the salad is ready. Oh, and I sauted my chicken in some hoison sauce and sesame oil. It did add a lot to the taste of the salad I thought.
This was so good. I wish I had some left for lunch today. I doubled the recipe as a side dish for a party, and the bowl was cleaned out. I used some reviewers suggestions and added mandarin oranges and substituted napa cabbage for half of the romaine. It was a great suggestion to thin out the dressing with the juice from the oranges. The dressing smelled and tasted wonderful. I shredded the napa cabbage and romaine lettuce really fine. I also substituted chow mein noodles for the wonton wrappers to save time. Thank you, Teri for this great recipe that I will definitely make again!
I made this for dinner tonight and we loved it! Really tasted like restaurant-quality. My husband said he could eat it every night! I added a can of mandarin oranges and added some of the juice to the dressing to thin it out. I also really had to keep an eye on the wontons since they browned very quickly (in about 5-7 minutes).
This recipe was very tasty. As a bonus it was also very pretty. This salad would be wonderful as part of a party buffet.
Mmm this is a delicious one and has been put into my personal recipe collection. After reading other reviews I also deep fried my wonton skins and I highly recommend that touch. I found the amount asked for in the recipe was more than enough however and will probably cut it down next time. Also on the dressing the peanut taste is strong so if you are not really into peanut cut the amount back. I like peanuts but think I will still scale back the peanut butter last time. It felt like it was too overpowering and covered up some of the other lovely favorites. I found this great for a potluck. Just keep the wontons and dressing seperate till right before or things will get soggy.
This salad is wonderful. I made it for a co-worker and she just loved it. I substituted fructose in place of the brown sugar. I also added a can of mandarin oranges. I did add some canola oil to the dressing to thin it out a bit. I will make this again and again.
This is an outstanding recipe Teri! I've made this a few times and my whole family loves it. I have made it exactly per your instructions which are easy to follow and I have also made it with some modifications for personal preferences. I used 1/4 cup of olive oil to dilute the seasonings in the dressing when my mom-in-law came over and I've made the salad with cabbage a couple times. All in all there really is no need to change a thing. Its perfect but my family also enjoys variety. Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe.
Yum, yum! I really liked the sweet and mild spiciness of the dressing and the green onions, carrots, and wontons add a crunchy texture. Watch the time on the wontons ~ I only kept mine in for about 7 mins to get crispy and golden in the oven!
The dressing was full of flavor and good for summer time salad. It was too sweet to me though so I added a tablespoon or a little more of soy sauce to it. That helped smoothe the texture of the dressing as well. Thanks for the recipe!
