Shredded romaine and napa with poached chicken, crispy fried wontons, mandarin orange segments, sliced almonds, and a soy-sesame-rice-vinegar dressing — LA fusion icon.
Two creation stories. The first credits Madame Sylvia Wu of Madame Wu's Garden in Santa Monica, who developed a Chinese-inspired chicken salad in the early 1960s after Cary Grant requested it. The second credits Wolfgang Puck, whose mango-studded Chinois Chicken Salad debuted at his Chinese-French restaurant Chinois on Main (Santa Monica) when it opened in 1983 and made it a national restaurant trend through California Pizza Kitchen and the Cheesecake Factory. The dish has no actual Chinese antecedent — it's an LA invention drawing on Cantonese-American flavor cues (soy, sesame, ginger, mandarin oranges) reformatted as a Western composed salad. By the 1990s it was on virtually every American casual-dining menu.
Two creators: Madame Sylvia Wu of Madame Wu's Garden (Santa Monica, early 1960s, made for Cary Grant) and Wolfgang Puck at Spago from 1982. No actual Chinese antecedent — it's an LA invention pulling Cantonese-American cues into a Western composed salad.
Layered in textures the way Caesar salad never is: pillowy chicken, paper-crisp wontons, snappy romaine, crackling almonds, soft-sweet mandarin pop. The dressing is umami-bright, sweeter than a French vinaigrette, with the unmistakable nutty perfume of toasted sesame oil. Eats best in a wide, shallow bowl so the wontons stay above the dressing. A 1980s Beverly Hills lunch — and somehow, when made well, still excellent in 2026.
The dressing's emulsion matters more than people think. Honey + Dijon + sesame oil need to be whisked in steadily — the mustard's lecithin holds the soy-vinegar (water phase) to the oil. Drop the dressing on the wontons and they go soggy within minutes; that's why half the crispy wontons are added at the end. Toasted sesame oil belongs only at the dressing stage, never the cooking — its nutty aroma volatiles disappear above 80°C. Mandarin orange segments do work: their acid balances the sweet dressing and the membrane gives a textural pop.
Variations
Madame Wu's original (Santa Monica, 1960s); Chinois version (Wolfgang Puck, 1983, mango-studded); CPK and Cheesecake Factory chain versions; mall-Asian-fusion versions with mandarin oranges and crispy noodles.
On the Palate
Where Chinese Chicken Salad sits in the American flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
6 steps · 25 min active + 5 min waiting
- 117 min
Poach 2 chicken breasts (about 400g total) in salted water with 2 ginger slices and 2 scallions, simmer 12 minutes. Off heat, rest in liquid 5 min. Cool, shred by hand into bite-sized strips.
Watch outDon't boil hard — chicken breast turns rubbery above 75°C / 167°F internal. Gentle simmer only.
- 24 min
Fry 8 wonton wrappers cut into 5mm strips in 180°C / 350°F oil for 60-90 seconds until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel, salt lightly.
- 33 min
Whisk dressing: 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp neutral oil, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp Dijon, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds.
- 45 min
Shred 1 head romaine and 1/4 head napa cabbage thinly. Slice 4 scallions on a sharp diagonal. Toast 50g sliced almonds in a dry pan 4 min until golden.
- 51 min
Drain 1 can mandarin orange segments (or peel 2 fresh mandarins).
- 62 min
In a large bowl: greens, scallion, half the dressing — toss. Add chicken, mandarins, almonds, half the wontons — toss again with remaining dressing. Top with the rest of the wontons (so they stay crisp). Serve immediately.
Watch outWontons go soggy fast — the top-half goes on at the very end, and the salad is eaten within 5 minutes.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
