Thank you Safeway for sponsoring this post!
Planning food and drink for holiday parties can be exhausting. Kitchen space is usually limited because something is baking in the oven and all the burners on the stove are occupied. I have a number of gatherings coming up in the next few months, and I am desperately looking for food inspiration.
Thankfully, Safeway invited me to their blogger tour at Cobram Estate last month to visit Cobram Estate’s olive harvest and to gather more ideas for holiday entertaining.
Based in the Sacramento Valley, Cobram Estate produces some of my favorite extra-virgin olive oils. October is the heart of harvest season at Cobram Estate. Starting early in the morning, the olives are picked from their groves and transported to the manufacturing facility in Woodland, California.
COBRAM ESTATE TOUR
Like apples, olives oxidize quickly. To ensure a high quality olive oil, Cobram Estate crushes the olives within 6 hours of picking. Once the olives are crushed, the process of extracting extra-virgin olive oil begins. This involves separating the oil from the crushed olives and using large tanks to extract excess moisture from the oil, moisture that originated from the olive fruit.
During the tour, we were treated to a delicious lunch prepared by Cobram Estate’s chef-at-large, Chef Kevin O’Connor. Some of the dishes included: flatbread with turkey; melted brie and a grape conserve; roasted delicata squash with pancetta; and a parfait with Boar’s Head chocolate dessert hummus and Cobram Estate’s extra-virgin olive oil!
Cobram Estate, Boar’s Head, and DASANI also put together an epic grazing table and mocktail bar for us to feast on. The grazing table featured Boar’s Head cured meat, cheeses, and hummus. The table spread highlighted how easy it is to create a nice charcuterie board for guests with some quality meat, cheeses, and dips.
DASANI’s mocktail bar is also a great idea for parties. All you need to do is chill a few flavors of DASANI sparkling (my favorites are the Lime and Tropical Pineapple) and a selection of juice. Then, cut up some fruit, and you can have guests assemble their own non-alcoholic beverage. It’s so easy and stress free!
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SALAD WONTON CUPS
Inspired by the food I tasted during the Safeway blogger tour, I developed these Asian chicken salad wonton cups as an easy recipe for holiday entertainment. The beauty of this recipe is that you can prepare all the elements ahead of time and assemble it the day of your gathering.
For the wonton cups, I am using square wonton wrappers that I bought from Safeway. To begin, you brush several wonton wrappers with olive oil, stack them up, and slice the wrappers diagonally. You should end up with 2 stacks of triangular wonton wrappers.
Then, take a triangular piece of wonton wrapper with the longest side (hypotenuse) facing up. Make a small pinch in the middle and gather up the two top corners together to shape a wonton cup (see photos or video below for reference).
Press the bottom of the wonton cup into a hole of a mini muffin pan to flatten it. Bake the wonton cups at 350ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, until the top edges are golden brown. Repeat this process until you get about 72 wonton cups. I bake 2 dozen of the wonton cups at a time with two mini muffin pans.
You can make these wonton cups up to 3 days ahead. Make sure to store them in a dry container that is sealed tightly.
ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD
For the Asian chicken salad, I am using Boar’s Head’s Golden Classic® Oven Roasted Chicken Breast. The chicken meat is well-seasoned and lower in sodium. You will want thick slices of the chicken for this recipe. When you go to your Safeway deli counter, make sure to ask the Safeway assistant to slice the meat 1/4-inch thick. That will make it easier for you to chop the chicken into cubes for the salad.
You can prepare the salad a day ahead, but make sure that you keep the salad and the dressing in separate containers until you are ready to serve. If you dress the salad too early, the vegetables will turn soggy.
VIDEO: HOW TO MAKE WONTON CUPS
MORE APPETIZER RECIPES
- Spicy Roasted Edamame
- Pork and Cabbage Potstickers
- Chicken Potstickers
- How to Make a Grazing Platter
- Complete Appetizer Archives
Asian Chicken Salad Wonton Cups
Ingredients
Wonton Cups
- 36 square wonton wrappers
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Asian Chicken Salad
- 1/2 pound cooked chicken
- 1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage (see note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
- 2 stalks of scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Equipment
- 2 12-count count mini muffin pans
- 1 large sheet pan
Instructions
- Prepare Wonton Cups
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Position an oven rack to the center position.
- Take one of the wonton wrappers and brush a thin layer of olive oil on one side. Flip it over and brush oil on the other side. Lay another wonton wrapper on top of the first wrapper. Brush olive oil over the second wonton wrapper. The other side of the wrapper will be greased when it comes in contact with the first wrapper.
- Continue stacking and brushing the wonton wrappers with oil until you get a stack of 5 wrappers.
- Cut the stack of wrappers diagonally so that you get 2 stacks of triangles. Repeat this process until you get 24 triangles.
- Then, take a triangular piece of wonton wrapper with the longest side (hypotenuse) facing up. Make a small pinch in the middle and gather the two top corners together to form a cup (see photos or video above for reference). Make sure there is no gap when you are shaping the wonton cups.
- Press the bottom of the wonton cup into a hole of a mini muffin pan to flatten it.
- Continue shaping the wontons until you have filled all the holes with the wonton cups.
- Place the muffin pans onto the baking sheet. This way, the muffin pans won’t drop into the oven rack or get stuck.
- Bake the wonton cups for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
- Let the wonton cups cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. You may notice that the wonton cups look powdery. That’s just excess starch from the wonton wrappers.
- Continue baking 2 more batches of wonton cups until you get 72 total.
- Prepare Chicken Salad
- Dice the chicken into 1/4-inch cubes. Transfer the chicken cubes to a mixing bowl.
- Add the shredded red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, scallions, and sesame seeds. Toss everything together.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic powder, and sesame oil. Stir until the honey completely dissolves.
- Drizzle the dressing over the chicken and vegetables. Toss everything together.
- Spoon the chicken salad into the baked wonton cups. Serve.
Notes
- For easier prep, you can substitute the red cabbage, green cabbage, and carrots with 4 cups of packaged coleslaw mix. I recommend giving the vegetables a few rough chops so that they can fit into the wonton cups.
- You can also use a clove of grated garlic for this recipe though it is has a strong raw bite. If your guests don’t mind a bit of garlic breath, go for it!
Nutrition
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Safeway. You can find all the ingredients from this post at your local Safeway.
Lynda OShea says
I was looking for something different to stuff my wonton cups and this was perfect! I, however, make it with shrimp instead of chicken I had some left over filling, and it made an EXCELLENT wrap. The dressing is delicious and can also see using it as a dumpling dip. Can also see the salad being used in fish tacos!! Maybe next time I think I’ll add toasted sliced almonds. So glad I stumbled on this receipe, It’s a definite keeper. Thank you!!