I am a huge fan these crispy, restaurant-style wontons. They’re such a fun treat for dinner, and so easy to whip up at home. Here’s one of our favorite recipes for hot, lightly fried wontons stuffed with a cheesy southwestern ranch filling. Hope you enjoy these!
Here’s one of my secrets to make weeknight dinners quick and hassle-free. I keep frozen, diced vegetables on hand so they’re easy to grab and a cinch to throw into recipes. Here’s what I normally have on hand at all times: bell peppers, carrots, celery, zucchini, white onions, red onions, and corn. There’s also usually okra, edamame, peas, and broccoli, but I wouldn’t hyperventilate as much if I ran out of those.
Whenever I’m dicing vegetables, I use whatever I need for the recipe, then throw the rest in a Ziploc bag to keep in the freezer for the next time I need it. Makes things so much easier on me knowing I can just grab pre-diced vegetables from the freezer and whip something up!
All right, let’s put these vegetables to work. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add 1/4 cup diced onions and cook for about five minutes until they’re starting to turn golden.
Then add 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper and cook five more minutes until softened. Add 1 clove of minced garlic, and stir for about 1 minute.
Immediately add the frozen corn kernels and canned black beans, 1/4 cup each.
Next you’ll need about a cup of shredded chicken. Here I used leftover rotisserie-style chicken from this Brown Butter Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts and Crispy Sage, perfect for this execution!
Add the chicken to the vegetables and beans, stir to heat everything up, then move everything to a bowl, like the one above.
Season with a little pepper…
Add some cheese, about 1/2 cup.
And cover with about two tablespoons (1/2 package) of dry ranch dressing. Love this cool, tangy flavor boost.
Stir everything to combine.
At this point we can start heating the oil for the wontons. Rinse out the skillet used for the vegetables, (I could’ve done a better job of that here!) dry it completely, and fill with about a 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil. Begin heating over medium heat.
While that’s heating up, it’s time to break out the wonton wrappers. I found this brand at Publix and I’m really partial to it. Unlike some other brands I’ve tried, these are nice and thick, so they don’t stick together when you’re trying to pull them apart, and they don’t rip when you’re stuffing and sealing the wrappers.
Scoop about a teaspoon of the chicken and vegetables into each wrapper.
Rub some water onto two sides of the wonton and fold over to seal, making sure to press out any extra air pockets in the wrapper.
Repeat for the remaining wonton filling. Here’s my assembly line!
By the time you have all your wontons stuffed and sealed, your oil should be good and hot. Set up a plate lined with a paper towel for draining, then go ahead and add about 6 wontons to the oil.
Or less, if you have a smaller skillet. You don’t want to crowd the wontons.
When they’re lightly golden (about 1 minute) flip to the other side. When both sides are perfectly golden and crisp, remove to the paper towel to drain and repeat with the remaining wontons. By the way, save that oil when you’re done, you can use it again next time. You’ll definitely want to make these again. :)
Lovely! I just want to take a big crunch out of these.
We also love stuffing these wontons with our favorite taco fillings or pizza toppings. They’re great for using up leftovers, because pretty much anything is delicious when stuffed in a wonton and fried.
You know what’s also cool about this recipe? After the wontons are sealed and stuffed, instead of frying you can place on a baking sheet and freeze overnight, then move to a Ziploc bag for long term freezing. Then when you’ve got guests you can whip these out for a quick and easy appetizer, no need to even thaw!
This recipe makes about 24 wontons, and if you’ve got a few extra wrappers leftover, hang on to them because I’ve got another recipe coming at you next week for a fun way to use them up.
Crispy Southwestern Wontons
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup frozen corn kernals
1/4 cup canned black beans, drained
5 oz (1 cup) chicken, shredded
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp (1/2 pkg) dry ranch dressing
24 wonton wrappers
canola or vegetable oil for frying
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and salt and saute for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 5 more minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add corn, beans, and chicken and stir to combine. Move the chicken mixture to a bowl and season with pepper, then stir in cheese and dry ranch dressing. Begin heating about 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, scoop 1 teaspoon of chicken mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper. Rub some water on two sides of the wrapper, then fold over to firmly seal, forming a triangle, and gently press out any extra air pockets. When the oil is hot, place 6 wontons at a time into oil. Cook about 1 minute per side until golden and crispy.
Makes 24 wontons, or 3 dinner-sized servings. Nutritional Information for this recipe can be found at CalorieCount.com.
Make for: Appetizers, Dinner / Main Dish
Tags: chicken
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58 Comments
I love the idea of throwing your extra chopped up veggies into bags in your freezer! Its an amazing time / money saving idea! Thank you!
I agree with Colleen – that’s a great idea! Do they keep a good long while, as the store-bought frozen veggies do? That’s probably a ridiculous question!
What a great recipe! I’m going to give it a try.
Looks like I will be throwing some yummy wontons into my dinner rotation! Yum!
I just made something very similar to these but I baked them. I love wonton wrappers. I am going to try to use them in the place of pasta when I make manicotti next time.
Really!? Did u still use wonton wrappers when u baked them or a different kind of wrapper? Trying to go healthier and am wondering how they turned out. :) TIA!
Love the idea of freezing leftover chopped veggies. Mine tend to go bad in the fridge quickly and now I have a solution! Thanks!
Dang it! No getting around this one, just gonna have to try these!
The filling itself looks like it would make a great meal itself, maybe with greens, rice, or in a taco shell. I think I will definitely have to try it.
*LIKE! :)
These look soo delicious! Also, thanks so much for providing nutritional info, it’s such a big help!
Ooh, those look divine.
I love your tip for freezing diced veggies. I used to do that and not sure why I quit. I’ll have to start that back up!
What a great idea for having veggies on hand, brilliant!! Going to try this this week!
I already did that with onions, but never thought of the others LOL
We used to make Crab Rangoon in college a lot. Thanks for taking me back — this looks yummy.
These look awesome! I will definately making these the next time we have friends over. Yumm.
I will have to make a veggie version! These look fantastic!
I have to watch your page for great new recipes. You have something different and I like simple but different. Thanks for coming up with these great ideas!
Forgot to link to my page!
Delicious! Love ordering these at restaurants! Great idea to keep frozen chopped veggies, I need to do that :)
breath taking. you have done it again.
Mmmm they look so good! You just gave me an idea for my dinner tonight. I was going to just have a salad with grilled chicken (boooooring), but I think I’m going to whip up the filling and put that on my salad instead :)
These look wonderful! I love the idea of stuffing them with pizza toppings, too. Yum!
Making these asap!!
BTW — I absolutely LOVE and totally appreciate the calorie information. Every time I read one of your amazing recipes, I think “I wonder how many calories are in this??” And now I know! Thanks!!
Not fair. I’ve been on a detox for three days and I am ready to eat my screen – they look so good!
I found your blog by chance and so glad I did….the colors are so crisp and bright…it makes the pictures come alive and I love the step by step of everything…Looking forward to checking your blog daily-oh and def these wontons this weekend for dinner.
Love the idea of freezing diced veggies…why do I throw out the extra? Never again!
Also, I think the addition of ranch mix to this recipe is brilliant. Like I said, gotta try this with my homemade guacamole recipe for dipping!
Wow this is such a yummy recipe! And wontons have always seemed so hard to make, but you make it look relatively easy! I can’t wait to try it out and impress my family and friends!
I chop up my veggies too! It really does make a difference during the week!
Love the tip about freezing the extra veggies. That’s really going to unclutter my fridge of leftover bowls full of 1/2 onions and 3/4 peppers!
What a great idea! I love the thought of pizza toppings and taco filling as well. And freezing these are perfect for those busy evenings. I love this!!
Guess what I made tonight?!!!! They were SO good!! I, like others, also VERY much appreciate the nutritional information. Thanks for sharing!
I must say.. I cannot wait to try this one for my hubby!
Looks fabulous! Thanks for the recipe and all the great tips.
OK…yum. These look wonderful. I can’t make them fast enough :)
Oh wow…your pictures are so good that my mouth won’t stop watering! They look wonderful! I’ve never made them fried before…only baked. Hmmmm…I see what I’m missing out on now. :)
These look delicious! I will be making these very soon.
I am seriously the most impressed with keeping frozen diced veggies. I’m super allergic to onions (handling them, not eating them) and any recipe that calls for them involves my husband cutting one before work or waiting until he gets home to start dinner. This will be fantastic and such a simple idea! I’m floored. :)
I made these for dinner tonight – YUM! And anything that can be frozen and cooked later is always a bonus!!
Made this filling tonight, but made quesdillas with it instead. Sooooo good! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
These look incredible! Thanks so much for the recipe…I can’t wait to give it a try! :)
OH! MY! These are WONDERFUL!
Mmm, I love how there’s not just chicken in the wontons, there’s actually a lot of flavors going on. The ranch aspect of it just seems amazing. I can’t wait to have these again. They are always so delicious. The mix seems like the taco dip you’d find at Chipotle, but the ranch adds that nice tangy kick I like to it.
I love keeping chopped veggies in the freezer! Although it’s usually for my morning omelet. I can barely do anything I certainly shouldn’t be wielding a knife!
That recipe looks amazzzing.
My mouth started watering when I saw this photo. These look so tasty, and you make it look so easy! I am definitely making these for dinner tonight :)
I made these the other day thinking that I would eat a few and give a few away and freeze a few…well the ones that I put in the freezer made it, but I sat and ate all 12 that I had fried. Great idea! Used the spicy ranch dressing mix and added a little cream cheese, they were great.
Thank you for the fun ideas.
Has anyone tried these without the chicken?
Hello and thanks for this great recipe. Its very yummy!
Made these last night – oh my goodness…. YUM!!! Way better than I even imagined they would be. That ranch is just perfect in there!
My husband and I were talking and next time we’re going to try to make them as egg rolls instead – more filling in each one!
And love the freezing idea, I’m making another batch today just to freeze!
Thank you!
I stumbled across your blog a couple months ago. I am SO glad I did. Thanks for the great recipes! I just put a shout out about these wontons on our blog. You can see the post here: ourchateau.blogspot.com/2012/01/crispy-sothwestern-wontons.html
Let me know if you disapprove of anything in it.
Take good care! Kathryn
Thanks for hard work you’ve done. Your Website is really amazing especially free fonts as well as Yummy Recipes. Keep it up and wish you both Good Luck! ;)
How does the celery thaw after freezing?I would think it wouldn’t do well being frozen. Do you just put the raw carrots, onions and celery right into the freezer?
I just made these for dinner! I had trouble finding wonton wrappers so I went with egg rolls instead. Super yummy!! I had some diced green peppers and green onions on hand so I tossed them on in too- so good!! Thanks for a great meal!
I made these a few weeks ago and ended up with about 40! I froze 30 of them (cooked). I was able to reheat them in the oven (right out of the freezer) on 350° for 10 minutes and they were just as delicious and crispy as the first time around.
Delicious!!!
Just made these earlier for lunch, and WOW!! Even my picky 3year old loved them, couldnt fry them em up fast enough for her. However mine didnt look as pretty as yours, Have never used wonton wrappers before, any tips for getting all of the air bubbles out? Thanks again for the awesome toddler approved recipe :)
Amanda – we LOVE to make wontons like this and stuff with buffalo chicken and blue cheese. Delish!! Thanks for sharing this recipe, we’ll try this soon :)
I foolishly printed this recipe and waited maybe six months to make them.
Addictive!! Simply Addictive!
OH MY GOODNESS. Everyone I’ve prepared these for come back for seconds and thirds…
Do I have it straight 8 wontons are 409 calories?
If so, this is good news as I would like my daily quota in these!
Don’t do as I did- make these this week!! Thank you.
Made these yesterday (05/05/13) for a Cinco de Mayo party and they were a HUGE hit! I made them alongside a chipotle sour cream sauce— AMAZING! On behalf of myself and all those who requested the recipe— THANK YOU!!