Asian Chicken Salad Wonton Cups By Lisa Lin

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.