Applebee’s Chicken Wonton Tacos (Copycat Recipe)

If you’ve ever sat down at Applebee’s, ordered the chicken wonton tacos as your appetizer, and then secretly wished you could eat twelve more of them without judgment — this recipe is for you.

These little bites are genuinely addictive. Crispy golden wonton shells shaped into tiny tacos, stuffed with juicy teriyaki-glazed chicken, topped with crunchy coleslaw, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, and finished with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce that ties the whole thing together. They’re the perfect mix of textures and flavors — crunchy, savory, sweet, and a little tangy all at once.

The thing is, Applebee’s charges you restaurant prices for something you can absolutely make at home in 30 minutes with ingredients from your local grocery store. And when you make them yourself? You can actually customize them, make as many as you want, and eat them fresh and hot — not sitting under a heat lamp. Trust me on this one.

I made these for a family game night a few weeks back and they were gone before I even sat down. My nephew ate six of them and had zero regrets. That’s the kind of recipe energy we’re working with here.

Why you’ll love this recipe

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this one.

• It’s fast. 30 minutes from start to finish. This is weeknight appetizer territory.
• It’s a serious crowd pleaser. Kids love them, adults love them, picky eaters love them. There’s really no losing here.
• It’s budget friendly. You get a full restaurant-style appetizer experience for about $10 to $14 total instead of paying restaurant prices.
• The flavor combination is unreal. Sweet, savory, crunchy, and tangy all in one little bite. It works way better than it has any right to.
• It’s fun to make. Shaping the wonton shells and watching them puff up golden in the oil is genuinely satisfying.

What are chicken wonton tacos?

If you’ve never had these before, let me paint you a picture. Wonton wrappers — the thin square pasta-like sheets you find in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores — get folded and fried into the shape of tiny taco shells. They come out of the oil golden, crispy, and perfectly shaped to hold a filling.

Those crispy shells then get loaded with teriyaki-glazed chicken, a simple Asian-style coleslaw, shredded cheese, and green onions, then finished with sweet chili sauce drizzled generously over the top.

It’s a fusion appetizer — part Asian, part Tex-Mex — and it absolutely works. Applebee’s put these on their menu years ago and people have been obsessed ever since. The good news is the homemade version is just as good, if not better, and you can have them ready faster than it would take you to drive to the restaurant.

Ingredients you’ll need

Nothing here requires a specialty store run. You can find all of this at a regular grocery store.

For the wonton shells:

• 20 square wonton wrappers
• Vegetable oil for frying (enough for about 2 inches depth in your pan)

For the teriyaki chicken:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, finely diced or shredded
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (store-bought is perfectly fine here)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking

For the Asian slaw:

• 2 cups coleslaw mix (the bagged kind works great)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the toppings:

• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce for drizzling

A quick note on ingredients:

The teriyaki sauce does most of the heavy lifting in this recipe, so use one you actually like the taste of. Kikkoman and Soy Vay are both solid options. If you want to go the extra mile, a homemade teriyaki glaze takes about 5 minutes and makes the chicken taste noticeably better.

The wonton wrappers are usually in the refrigerated produce section near the tofu and fresh noodles. If you can’t find them, egg roll wrappers cut into quarters work as a substitute, though the texture will be slightly thicker.

How to make Applebee’s chicken wonton tacos

Step 1: Make the Asian slaw

Start with the slaw so it has a few minutes to marinate while you work on everything else. Combine the coleslaw mix, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl and toss well. Taste it and adjust — if you want it tangier, add a little more vinegar. Set it aside.

Step 2: Cook the teriyaki chicken

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium, pour in the teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, and sesame oil. Stir everything together and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the chicken. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 3: Fry the wonton shells

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet or small saucepan to 350F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by dipping a corner of a wonton wrapper in — it should sizzle immediately.

Take a wonton wrapper and fold it in half diagonally to form a triangle, then drape it over the handle of a wooden spoon or a folded piece of foil to hold it in a taco shape. Carefully lower it into the hot oil using tongs and fry for 30-45 seconds until golden and crispy. It sets into that taco shape almost immediately. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.

Work in small batches — don’t crowd the oil or the temperature will drop and you’ll end up with greasy, soggy shells instead of crispy ones.

Step 4: Assemble the tacos

Now for the fun part. Hold each crispy wonton shell open and add a spoonful of teriyaki chicken, followed by a pinch of the Asian slaw, a little shredded cheese, and a scatter of sliced green onions. Drizzle sweet chili sauce generously over the top of each one. Repeat until all your shells are filled and arrange them on a serving plate.

Serve immediately — these are at their absolute best when the shells are still hot and crispy.

Tips for the best results

A few things that make a real difference:

• Fry the shells right before serving. Wonton shells lose their crunch fast once they’re assembled. Fry them last, assemble quickly, and serve immediately.
• Keep your oil temperature steady. 350F is the sweet spot. Too hot and they burn before they crisp. Too cool and they absorb oil and go soggy. A thermometer makes this easy.
• Don’t overfill the shells. It’s tempting to load them up, but overfilled wonton tacos fall apart and get messy fast. A small spoonful of each topping is plenty.
• Dice the chicken small. Smaller pieces fit better in the shells and pick up more of the teriyaki glaze in every bite.
• Taste the slaw before serving. Everyone’s preference for tanginess is different. Adjust the vinegar and honey until it tastes right to you.

Substitutions and variations:

• Swap chicken for shrimp or ground turkey if you want to mix things up
• Use lettuce leaves instead of fried wonton shells for a lighter, low-carb version
• Add a drizzle of sriracha mayo on top if you want a little heat
• Use baked wonton shells instead of fried — brush with oil and bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes, draping them over oven rack bars to hold the shape
• Add diced mango or pineapple to the slaw for a tropical twist that works surprisingly well

What to serve with chicken wonton tacos

These work great as a standalone appetizer, but if you’re building a full spread:

• Egg rolls or spring rolls — keep the Asian fusion theme going strong
• Steamed jasmine rice — if you’re serving these as a main dish rather than an appetizer
• Miso soup — a light, warming side that balances the richness of the fried shells
• Cucumber salad with sesame dressing — fresh and cooling, a great contrast to the crispy tacos
• Thai iced tea or lemonade — the sweetness pairs well with the savory teriyaki and chili sauce

Storage and reheating

These are honestly best eaten fresh. But if you have leftovers, here’s how to handle them.

Storage: Store the components separately if possible. Keep the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The slaw keeps for 2 days. The fried wonton shells lose their crunch once stored — they’re best made fresh each time.

Reheating the chicken: Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a small splash of water or extra teriyaki sauce to loosen it up. Microwave works too in a pinch — just cover and heat in 30-second intervals.

Re-crisping the shells: If you have leftover shells, pop them in an air fryer at 350F for 2-3 minutes or in an oven at 375F for 5 minutes to bring back some crunch.

Freezing: The cooked teriyaki chicken freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as above. Don’t freeze the assembled tacos or the slaw.

Let’s wrap this up

Honestly, once you make these at home, going to Applebee’s just for the wonton tacos is going to feel a little unnecessary. Not to throw shade at the restaurant — they’re the ones who got us all hooked on these in the first place — but the homemade version is fresher, faster, cheaper, and you can eat as many as you want without the bill that comes with it.

These are the kind of appetizers that make you look like you really know what you’re doing in the kitchen, even though the whole thing takes 30 minutes and uses ingredients from a regular grocery store. That’s the sweet spot right there.

Make them for game night, a family dinner, a casual get-together, or honestly just for yourself on a Tuesday because you deserve something delicious. Drop a comment below and let me know how yours turned out — did you fry or bake the shells? Did you add anything to the slaw? I genuinely want to know.

Happy cooking. Let’s make something delicious together.