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.
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this one.
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.
Nothing here requires a specialty store run. You can find all of this at a regular grocery store.
For the wonton shells:
For the teriyaki chicken:
For the Asian slaw:
For the toppings:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A few things that make a real difference:
Substitutions and variations:
These work great as a standalone appetizer, but if you're building a full spread:
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.
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.
These copycat Applebee's chicken wonton tacos are everything you love about the restaurant appetizer — crispy fried wonton shells filled with tender teriyaki chicken, topped with crunchy Asian slaw, shredded cheese, green onions, and a generous drizzle of sweet chili sauce. The best part? You can make a full batch at home in under 30 minutes for a fraction of the price.