Deconstruct me! Photo courtesy Andrea_Nguyen/Flickr

Even though crab rangoon is more American than Chinese (it is believed to have been invented right here in the United States), it’s still my favorite appetizer on any Chinese menu. Well, that and a really good egg roll.

When I heard that my colleague, Rebecca Holland, was bringing a crab rangoon dip to a team potluck last week, my ears perked up right away. With its cream cheese, onion and crab filling, crab rangoon just begs to be deconstructed.

This easy dip may already be a favorite in some households, but if you haven’t had it before, I highly recommend it. The dip itself is delicious, but the crispy baked wonton chips are so good I could sit down with an entire bowl of those alone.

Check out the recipe below.

Baked Crab Rangoon

24 wonton wrappers
Five-spice powder (optional)*
8 1/2 oz. crab meat, drained and flaked
8 oz. cream cheese, softened slightly
1 tsp. chopped red onion
1 or 2 green onions, diced
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with non-stick spray.

2. Combine the cream cheese and crab meat. Stir in the remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly.

3. Lightly dust each wonton wrapper with five-spice powder. Cut in half diagonally so it forms two triangles. Continue with the rest of the wrappers (cover the rest of the wrappers with a damp cloth so they don’t dry out).

4. Arrange wonton wrappers on the baking sheets. Place in the stove on the middle oven rack and bake until they turn brown (5 to 6 minutes). Remove and cool.

5. Place cream cheese mixture in a medium-sized baking dish. Bake until heated through and just beginning to bubble (18 to 20 minutes). Remove and serve immediately with the wonton chips for dipping. If desired, also offer hot mustard and/or sweet and sour sauce.

* In the absence of five-spice powder, Rebecca used a little white pepper and allspice. But salt alone would do just fine.

Adapted from About.com