EASY, ready in 30 minutes, and packed with Asian-inspired flavors!! Juicy sesame chicken, pasta, and lots of healthy vegetables! PERFECT for potlucks, picnics, parties, and planned leftovers!!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: Asian chicken pasta salad, Asian pasta salad, mandarin chicken pasta salad, mandarin pasta salad, mandarin spinach pasta salad
juice from one 10.5-ounce can mandarin orangesadd oranges to a separate very large bowl
2 to 3teaspoonsgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsground gingeror to taste
1teaspoonkosher saltor to taste
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
pinchcayenne pepperoptional
Salad
16ouncesbowtie pastacooked according to package directions
1 to 1.25poundsboneless skinless chicken breastdiced into bite-sized pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper
2tablespoonssesame oil
2tablespoonsolive oil
1red bell pepperdiced small
1cupshredded carrots
½English cucumberdiced small
one 10.5-ounce can mandarin orangesdrained and juice discarded
4 to 6cupsfresh baby spinachabout 6 ounces
Instructions
Vinaigrette
To a medium bowl, add all ingredients, whisk to combine; set aside.
Note – You are only adding the juice from one can of mandarins to the vinaigrette. Add the mandarins to a separate very large bowl.
Salad
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and add it to the bowl with the mandarins.
While the pasta is cooking, to a large skillet add the sesame oil, olive oil, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through; stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking.
Add chicken and all cooking juices to the bowl with the mandarins and pasta.
Add the peppers, carrots, cucumbers, additional one can of mandarins (drain juice and discard), spinach, add the vinaigrette, stir and toss to combine and coat evenly.
Taste the salad and make any additional flavor adjustments such as more salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, cayenne (doesn’t make it hot but adds flavor), etc. and either serve immediately or chill before serving.
Notes
Tip – Because of the large volume of this salad, you may want to add half the spinach to start with to your mixing bowl, and as things get mixed and the spinach wilts a bit, add the remaining spinach and continue mixing.Storage: Salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, noting the vegetables will release their natural juices as time passes.