Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

See how to make a healthy Asian-inspired pasta salad with chicken. See more

READY IN 53 mins

Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

Read Reviews (79)

"I had this at a party and couldn't get it off my mind. It's a fruity Asian chicken salad that even my family's picky eaters enjoy. I bake my own chicken for more flavor, which adds to the prep time, but pre-cooked or canned chicken will also work just fine." — KATRINP

Directions

To make the dressing, whisk together the ginger root, rice vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix, sugar, and garlic until well blended. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the bowtie pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and rinse under cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl.
To make the salad, toss the cucumber, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, carrot, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken, and almonds with the pasta. Pour the dressing over the salad mixture, and toss again to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 45 mins
COOK 8 mins
READY IN 53 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Aug 04, 2009

Hi Shelby, I agree I don't like to use the onion soup mix either. I searched and found a homemade version here is is.. 3/4 cup dried minced onion 1/3 cup NO MSG beef bouillon powder 4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp celery salt 1/4 tsp sugar Directions Combine all ingredients. You can store it in a ziplock bag or air-tight container. It keeps for quite a while.

—Debbie

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Most Helpful Critical Review

May 30, 2011

Love, love, love the salad portion of this recipe -- so colorful, it's like eating the rainbow :) ... Unfortunately though, did not love, love, love the dressing. The onion soup mix tries to mimic a soy/umami component, but it's too salty and too freeze-dried-oniony.... hence the excess liquid of the oil, juice and vinegar is needed to compensate, but it just ends up pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Will use this same concept again, just with a different dressing.

—Nicolette

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105 Ratings

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Sep 16, 2007

Absolutely fantastic. I can't stop eating it! The dressing is phenomenal. Quite a bit of work chopping all the veggies and dicing the chicken, but my goodness is it totally worth it. I doubled the recipe but regret I didn't triple it!

—Aly

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Sep 12, 2007

A wonderful summer salad! A light and healthy salad which stands on its own without the need for anything else on the side. The dressing has a wonderful flavor although once it's mixed in with all of the vegetables it becomes very mild which is not necessarily a bad thing. Delicious & fresh!

—Rhonda Jay

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May 19, 2009

I join this site to review this recipe. I can not believe how good this is. I followed the directions as written.

—VegasD

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Sep 03, 2010

If I could give this salad 10 stars, I would. A lot of my favorite things (except raw red onions) in one dish. I wasn't sure about mixing dry onion soup mix with toasted sesame oil, ginger and orange juice, but it was delicious! Everyone loved it. I followed the recipe except I used a very small amount of diced Vidalia onion (personal taste), a tiny bit less of the soup mix (was a little concerned about the amount of salt) and a little more orange juice (we love citrus dressings). For the chicken, we have an excellent little pizza/sub shop in the area with the best grilled chicken breast sandwiches. I called and ordered a couple of the breasts (plain - just salt and pepper and grilled) and picked them up on the way home. Easy and cheap! All of the flavors and ingredients just went together perfectly. Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow for lunch. We will have this often. Thanks for sharing!

—abapplez

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Aug 17, 2009

My family thought this was really good. When I came home the next day all of the leftovers were gone. :( My mom put some of the leftovers on a freah bed of additional spinach and said it was even better the 2nd day. My husband ate his leftovers right out of the container. The only thing I didn't care for was chewing on the bits of ginger and I thought it didn't really need so much oil. Next time I am going to cut the oil in 1/2 and use powdered ginger. Thanks for great summer meal!

—Glenda

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Jul 29, 2009

So good! I was nervous about using the onion soup mix cause i am not a fan but i followed the recipe and the results were great. The dressing blended nicely. I will keep this recipe on hand and make it for guests. Not only does it taste good it looks pretty as well.

—ALFANN02

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Nutrition

Calories
425 kcal
21%

Carbohydrates
44.7 g
14%

Cholesterol
35 mg
12%

Fat
18.9 g
29%

Fiber
4.5 g
18%

Protein
21.8 g
44%

Sodium
358 mg
14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 425
Calories from Fat: 170

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 18.9g 29 %
Saturated Fat 3.1g 15 %
Cholesterol 35mg 12 %
Sodium 358mg 14 %
** Potassium 623mg 17 %
Total Carbohydrates 44.7g 14 %
Dietary Fiber 4.5g 18 %
Protein 21.8g 44 %
Sugars 11.1g
Vitamin A 109 %
Vitamin C 86 %
Calcium 11 %
Iron 31 %
** Thiamin 24 %
** Niacin 79 %
** Vitamin B6 23 %
** Magnesium 32 %
** Folate 85 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.