Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad

An easy pasta chicken salad showcases Asian flavors with mandarin oranges, fresh ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 8 mins
• Total Time: 53 mins
• Calories: 425 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin orange segments, drained
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
• 1 (8 ounce) package bow tie (farfalle) pasta
• 2 diced Roma tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) bag fresh spinach
• 0.25 cup vegetable oil
• 0.25 cup orange juice
• 0.33333334326744 cup rice vinegar
• 0.5 cup diced red bell pepper
• 0.5 cup coarsely chopped red onion
• 0.5 cucumber - scored, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced
• 0.5 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.