Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad is a tasty spin on a classic deli side! Perfect to serve at your next summer BBQ party with friends and family!
The next time you sign up to bring a potluck Side Dish, skip the deli counter and bring one of my delicious pasta salads instead. Try Easy Pasta Salad or Easy Greek Pasta Salad.
Sabrina’s Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
Is there a more classic picnic side dish than pasta salad? Whether you make it with Italian dressing or load it up with mayo for a creamy Mac Salad, this deli favorite is a party must all year long! This Asian pasta salad adds a refreshing citrus twist to a traditional potluck side and is sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Mandarin Dressing
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Pasta Salad
- 8 ounces rotini pasta , cooked and drained
- 1 cup cucumber , peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 1 red bell pepper , diced
- 1/4 red onion , minced
- 1 medium carrot , shredded
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 cups chicken breast , cooked and diced
- 11 ounce can mandarin orange segments , drained
- ½ cup sliced almonds , toasted
Instructions
- To make the dressing, whisk together rice vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, sugar, ground ginger, garlic powder and onion powder until smooth.
- In a large bowl add the pasta, cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, carrot, garlic and chicken.
- Toss well with the dressing until well coated.
- Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
- Garnish with mandarin oranges and sliced almonds.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
You’ll love how quickly this Mandarin Pasta Salad with Chicken comes together with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry already. The special ingredient in this salad is Mandarin oranges, which are canned orange segments you can get in any grocery store. These sweet bite-sized kid favorite oranges make this salad is perfect for kid parties, and you can enjoy leftovers for days, if there are any leftovers.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Deli salads are great for making ahead because the flavors get better as they chill. Make this salad ahead of time without the oranges and almonds and refrigerate up to 3 days. Garnish with oranges and almonds right before serving. You can make the dressing, pasta, and chicken ahead and keep them refrigerated separately until you are ready to make this pasta salad.
What to Pair With Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad
This is a great recipe for leftover Rotisserie Chicken or Grilled Chicken Breasts. You can serve this Salad as a light lunch with a cup of your favorite Soup. You can use leftover Baked Pork Chops instead of chicken, or make it without chicken for a Vegan Pasta Salad.
How to Store
- Serve: Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. You can keep this pasta salad at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it should be chilled.
- Store: Cover your Salad with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days. If you make this pasta salad without chicken, you can keep it up to 5 days.
- Freeze: It’s not recommended to freeze leftovers; it’s much better fresh. Freezing pasta salad changes the texture of the dressing since the oil separates, and you can’t whisk it back to normal.
Frequent Questions
One pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 2-3 breasts) is equivalent to about 2 cups of diced chicken. If you use bone-in chicken, you will need more since the bones count towards the overall weight.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Season chicken breasts and cook 8 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Rest for 10 minutes before chopping for salad.
This is a great recipe to double or triple the servings for a crowd. Hover over the servings amount on the recipe card until a slider bar appears. Slide to adjust serving size, and the ingredients will automatically adjust!
Variations
- Meat: Instead of cubed chicken, you can add ground chicken, turkey, or pork to your Pasta Salad. For a vegetarian pasta salad, use baked tofu and marinate it in the dressing for 30 minutes before adding.
- Pasta: Use any small pasta in place of the rotini pasta like penne, macaroni, or bowtie pasta. You could also use a long noodle like linguini, fettuccini, or thin spaghetti.
- Mandarin Oranges: Did you know you can replace canned mandarins with fresh clementines aka Lil’ Cuties or Halos? You could also use fresh tangerines too, or add other fresh fruit like sliced grapes!
- Veggies: Other fresh veggies you can add are chopped mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach leaves, or broccoli florets. Try canned water chestnuts for crunch or roasted red bell peppers instead of fresh, crunchy peppers.
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I make this a few times every summer for picnics. Delicious, and my whole family loves it!
It’s perfect for a picnic, and I’m pleased it’s a favorite. Thanks for the 5 stars, Nicole.