Mandarin Chicken Pasta Salad: An Easy & Delicious Recipe

Ingredients

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

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, orange juice, vegetable oil, soup mix, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic until thoroughly combined. Cover the vinaigrette and chill in the refrigerator.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the bow tie pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it reaches an al dente texture, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Transfer the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl.
3. Combine the cooked chicken, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, spinach, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and almonds with the pasta. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to ensure everything is evenly coated.

Nutrition

• Calories: 425 kcal
• Fat Content: 19 g
• Fiber Content: 5 g
• Sugar Content: 11 g
• Sodium Content: 358 mg
• Protein Content: 22 g
• Cholesterol Content: 35 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 45 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g