This vibrant, healthy Teriyaki Chicken Salad is a crowd pleaser! Perfect for summer picnics, barbecues, and reunions. Everyone will be begging for more! Fresh spinach, dried cranberries, and mandarin oranges are mixed with chicken, bow tie pasta, and a delicious teriyaki sauce.

My oldest daughter came home from a church activity where this salad had been served. She was enraptured and begged me to get the recipe and make it. Her direct quote is, “That salad is so flippin’ good!” 

So for her benefit, and for yours, I now present Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Ingredients for Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Here’s what you’ll need to make this salad:

• bow tie pasta
• baby spinach
• dried cranberries (Craisins)
• canned mandarin oranges
• sliced water chestnuts
• green onions
• cooked chicken (can use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken)
• roasted cashews or peanuts (optional–I have to leave them out because my daughter is allergic to nuts)

For the dressing, you’ll need:

• vegetable oil
• teriyaki sauce
• vinegar (any kind–white, rice, or apple cider)
• sugar
• salt

How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Salad

First you’ll add all the ingredients for the dressing to a jar, put the lid on, and shake it up. Stick it in the fridge to chill until ready to serve the salad. You want to pour the dressing on right before serving.

For the salad, first you’ll need to cook some bow tie pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool.

Next, you’ll want to drain the liquid from the mandarin oranges and water chestnuts.

Get a big bowl and put the spinach in it. Then just add the cranberries, drained mandarin oranges and water chestnuts, along with the cooked chicken (which has been chopped into bite-sized pieces), green onions, and nuts (optional).

Add the bow tie pasta last. If the pasta is kind of stuck together, that’s o.k. You can just let it sit on top of the salad.

If you’re serving the salad right away, pour the teriyaki dressing on top and then stir. (The dressing will help the pasta separate and mix well into the salad). You may not want to use all the dressing.

If you’re making this salad in advance, put it in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, and then pour the dressing and stir just before serving.

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This vibrant, healthy Teriyaki Chicken Salad is a crowd pleaser! Perfect for summer picnics, barbecues, and reunions. Everyone will be begging for more! Fresh spinach, dried cranberries, and mandarin oranges are mixed with chicken, bow tie pasta, and a delicious teriyaki sauce.

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Ingredients

For the Teriyaki Dressing

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Salad

• 8 ounces bow tie pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
• 6 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 4 packed cups)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews or honey-roasted peanuts (optional)
• 2 cups cooked diced chicken
• 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

Instructions

For the Dressing

Add the oil, teriyaki sauce, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a jar. Screw on the lid and shake. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

For the Salad

In a medium-sized bowl, add the 2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken and 1 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce. Toss together.

In a large salad bowl, add the 4 cups of baby spinach, 1/2 cup of craisins, 2 cans of drained mandarin oranges, 1 can of sliced water chestnuts, sliced green onions, and 1/2 cup of cashews or peanuts (if desired).

Add the cooked, drained and cooled bow tie pasta on top. If making the salad in advance, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

When ready to serve pour desired amount of dressing over the top and toss.

Notes

Nutritional information assumes you will be using all of the dressing. If you don't use all of the dressing, the information will not be accurate. (Notably, there will be less sugar).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 408Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 896mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 22gProtein: 17g

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