Asian Pasta Salad

This delicious Asian pasta salad with bow tie pasta, mandarin oranges and shredded chicken is the perfect balance of flavor, textures, and color. With a perfect delicious orange ginger homemade dressing and tiny slivers of almonds that bring a wonderful crunch, you cannot go wrong with this salad at this years BBQ or holiday potluck. 

Why you will love Bow Tie Pasta Salad

You know how salads can be the perfect side dish for almost any meal? Whether you want something light or a bit more filling, salads just work. Sure, Caesar salads and ranch dressing are classics, but I’m all about mixing things up! Dishes like my Pesto Pasta Salad, Southwest couscous salad, or even a creamy macaroni salad always seem to steal the spotlight at BBQs and picnics. But believe me, when you bring something a little different, everyone will be asking for the recipe!

Ingredients

• Cucumber (sliced and quartered)
• Red bell pepper (chopped)
• Red onion (chopped)
• Matchstick carrots
• Cooked chicken breast (chopped or shredded, see note below)
• Mandarin oranges (reserve 1/4 cup of juice)
• Bowtie (farfalle) pasta, cooked, drained, and rinsed in cold water
  (Tip: Rinse the pasta in cold water to prevent sticking and cool it quickly.)
• Sliced almonds

For the Dressing you will also need dry ginger, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, Lipton’s dry onion soup mix, minced garlic, white sugar, and the reserved mandarin orange juice you saved from above.

How to make Orange Ginger Dressing

Making this mandarin orange dressing first is the secret to pulling this salad together! It’s super easy, and you use the juice from the oranges, so make sure you don’t accidentally toss it out before you finish reading (or printing) the recipe.

Here’s how I like to do it: I mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let them sit while I prep the rest of the salad. If you prefer, you can combine everything in a mason jar—this makes it easy to shake up and store any extra dressing for later.

1. Drain the mandarin oranges, and measure out 1/4 cup of the juice. Pour it into a small mixing bowl. Discard the rest of the juice (or save it for a second batch of dressing!). Set the oranges aside for the salad.
2. In the bowl with the orange juice, add the dry ginger, vinegar, oil, onion soup mix, minced garlic, and sugar. Mix everything together really well, and let the dressing sit for 30 minutes so the flavors meld.

How to make Asian Pasta Salad

Now it’s time to put everything together!

In a large mixing bowl, add all the sliced veggies—cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, and carrots—along with the chicken and drained mandarin oranges. Tip: If you’re serving the salad right away, go ahead and toss in the sliced almonds. But if you’re planning to store it, wait until just before serving to add the almonds so they stay nice and crunchy. Mix everything well to combine. Stir in the cooked and cooled bow tie pasta.

Pour the prepped mandarin orange dressing over the salad, and toss until everything is evenly coated. Serve your mandarin chicken pasta salad immediately, or cover and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve. If you refrigerate it, be sure to give it a good stir before serving since some ingredients may settle. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use Canned or Fresh Chicken for Salad? You can totally use either canned chicken or freshly baked chicken for this mandarin chicken salad—both work great!

If you’re in a hurry or making this for a big gathering, like a BBQ or potluck, canned chicken (like the 12.5 oz Swanson can) is a super convenient option. Just drain it and toss it in—it’s quick and easy. But if I’m making this for a family dinner, I love using fresh, oven-baked chicken. A little bottled teriyaki sauce while it bakes adds an extra layer of flavor!

Did you make this recipe?

If you love this dish (or had some thoughts on improvements) your feedback and changes are very valuable to us and to others. Please leave a comment and a star review. Thank you!