Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad
Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad is filled with cubed teriyaki chicken, marinated farfalle pasta, Asian pickled vegetables, plus mandarin oranges, lightly sweetened cashews and fried won ton strips. Every bite of this salad has a unique flavor or texture that stands out ensuring each bite is the “best bite.”
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Teriyaki Marinated Pasta:
- 8-10 ounces farfalle pasta (bowtie pasta) al dente and drained
- 2 Tablespoons sea salt
Teriyaki Dressing (half for pasta/half for salad):
- 1 cup avocado oil or neutral-flavored oil
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce (Soy Vay's Veri Veri Teriyaki)
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Teriyaki Marinated Chicken:
- 1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut to bite-sized
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce (Soy Vay's Veri Veri Teriyaki)
Quick Pickled Vegetables:
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ head purple cabbage
- ¼ head green cabbage
- 1 thin English cucumber
- 3 small carrots
- 1 diakon turnip
Lightly Candied Cashews:
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil or butter
- 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 cup salted cashews
Fried Won Ton Strips:
- 1 package won ton wrappers (you will only use a few)
- Coconut oil —enough for about a ½ inch of oil in pan
The Rest of the Salad:
- 1 small jicama peeled and diced
- 1-2 red, yellow or red sweet peppers, sliced thin
- ½ head Savoy cabbage sliced thin
- 1 bunch green onions sliced thin
- 4-5 cups baby spinach lightly chopped
- 1 can (15 oz) mandarin oranges
- 1-2 cups craisins
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions with 2 Tablespoons sea salt.
- While pasta is cooking, add all dressing ingredients into a container. Whisk until mixed.
- When pasta is al dente, drain but not rinse. Dump hot pasta into a covered container and pour half the dressing on the pasta. Cover and let marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours, or overnight.
- Marinate chicken (whole or cubed) in 1 cup teriyaki sauce for at least 2 hours, or overnight, in refrigerator.
- Pickle vegetables by combining all ingredients, except vegetables, in small saucepan. Stir and let come to a boil on a medium-heat stove. While heating sauce, slice very thin the cabbages, use a potato peeler to slice thin (across the top, not lengthwise) the unpeeled cucumber and the peeled carrots to create small, thin circles. Put carrots and cucumbers a quart glass jar and the cabbages in two separate pint jars (so purple cabbage doesn’t stain the other veggies). Pour hot sugar mixture into the jar with the vegetables. Cover with lid and let sit to cool and pickle while the pasta and chicken marinate. Can refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
- Add cashews, coconut oil and coconut sugar to a small fry pan. Lightly candy the cashews on a medium-hot stovetop for 1-2 minutes until the cashews are coated. Let cool on parchment paper.
- Fry won ton strips by cutting won ton wrappers into ½ inch strips with a pizza cutter. Heat coconut oil in small fry pan to about 325-360° F. When hot, drop won ton wrapper strips into hot oil one at a time so they don’t stick to each other. Flip over as needed to brown and fry for about 1-2 minutes. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon. Let drain and cool on a paper towel. Store in airtight container for 2 weeks if necessary.
- Slice and dice other vegetables: peel and cube jicama; slice thinly colored peppers, savoy cabbage and green onions; slightly chop spinach.
- To serve salad bar style so each individual can pick and choose their favorite items. Or mix the salad all together with the dressing and serve immediately as the spinach wilts quickly.
Here’s the salad items:
- Spinach
- Savoy cabbage
- Jicama
- Colored sweet peppers
- Pickled cabbages, carrots, and cucumbers
- Teriyaki chicken
- Teriyaki marinated pasta
- Candied cashews
- Green onions
- Mandarin oranges
- Craisins
- Won ton strips
- Toasted sesame seeds