Chicken salad with mandarin oranges is a fresh, crispy, and colorful salad that’s picnic and potluck perfect.
Fresh lettuce, chicken, strawberries, almonds, and mandarin oranges are tossed in a sesame dressing and topped with feta cheese for a refreshing Chinese-style recipe that’s ready in minutes.
You’ll Make Mandarin Chicken Salad on Repeat Because…
- Flavor: Mandarin chicken salad has sweet and citrusy flavors in a tangy sesame dressing.
- Difficulty: So easy! Just toss, dress, and garnish.
- Prep note: Make this recipe up to a day ahead and dress just before serving.
- Swaps: Use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw instead of lettuce.
What’s in Mandarin Chicken Salad?
Chicken: Use leftover rotisserie chicken, chicken breasts, canned tuna, salmon, or shrimp.
Fruit: Colorful mandarin oranges and strawberries add pops of color to this salad. You can swap out the strawberries for sliced green apples, halved grapes, blueberries, or dried fruit like cranberries, cherries, or mangoes.
Nuts & Cheese: Go for almonds and feta (like in this recipe), walnuts and blue cheese, pistachios and gorgonzola, or sunflower seeds and parmesan.
PRO TIP: Saute nuts or seeds in a dry pan until barely fragrant. This intensifies their flavor and makes them extra crunchy (Be sure to watch them closely — they burn quickly).
Dressing: Buy it or make it and have extra for drizzling over roasted veggies.
Variations: This recipe is perfect for mixing and matching ingredients! Cooked and cooled orzo pasta, small macaroni shells, or crunchy Asian noodles make this a new recipe every time.
How to Make Mandarin Chicken Salad
- Add all ingredients into a large bowl (full recipe below).
- Toss with dressing.
- Garnish with feta and almonds before serving.
Storing Mandarin Chicken Salad
- Keep leftover mandarin chicken salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Stir the salad and add fresh lettuce and dressing before serving or scoop leftovers into a pita pocket or a lettuce wrap for an energizing workday lunch.
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Mandarin Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups chopped lettuce
- ¾ cup cooked chicken shredded
- 11 ounces mandarin oranges 1 can
- ⅔ cup strawberries sliced
- 2 green onions sliced
- ½-⅔ cup toasted sesame dressing
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Combine lettuce, chicken, oranges, strawberries and green onions in a large bowl.
- Drizzle dressing over top and gently toss to combine.
- Top with feta and sliced almonds.
Notes
- Allow guests to add their own dressing to the salad since some people prefer more dressing and some prefer less.
- Keeping the dressing separate will help the salad stay fresh for longer.
- Refrigerate mandarin chicken salad covered for up to 4 days.
- Add a bit of fresh lettuce greens and some crumbled feta to freshen the salad up again.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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great recipes, thanks
Thank you Kathy! Glad you enjoy them!
Looks so delicious ! Can’t I sub almonds with peanut ? It’s hard to find almonds here.
I love this recipe although I might sub for Walnuts instead of Almonds, and just regular chicken, because we don’t barbecue all of the time. Thanks so much for posting this.
This Light and fruity salad sounds delicious. can’t wait to make for family, they will all love it Im sure Thank you
Ooo Great idea I love fruit:) and I also Love chicken salad! Thanks for the idea!
This looks SO good! I wonder if adding fruit to salad would convince my kids to eat it.
Extra entry.