Salads are an easy go-to for me because they are versatile and you can add your greens, protein and any other toppings that you may want. In the warmer months I eat a ton of salads because of how light they are and don’t leave you feeling overly full.
This Mandarin Chicken salad is so easy to make it takes less than 20 minutes whip up. I like buying the chicken tenders instead of breasts because it involves less cutting and faster cooking time, but really any type of chicken would work. I buy the Primal Kitchen Asian Sesame Ginger marinade and vinaigrette. I choose it because it has awesome flavor and clean ingredients, unlike a lot other dressings on the market. Also, it can be used to marinate the chicken before hand and then used again to toss into the salad at the end.
Ingredients:
~ 1lb Chicken (I used tenders but you can use whatever kind you have on hand)
~ 1 can of mandarin oranges, drain the juice into a mixing bowl
~ Chow mein noodles
~ Romaine lettuce
~1 bottle of Asian sesame ginger marinade/vinagrette (I use primal kitchen)
1. About 3-4 hrs before dinner time marinate your chicken with half the bottle of marinade in a large bowl and place in the fridge
2. Once ready to cook remove the chicken from the fridge and pour some of the leftover mandarin juice into the bowl and stir.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and the marinade into the pan.
4. Cook over medium high heat until the chicken is cooked through, keep the pan hot so that the marinade cooks off and gives the chicken a bit of glaze (really adds to the flavor).
6. Once is the chicken is done add it to the top and if desired add more of the vinagrette to your salad.
Now, you have a quick 20 minute lunch or dinner that anyone can enjoy!
