Name: Nini's Mandarin Chicken Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: ½ head cabbage; 2 heads romaine lettuce (if small, 1 if large); 2 ea green onions (sliced); 2 ea mandarin oranges (or 1 can of mandarin oranges); 2 ea chicken breast (roasted); ½ cup sliced almonds; 1 pk instant ramen noodles with the seasoning packs; 1 tsp oil or any fat (use ramen oil if available); ½ tsp seasoning for ramen noodles (or just salt and pepper); 3 Tbsp agave (or 2T sugar); 2 Tbsp soy sauce; 1 Tbsp sesame oil; ¼ cup rice wine vinegar; ¼ cup oil (neutral flavored oil); ½ - 1 tsp salt; Fresh cracked pepper to taste; 1 tsp grated ginger (optional)

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This Mandarin Chicken Salad is one I keep coming back to. It started because I was craving two extremely specific salads from my past: Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad and Kona Grill’s Oriental Salad. Anyone else?

So I made my own version.

It has all the crunch I remember and the sweet, tangy sesame dressing that was honestly the whole reason I loved those salads in the first place. It’s easy, it makes me feel like I ate an actual meal, and I don’t have to destroy my kitchen to make it.

Recipe below

Nini’s Mandarin Chicken Salad

Crunchy, sweet, tangy, and loaded with toasted ramen, almonds and mandarins. The sesame dressing is what makes it.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 20

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

FOR THE SALAD

½ head cabbage
2 heads romaine lettuce (if small, 1 if large)
2 ea green onions (sliced)
2 ea mandarin oranges (or 1 can of mandarin oranges)
2 ea chicken breast (roasted)

FOR THE RAMEN CRUNCH:

½ cup sliced almonds
1 pk instant ramen noodles with the seasoning packs
1 tsp oil or any fat (use ramen oil if available)
½ tsp seasoning for ramen noodles (or just salt and pepper)

FOR THE DRESSING: (If you like your salads heavily dressed, double this recipe)

3 Tbsp agave (or 2T sugar)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup oil (neutral flavored oil)
½ – 1 tsp salt
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 tsp grated ginger (optional)

Method

FOR THE SALAD

Slice all ingredients and toss in a bowl together.

FOR THE RAMEN CRUNCH

In a dry pan on medium heat, toast almonds until light golden brown. Add in ramen noodles and fat. Mix and toast until light golden and crunchy.
Season with seasoning mix and set aside to top on salad when serving.

FOR THE DRESSING

Place all ingredients into a jar and shake vigorously. Dress salad and enjoy.

Keeps in fridge for at least a week.

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CHEF NINI NGUYEN

Nini’s Mandarin Chicken Salad

Nini’s Mandarin Chicken Salad

Ingredients

Method

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