An Easy And Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe with Mandarins
On Whole30, one thing I really miss is a delicious Asian-inspired Chicken Salad. This easy and healthy chicken salad recipe is all about the prep and combines some fantastic flavors to satisfy those cravings while keeping you on track with your Whole30 journey.
Vibrant Veggies: The Colorful Foundation of Your Salad
Begin by prepping the vegetables. You’ll need matchstick carrots and shredded cabbage—I like to use both purple and green cabbage for added color and flavor. These veggies provide a beautiful base for the salad and a delightful crunch to every bite.
I am a big fan of cabbage and all of the fabulous ways you can prepare it. Cabbage is an underrated vegetable that doesn’t get enough love if you ask me. I love it so much that I recently talked all about it in a blog post.
Flavorful Chicken Bites: Taking Your Salad to the Next Level
This salad would be lovely with my Everyday Roast Chicken Breast, but we took it up a notch by sprinkling Five Spice and garlic on Chicken Bites. Sauté them until brown and crunchy, which, by the way, is a spectacular meal in and of itself. The seasoned Chicken Bites add a savory and aromatic dimension to the dish.
Creamy Almond Sesame Dressing: The Ultimate Whole30 Game Changer.
The coup de grace is my amazing new Creamy Almond Sesame Dressing. It includes a combination of coconut aminos, almond butter, light olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and rice vinegar. To sweeten it up, I used a couple of dates. The trick is to blend the dressing long enough to really get the dates emulsified and puréed, ensuring a smooth and creamy texture.
Easy ways to customize this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe.
I absolutely love this salad as-is, but there are a few substitutions that work really well should you want to swap things up a bit.
This recipe is fantastic with Mandarin oranges, either fresh or in jars. Sometimes I change it up and even use tangerines or clementines.
If you are a fan of mango this salad is also a great dish to add it to. You can add it right along with the mandarins. Mango is a fabulous way to bring even more flavor to this dish.
This salad is perfect for taking on the go!
I have learned quite a few tips and tricks for taking delicious dishes on the go over the years, and this salad is quite possibly one of the easiest meals to pack up for when you need to have a delicious meal on the go. Here’s how ya do it:
When taking this healthy chicken salad recipe on the road you will want to prep all of the vegetables, dressing, and chicken in advance.
Store each in their own jar or container and mix them together when you are ready to eat.
It’s really that simple to take healthy, delicious meals with you wherever you go!
From Sandwiches to Salads: The Ultimate Guide to My Favorite Cabbage Creations.
Cabbage is such a versatile and affordable ingredient. It’s certainly wonderful served as a salad or sprinkled into soups, but I also really LOVE cabbage as coleslaw! Who doesn’t love coleslaw as a refreshing side dish with practically everything? Coleslaw is actually a secret ingredient in so many of my sandwiches.
Here are a few ways I love to incorporate cabbage into my favorite recipes.
A Sensational Green Cabbage Salad with Roast Chicken for Spring
This fabulous salad with cabbage is Whole30, Paleo, and perfect for any day of the week when you want a hearty, refreshing meal.
Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
This Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich is next-level delicious! It can be made gluten-free or regular, and it is an absolute crowd-pleaser.
World’s Best Braised Green Cabbage from Nom Nom Paleo
Braising cabbage—cooking it in some fat and a bit of liquid in a closed cooking vessel until it’s meltingly tender—is a magical example of how patience pays off.
Roasted Chicken Coleslaw Sandwich
I’m delighted with this sandwich recipe! It is a combination of really simple ingredients: roasted chicken, coleslaw, and simple honey mustard.
If you make my Easy And Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe, be sure to rate the recipe with a star rating and leave a comment below!
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PrintAn Easy And Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe with Mandarins
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Whole30, healthy chicken salad recipe is all about the prep and combines some fantastic flavors inspired by Chinese Chicken Salad.
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
2 – 3 dates
½ cup light olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons coconut aminos
3 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
For the Chicken:
6 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon Five Spice
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
For the Salad:
8 cups shredded cabbage (we used green and purple cabbage)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups julienned carrots
½ cup green onion, sliced
½ cup slivered almonds
One 10.7 ounce can Whole 30 compliant mandarin oranges, drained
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Chop the dates into small pieces. Soften the dates in hot water for 10 minutes and drain.
- Blend the dates, olive oil, and sesame oil in a food processor until emulsified (approximately 1-2 minutes). Add all other ingredients to the food processor and pulse until completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the processor as needed. Set aside.
Make the chicken:
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, Five Spice, garlic powder, and pepper to make a spice mixture. Stir to mix well. Set aside.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle the chicken with 1 teaspoon olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and toss to coat thoroughly and evenly. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in a pan in a single layer and cook until crispy and brown, about 4 minutes. Flip each piece over and cook until done about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make the salad:
- In a large bowl, add the shredded cabbage and carrots, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, tossing to coat evenly. Add the green onions, almonds, mandarin oranges, and chicken bits. Add ½ cup of the dressing and toss to coat thoroughly. Serve garnished with black sesame seeds and the remaining dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 985
- Sugar: 30.3 g
- Sodium: 823.7 mg
- Fat: 67.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Protein: 54.6 g
- Cholesterol: 210.1 mg
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Frequently asked questions about cooking chicken.
The safe cooking temperature for all poultry products, including ground chicken and turkey, is 165 ºF.
Looks yummy! Which mandarin orange brand is whole 30 compliant? Seems like they all have sugar or an unhealthy sugar substitute:(
What would be another tasty fruit to add instead of the oranges?
Thanks!
We used Native Forest brand! They were Whole30 compatible. Hopefully, they have them in your area! Otherwise, you could certainly stick with just the mangos, or add in some clementines, and it would be quite delicious.
The 365 brand at Whole Foods are also compliant
By the way there’s simply nothing better than getting fresh so 90% of the time I just get Mandarin’s or clementines… I really like just doing fresh and then skipping the mango
This is so delicious, perfect to brighten this cold weather! I made it with blood oranges. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much .. i love it ????
This salad looks so yummy! Where do you get your “Five Spice”….I haven’t used that before. Thanks!
My whole family LOVED this – such a delicious blend of flavors and textures! My only regret is that I didn’t double it, because we want more!
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So delicious!! Love the dressing!
I have this almost every weekend
Teri, I absolutely love all this a Friday Favorites and these delicious recipes! I am not doing a Whole 30 but trying to eat cleaner in the new year and these dishes are inspiring. Making this Asian Chicken Salad tonight as I happen to have all the ingredients on hand – kismet! PS You look amazing, by the way!
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This salad did not disappoint! So many wonderful tastes and textures. Delicious!!
thanks
Made it tonight … delish!!! Used fresh blood oranges as I didn’t have mandarins… had to sub peanut butter as my husband has a nut allergy… still amazing!!! Not a crumb left!! Lol
Added a clove of garlic to the dressing and its perfection!
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