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So a couple of years ago, I attended a bridal shower for my brother-in-law’s future wife and one of the cute women helping with the shower made this salad . . . it was just so fresh and flavorful and the secret ingredient was teriyaki sauce! I probably had a third helping of it during the shower (you know, for testing purposes to make sure that the recipe was blog-worthy . . . ha ha!) and now this is one of my favorite dishes to bring to family get-togethers or parties. It’s perfect year-round and always hit by everyone who tries it!
Chicken Bow Tie Spinach Salad Recipe
An incredibly flavorful salad that's perfect for family parties or get-togethers. You can also leave the chicken out if you prefer.
Serving people
Ingredients
- 1 pound bow tie pasta , cooked
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
- 10 ounces baby spinach
- 3 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces dried cranberries
- ½ cup almonds, thinly sliced
Marinade:
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup teriyaki sauce
- ⅔ cup white wine vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together marinade ingredients. Pour half of marinade in a resealable freezer bag, place other half in a container and place in fridge until later.
- Add chicken and pasta to bag with marinade in it and seal closed. Let pasta and chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- In a large bowl, mix together baby spinach, mandarin oranges, green onions, dried cranberries, and almonds. Add pasta and chicken and mix well. Add remaining marinade (as much or as little as you prefer) and mix until all ingredients are coated.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 573 kcal · Carbohydrates: 72 g · Protein: 12 g · Fat: 28 g · Saturated Fat: 19 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 8 mg · Sodium: 890 mg · Potassium: 540 mg · Fiber: 6 g · Sugar: 32 g · Vitamin A: 3277 IU · Vitamin C: 31 mg · Calcium: 102 mg · Iron: 2 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Can you use olive oil? I try to avoid vegetable oil, but this recipe looks fabulous!
Do you throw away the marinade in the bag with the pasta and chicken or pour it all over the spinach and other ingredients and then add the reserved marinade?
I am so making this. Minus the almonds…very allergic!
I was going to ask the same exact question!!!! Veg oil is SO bad for you.
Yes! You can totally use olive oil. 🙂
I think that olive oil will work great! 🙂
I just usually dump the whole bag – marinade and all – into the bowl, and then add more marinade as needed. 🙂 Since the chicken is already cooked, you don’t have to worry about salmonella or anything like that. I hope that helps!
Even without almonds, it will still be delicious!! 🙂
The pasta absorbs a lot of the marinade while in the bag. I just dump it all in and then with the reserved marinade, add as much as you want to your own liking.
You can use olive oil if you would like.
Hi…was brown sugar used or white?
Both are listed in the marinade.