Mandarin Chicken Salad

I know I've been a bit laxed with posting lately, but it's spring and my yard is alive and I have lots of stuff to do! There is a garden to be planted and flowers to tend to and a yard that is finally sprung to life after a long hard winter. I have to admit, I haven't been in the kitchen a whole lot. I usually drag myself in and have to spend 20 minutes cleaning the dirt out from under my nails before I can even begin to think about dinner.

We've had more than a few salads lately. Quick and easy dinners are what's happening at the moment. This salad is my new favorite.

I could eat it by the boatload, I swear. I'm a little obsessed with it right now.

Sometimes I add the chicken in, sometimes I don't. I think this would work well with cooked shrimp too. Yeah. Now I'm going to have to try that.

I love the tang of the mandarin orange and the crunch of the noodles.

I substituted broccoli slaw from the original coleslaw mix that was in the original recipe. We just like it a lot more, but if coleslaw is your thing, go right ahead and use it.



Mandarin Chicken Salad
Adapted from Betty Crocker Cookbook
Printable recipe

2 tablespoons butter
1 package (3 oz) chicken-flavored ramen
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon of sesame oil (or vegetable oil if you don’t have sesame)
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 bag (14-16 oz) broccoli slaw
1 can (14 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Stir in ramen noodle seasoning packet. Break up the noodles into bite-sized pieces and add them into the butter mixture. Cook for 2 minutes stirring a few times. Add in the sesame seeds. Cook until noodles are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the dressing
Combine the sugar, vinegar and oil. Whisk until combined.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli mix, mandarin oranges, green onions, peanuts and chicken.
When you are ready to serve the salad, add the dressing and the noodles to the salad mixture and toss.