Asian Chicken Pasta Salad
A little about the recipe…
Like most southerners I love pasta salad, however most pasta salads have mayo as their base. I grew up in a family where every potluck and family gathering had some sort of pasta salad and they were saturated with mayonnaise. I wanted to create a lighter and cleaner version for my family to eat on the regular. This recipe is an attempt to prove that mayo doesn’t make the salad. I want to take a heavy and fatty classic and change it up by adding tons of fresh vegetables and healthier ingredients. Asian flavors are also a personal favorite of mine so that is why I really liked the idea of mashing an American salad concept with Asian ingredients. It worked out better than I ever expected in this Asian pasta salad!
My preferred pastas in this recipe are “grooved” pastas like farfalle or Campanella, or even tubed pastas like elbow macaroni because they are great at holding “sauce” or in this instance dressing. Campanella or “bellflowers” in Italian is my absolute favorite pasta for this recipe. It is delicate but sturdy and it has an almost petal like, ruffled edge that catches salad dressing perfectly. Not to mention how pretty it is!
Make it how you like it:
One of the great aspects of this recipe is just how customizable it can be. The base recipe is super simple and you can interchange most of the ingredients to fit your preferences. For example, I use red cabbage, bell peppers and herbs like green onion and cilantro, but you can also add carrots or cucumbers or even take away some ingredients that your family doesn’t like. You could even swap out the dressing recipe for something less Asian like a balsamic or Italian. I would stick oil based dressings though, to keep it light.
I decided to add some protein to make this more of a meal instead of a side like most pasta salads are. Feel free to change it up or omit the protein entirely. I like to use shredded or rotisserie chicken because it doesn’t take away from the fresh flavors in the salad. It is also really good at soaking up the dressing just like the pasta. I used my poached chicken recipe to make the shredded chicken, which you can check out in my other blog post, here “Poached Chicken Recipe”.
Asian Pasta Salad Step By Step…
To start, boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool completely.
Combine all the dressing ingredients, except the 1/2 cup oil into a medium sized bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly to create an emulsion. Once the sugar is dissolved and the oil is completely incorporated you’re ready to go! Taste and add more salt if necessary. You can store leftover dressing in the fridge for about a week in an airtight container. Due to the amount of olive oil, the dressing can solidify in the fridge. If this happens just heat it up in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds and give it a good shake.
Chop, slice and dice all the salad ingredients. Add all the salad ingredients, except the Chow Mein noodles or wonton strips to a large bowl.
Dress the salad with the desired amount of dressing. To keep the leftovers as fresh as possible I portion out the salad and only dress what will be eaten immediately. This keeps it fresh and crisp for the next meal. Garnish with some more sesame seeds and the Chow Mein noodles or crispy wonton strips.
Asian Chicken Pasta Salad Video Tutorial
Asian Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
The Salad:
- 6 ounces pasta (I prefer Farfalle or Campanelle)
- 2 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken*
- 4 cups green lettuce, chopped (like romaine)
- 1 cups red cabbage, shredded
- 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- Chow Mein Noodles or Fried Wonton Strips, optional
The Sesame Dressing:
- 1-2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (white or black)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup canola or light olive oil
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool completely.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients, except the 1/2 cup oil into a medium sized bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly to create an emulsion, once the sugar is dissolved and the oil is completely incorporated you're ready to go! Taste and add more salt if necessary. You can store leftover dressing in the fridge for about a week in an airtight container.
- Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Dress the salad with the desired amount of dressing. To keep the leftovers as fresh as possible I portion out the salad and only dress what will be eaten immediately. This keeps it fresh and crisp for the next meal. Garnish with some more sesame seeds and the Chow Mein noodles or crispy wonton strips.