Recipes

Mandarin Chicken Salad

Daisy Nichols|

Mandarin Chicken Salad
4 (3 ratings)
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This delicious salad, courtesy of Green Chef, is healthy, satisfying, and gluten-free! Crispy rice cakes are a great alternative to bread or crackers and an interesting way to cook rice. This recipe calls for canned mandarins, but feel free to use fresh ones if you fancy!
Servings
2
Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon agave
  • 1/2 cup white sushi rice
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon (or one prepackaged cube)
  • 2 scallions, sliced at an angle (half for the rice cakes and half for the salad)
  • 1/4 cup mango, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen), diced
  • 2 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil (safflower, canola, or grapeseed)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoon tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon pureed ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon agave
  • 12 ounce chicken tenders
  • 1/2 head red leaf lettuce
  • 2/3 cup red cabbage, shredded
  • 2/3 cup carrot, cut into matchsticks
  • 1/8 cup canned mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds
  • sriracha, to serve
Directions
  1. In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.
  2. In a small pot, bring the sushi rice and 1 1/4 cups lightly salted water to a boil; stir.
  3. Once boiling, crumble half of the chicken bouillon over pot (reserve the rest). Stir to dissolve. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.
  4. Simmer for 15–18 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
  5. Set the oven to high broil with a rack 4–6 inches from the top.
  6. Add the rice wine vinegar with black sesame seeds and half of the scallions (reserve the rest) to the pot of rice. Stir.
  7. Place six spoonfuls of rice onto a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet. Gently press to flatten.
  8. Lightly brush the patties with cooking oil. Broil for 4–5 minutes, or until golden brown.
  9. In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.
  10. Place the almonds in a dry large sauté pan over medium heat. Toast for 3–4 minutes or until fragrant, shaking the pan frequently. Transfer the nuts to cutting board.
  11. Crumble the remaining bouillon (left over from cooking the rice) into 2 cups warm water. Whisk to dissolve.
  12. Season both sides of the chicken tenders with salt and pepper.
  13. Place the chicken in pan used for nuts over a medium-high heat. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
  14. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 12–15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked, flipping halfway through. The chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  15. Rinse the red leaf lettuce to remove any dirt between the leaves. Lay the leaves flat and slice across into about 1/4-inch-wide ribbons. Discard the root end and place the lettuce in a large bowl.
  16. Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl. (Discard the broth.)
  17. Shred the chicken with two forks.
  18. Add mandarin oranges and 2–3 tablespoons of the mango-tamari vinaigrette.
  19. Add carrots and red cabbage and most of the almonds to bowl with lettuce.
  20. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette to taste and season with salt and pepper.
  21. Divide the salad between two plates. Top with the chicken and orange segments.
  22. Garnish with the remaining scallions and almonds.
  23. Shingle the rice cakes next to the salad (or serve on the side).
  24. Serve with Sriracha sauce to taste (or omit). Enjoy!
 
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