Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad

Asian Pasta Salad with Chicken — Big juicy chicken chunks and texture galore from the rainbow of crispy veggies! Fast, easy, fresh and healthy!! Great for picnics, potlucks, and easy dinners!!

Easy Asian Pasta Salad Recipe

I love watching what people buy at the deli counter. And unfortunately what they usually overpay for. Chinese chicken salad is definitely a popular item.

DIY is always best and this Asian noodle salad is a fast and easy recipe the whole family will love, ready in 20 minutes, and it’s one of the best pasta salads I’ve eaten in ages.

There are so many wonderful flavors because the sauce the chicken cooks in, which then gets tossed with the pasta and vegetables, is packed with the quintessential Chinese chicken salad flavors: soy sauce, sesame, rice wine vinegar, honey, lemon and it keeps the chicken perfectly moist, tender, and coats the pasta and vegetables beautifully.

There’s texture galore from all the veggies. Carrots, cabbage, sugar snap peas, bell peppers, edamame. It’s like eating a salad minus the lettuce. Along with dry chow mein noodles, crunchy Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds, peanuts, and sesame seeds, it’s crunchy, hearty, and all the veggies really beefs up the yield.

It’s healthy, perfect for summer parties, potlucks, picnics, or busy weeknights. It makes a big batch, which is great for planned leftovers and lunches.

What’s in Asian Pasta Salad? 

To make this Asian noodle salad, you’ll need:

• Rotini pasta
• Honey
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce
• Lemon juice
• Ground ginger
• Chicken breasts
• Purple cabbage
• Sugar snap peas
• Edamame
• Carrots
• Yellow bell pepper
• Chow mein noodles
• Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds
• Peanuts 
• Green onions
• Sesame seeds

How to Make Asian Pasta Salad

Cook the pasta according to package instructions, then drain and set aside. 

Add the diced chicken to an oiled skillet and cook until 90% done. Pour the sauce over the chicken and let it bubble away until thickened. 

Add the sauce and the cooked chicken to the pasta, then add the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine, then serve. 

Can I Prep Asian Pasta Salad in Advance? 

Yes, this Asian pasta salad will stay fresh up to 3 days in the fridge. However, it’s best within 24 hours of making it (the pasta gets soggy over time). 

Tips for Making Asian Pasta Salad

This Asian noodle salad is versatile because you can serve it warm or chilled, making it great for picnics and parties. 

Use the vegetables I used or improvise and toss in your favorites. If you’re missing a couple of the veggies or nuts I used, that’s likely okay. Go with what you have.

If you’re vegetarian, you’re welcome to omit the chicken from this Asian noodle salad. Just be sure to cook the sauce in a skillet anyways because it needs to thicken up before being tossed with the other ingredients. 

Save Saved Review Print

4.75 from 12 votes

Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad

By Averie Sunshine

This Asian pasta salad has juicy chicken chunks and texture galore from the rainbow of crispy veggies! Fast, easy, fresh and healthy!!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

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Ingredients  

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Sauce

• ▢ ⅓ cup honey
• ▢ ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar may be substituted
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sesame oil for sauce + 1 tablespoon for cooking chicken
• ▢ 3 tablespoons soy sauce, I use reduced sodium
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Pasta Salad

• ▢ 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions
• ▢ 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• ▢ 1 cup purple cabbage, sliced thin
• ▢ 1 cup sugar snap peas
• ▢ ½ cup edamame, cooked and shelled
• ▢ ½ cup carrots, diced small or shredded
• ▢ ½ cup yellow or orange bell peppers, diced small (another color may be substituted)
• ▢ ½ cup chow mein noodles, add dry, don’t cook
• ▢ ½ cup Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds
• ▢ ¼ cup peanuts
• ▢ ½ cup green onions, sliced thin (about 2 green onions using both green and white)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

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Instructions 

• Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, place in a large bowl, and set aside.
• To a medium bowl or large measuring cup, add the honey, rice wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, salt, pepper, and stir to combine; set sauce aside.
• To a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil, add chicken, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, flipping intermittently so all sides cook evenly. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts and sizes of pieces. Chicken should be about 90% cooked through.
• Carefully add the sauce, noting that it may bubble up in the first few seconds.
• Allow sauce to bubble at a medium-fast boil for about 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and reduced some, and chicken is cooked through. Stir sauce and flip chicken intermittently throughout. You’ll still have quite a bit of sauce in the pan after 5 minutes which is good because there’s a lot of pasta and vegetables to coat.
• Add chicken and sauce from the pan to the bowl of pasta.
• Add the cabbage, sugar snap peas, edamame, carrots, bell peppers, chow mein noodles, nuts, onions, sesame seeds, and stir well to combine.
• Dish can be served warm immediately or can be served as a cold pasta salad.

Notes

• Will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve cold or reheat gently prior to serving if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 290kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 609mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 17g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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