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Orange Chicken Pasta Salad

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This Orange Chicken Pasta Salad with Orange Poppyseed Dressing recipe has just a few ingredients and is so easy to make!

A DELICIOUSLY DIFFERENT PASTA SALAD

I love when a salad can really be a whole meal. This Orange Chicken Pasta Salad with Poppyseed Dressing is really a meal-in-one. Plus, it tastes like summer! It's not too heavy and the orange poppyseed dressing sets it all off without drowning out all the other flavors. And it only has a handful ingredients and can be made in minutes!

orange bowl filled with orange chicken pasta salad with a fork inserted into salad.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where do I find orange poppyseed dressing?

I purchase it at Kroger. However, if you'd like, you can make it yourself using this recipe here.

What is the best chicken to use for pasta salad?

You can use store-bought rotisserie chicken, canned chicken or the grilled chicken (like the one pictured below) that is in the refrigerated or frozen section of your grocery store. This salad works great with any leftover chicken you may have.

What can this be served with?

This pasta salad could also be a BBQ side dish. You could leave out the diced chicken and serve this as just a side to some BBQ grilled chicken. Actually, I think it would go beautifully with my Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken. The citrus flavors in each of these would really complement each other.

Do I have to add the lettuce?

The lettuce is optional in this. You can leave it out altogether or substitute with chopped broccoli or baby spinach.

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers should be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Please note that the lettuce will wilt so if you are planning to have this as leftovers, love out the romaine lettuce and only stir in just before serving.

overhead shot of mandarin orange chicken pasta salad in a small bowl on a wooden surface.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • rotini pasta
  • cooked chicken breast
  • romaine lettuce
  • mandarin oranges
  • chopped pecans
  • orange poppyseed dressing
grilled chicken, pecans, lettuce, rotini pasta, mandarin oranges, poppyseed dressing.

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CHICKEN PASTA SALAD:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well, then cool.

cooked rotini pasta, mandarin oranges, lettuce and chopped pecans layered in a bowl.

In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta, diced chicken, chopped lettuce, mandarin oranges and chopped pecans.

cooked rotini pasta, mandarin oranges, lettuce and chopped pecans in a Pyrex glass bowl.

Pour poppyseed dressing on top of salad.

pouring poppyseed dressing onto pasta chicken orange salad.

Stir gently to combine well.

pasta stirred together with lettuce, mandarin oranges, grilled chicken and poppyseed dressing.

You can serve immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge for a couple of hours. 

plastic wrap covered bowl with pasta, grilled chicken, lettuce, pecans and mandarin oranges.

Stir again before serving!

a serving of pasta salad in a bowl with a larger serving bowl behind the smaller bowl.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?


Orange Chicken Pasta Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Orange Chicken Pasta Salad

This Orange Chicken Pasta Salad with Orange Poppyseed Dressing recipe has just a few ingredients and is so easy to make.
4.78 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Orange Chicken Pasta Salad
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 442kcal
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

  • 16 ounce box rotini pasta
  • 2 cups fully cooked chicken breast, diced into chunks
  • 3 cups diced romaine lettuce (or baby spinach) roughly chopped
  • 15 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained well
  • 1 cup roughly chopped pecans
  • 12 ounce bottle orange poppyseed dressing

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well, then cool.
  • In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta, diced chicken, chopped lettuce, mandarin oranges and chopped pecans.
  • Pour poppyseed dressing on top of salad.
  • Stir gently to combine well.
  • You can serve immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge for a couple of hours.
  • Stir again before serving!

Notes

  • You can use store-bought rotisserie chicken, canned chicken or the grilled chicken (like the one pictured above) that is in the refrigerated or frozen section of your grocery store.
  • This salad works great with any leftover chicken you may have.
  • If you can't find orange poppyseed dressing (I bought this at Kroger), just go with regular poppyseed dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1555IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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More Side Dish Recipes

About Brandie @ The Country Cook

I’m a regular home cook, like most of you, doing my best to get a good meal on the table for my family. I like to say the recipes on here are recipes for the busy cook (you know who you are). You can still get a good meal on the table, with a few shortcuts to help you along the way. I hope you’ll find lots of recipes here that you’ll love and hopefully will become family favorites. Read more...

Reader Interactions

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Barbara C. Smith

    5 stars
    I love receiving your recipes. I have been cooking for 60 years and still love to try new meals. In 60 years I thought I had tried everything. NOT. Since we are such salad lovers I cannot wait to try the Orange Chicken Pasta Salad. Great for family and for sharing with friends and potlucks. Thanks..

    Reply

  2. Mother of 3

    That looks delicious! I love salads that can stand in for full fledged meals . Pinned

    Reply

  3. karen gaffey

    5 stars
    I checked out the same dressing you used ...$30.00 (yes - that is correct) for 2 - 12 oz bottles...no Kroger here in CT

    Reply

    • Brandie @ The Country Cook

      That is ridiculous! I paid less than $2 at the store. My local Walmart carries it. But, it will still taste really good with regular poppyseed dressing. I promise!! 🙂 If you want, you could even stir in some of the juice from the mandarin oranges into the regular poppyseed dressing to kick up the orange flavor! 🙂

      Reply

  4. Claudine in Fort Worth, TX

    5 stars
    Oh, my Brandie, you read my mind. This is something I can easily make and I LOVE salads with chicken and mandarin oranges so I know this salad with the pasta will be scruptious! Thank you so much for sharing..

    Reply

    • Brandie @ The Country Cook

      Thank you Claudine!! Hope you love it as much as I did! I probably ate too much (if I'm being honest - LOL!)

      Reply

      • Claudine in Fort Worth, TX

        Brandie, I have a two recipes for Orange Poppy Seed Dressing that I got many many years ago from an online group that I belonged to. The group is now extinct, but I can send it to you if you'd like. It is easy to do and quick. It makes 1 1/2 cups which I think would be equal to the 12 ounce bottle of dressing. One recipe uses cornstarch for the thickener and the other recipe uses powdered fruit pectin for the thickener. I just wanted to check with you before posting it I don't want to do anything wrong. Let me know if you would be interested.

      • Brandie @ The Country Cook

        Hi Claudine! Of course I would love it! If you wouldn't mind, I'll add it into this post in case anyone wants to make it themselves. I always appreciate a good recipe share!

      • Sunni

        Hello, Was the dressing recipe ever posted? 1 Would love to have it and cannot find it ❤

  5. Sherry

    Print link doesn't work...

    Reply

    • Brandie @ The Country Cook

      Hi Sherry! I just tested it and it's working. It might've been a temporary hiccup. Can you try again? 🙂

      Reply

  6. Diana Flynn

    5 stars
    Hi Brandie,
    The Orange chicken pasta sounds delicious! Where can we find Orange poppyseed dressing?

    Thank you

    Reply

    • Brandie @ The Country Cook

      Hi Diana, I purchased it at Kroger. I also saw it at Walmart. But, if you can't find it, the regular poppyseed dressing still works good!

      Reply

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