I’m lucky that Bill loves a good entrée salad as much as I do, and one of our favorites is Mandarin Orange and Almond Chicken Salad.  I’ve been making it since we were first married so it’s definitely a tried-and-true recipe.  My college roommate first shared the dressing recipe with me, however, I’ve altered it slightly over the years.  At some point I added the barbecue chicken, and voila, we had a delicious dinner salad.

I recently discovered Smart Chicken at Harris Teeter, and it makes my life so much easier.  Smart Chicken is both hormone and antibiotic free, it’s air-chilled (no water added), and has been trimmed of all fat, skin, and connective tissue.  Chicken is one of those meats that I have trouble eating after I’ve worked with it raw, and the less I have to mess with it the better I can stomach the finished product.  Yes, Smart Chicken is more expensive, but for me, it’s worth the extra cost.

PackagedChicken
 

Once the chicken is clean and ready to go, I place it in a large skillet covered with a thin layer of smoke-flavored barbecue sauce.  Next I turn the chicken to cover both sides or add a little more barbecue sauce on top. I pour about a cup of water around the chicken, bring it to a slight boil, cover it, and then immediately turn the temperature down and simmer on low for about 30 minutes until tender.

SimmeringChickenInBBQSauce
 

While the chicken simmers, I make the salad dressing and prep the other items for the salad.

 

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

  • Rind of 1 orange, grated
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup canola or avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

 

Salad Ingredients:

  • 4 prepared chicken breasts
  • 1 head green leaf lettuce, mixed greens, or baby spinach
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 2 bunches scallions
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 2 15-ounce cans mandarin oranges

MandarinOrangeChickenSaladIngredients
 

While the chicken cools, I arrange the lettuce/spinach on the plate, followed by cucumbers and scallions. Once the chicken cools, I slice it on the diagonal and arrange it on the bed of veggies.  I top it off with mandarin oranges and slivered almonds.

MandarinOrangeChickenSalad
 

For your convenience, I’ve made a recipe card for you to print out and file with your other favorite recipes. Enjoy!

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’3′] 

 

  • Questions:
  • What is your favorite chicken recipe?
  • Do you enjoy entrée salads?
  • Have you tried Smart Chicken?