Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad

By vealam

Ingredients

• 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 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
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
• 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
• 1/2 cup edamame, cooked and shelled
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced small or shredded
• 1/2 cup yellow or orange bell peppers, diced small (another color may be substituted)
• 1/2 cup chow mein noodles (add dry, don't cook)
• 1/2 cup Fisher Natural Sliced Almonds
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced thin (about 2 green onions using both green and white)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 20mins
Adapted from averiecooks.com

Preparation

Step 1

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