Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad | A rich cuisine

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salad | July 1, 2019

Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad is a fresh combination of sweet and savory Asian flavors in your soon-to-be-favorite salad!

Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad is always a winner at gatherings. It’s filled with lots of things we love: teriyaki chicken and dressing, oranges, craisins, fresh spinach, pasta, water chestnuts, and honey roasted nuts, to name a few.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this salad. Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad is perfect for a buffet. It’s colorful and tastes as good as it looks! I can be served as a main course or as a side dish. This recipe serves 10-12 as a main course or about 18 as a side.

Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad is perfect for everything from summer BBQs to wedding or baby showers. I have a recipe for a teriyaki chicken and vegetable pasta salad that’s more savory than sweet; but it’s very different from this Ivory family lettuce.

Years ago a friend gave me the cookbook “Favorites”. It’s a local cookbook (which I believe is now out of print) put together by the women of the Ivory family. If you live in Utah, the name Ivory Homes will be familiar. I spoke to one of the authors after she finished this book and she told me it was a compilation of recipes family and friends have used over the years.

They originally printed the cookbook to give as a family gift and had so many requests for books that they decided to do a second printing to sell to the public. It has sold many copies. It’s a local favorite and one I’ve given away many times over the years! I love that the proceeds from this book have been donated to the Make a Wish Foundation.

This recipe I’ve used over and over again and is one you should PEN use at a later date! If you’re looking for a way to do this for a crowd, take a look at this post where I show how to do it This recipe for 100. I know it will become a family favorite of yours just as it has been in our family. Thank you Ivory family for sharing this recipe!

This recipe was originally published in March 2010 and has been updated with new photos and recipe changes.

Pasta salad with spinach, chicken and bow tie

Adapted from the cookbook “Favorites”, A Collection of Ivory Family Recipes. Sweet and savory, this pasta salad is just the right mix of pasta and veggies. It’s everyone’s favorite pasta salad and so easy to make!

ingredients

  • 16
    oz
    Fly noodles, regular or mini size, cooked al dente and drained
  • 2
    tablespoon
    sea-salt

dressing

  • 2/3
    Cup
    vegetable or rapeseed oil
  • 2/3
    Cup
    Teriyaki Sauce*
    see recipe notes
  • 2/3
    Cup
    Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/3
    Cup
    Granulated sugar or honey to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste

salad

  • 2
    large chicken breast halves, or about 3 cups chicken breasts total
  • 8-12
    cups
    baby spinach
  • 1
    6 ounces
    Pocket Craisins
  • 3
    11 oz
    Canned tangerines, well drained
  • 2
    8 ounces
    Canned water chestnuts, drained and chopped
  • 1/2
    Cup
    chopped fresh parsley
    Optional
  • 1
    bunch
    spring onions, chopped
  • 1/4
    Cup
    roasted sesame*
  • 1
    small can
    honey roasted peanuts or cashews (about 2 cups)
    I like cashew nuts

instructions

Preparation:

  1. In a ziplock bag or shallow dish, marinate the chicken in a cup of the teriyaki sauce the day before serving the salad or early the same day. This step is optional, but the chicken will taste better if marinated first.

make dressing:

  1. Puree the ingredients for the dressing in a blender or food processor. Put aside.

For the salad:

  1. Cook the pasta in a saucepan with boiling water and 2 tablespoons of salt al dente, drain and set aside.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine about 1 cup of the dressing and the cooked pasta and marinate in the refrigerator for two hours. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining salad ingredients. If you prefer a lighter color of the pasta, don’t marinate them, just toss them with some olive or canola oil after cooking and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

  3. Cook the marinated chicken in the oven or on the grill. Let cool and slice.

Assemble the salad:

  1. Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl, reserving a few of each of the ingredients for the salad.

  2. Toss the salad ingredients with about 1/2 cup of the dressing, add the noodles and toss gently.

  3. Place the tossed pasta salad on a serving platter or large bowl, garnish the salad with the reserved ingredients and sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle with some additional dressing and serve.

recipe notes

  • I like to marinate the chicken in about 1 cup of teriyaki sauce overnight in the fridge. Drain the chicken and discard the sauce. Roast the chicken for about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before adding to the salad.
  • Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki is my favorite pre-made teriyaki sauce. It can be found on Amazon or most grocery stores. Usually in the Asian department. If using this brand, reduce the amount of teriyaki sauce to 1/3 cup. The Soy Vay brand is very thick and concentrated so less is needed. Be sure to shake the bottle well before use, the sesame seeds tend to float to the top of the bottle.
  • I usually skip marinating the pasta after cooking, I like it when the pasta is a lighter color and the chicken is a darker color.
  • This salad can also be made a day or two before serving. Cook pasta and chicken and store in separate ziplock bags in the refrigerator. Prepare the dressing and refrigerate. Chop everything: scallions, parsley, water chestnuts and place in separate containers or bags. Drain the tangerines and place in the bag. When ready to serve, assemble as directed.

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