Sesame Mandarin-Chicken Salad
with Candied Cashews
- Sesame
- Soy
- Wheat
- Tree Nuts
We like our main-course salads the way we like our parties: big and never boring. This hearty dinner delivers on both fronts. It starts with a base of spinach and red cabbage–carrot slaw that’s topped with slices of tender chicken. Then, there are juicy mandarin oranges coming in like rays of sunshine on a gray day. To up the crunch factor, homemade candied cashews are sprinkled over the top. As much as we love all these components, we think the best part is our sesame dressing perked up with sweet Thai chili sauce and bright pops of mandarin zest. Just like the best parties, this is a dinner that we never want to end.
Ingredients
1 ounce
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
5 ounce
Spinach
1.5 ounce
Sesame Dressing
(Contains: Sesame, Soy, Wheat)
4 ounce
Red Cabbage and Carrot Mix
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1 unit
Mandarin Orange
½ ounce
Cashews
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Zest mandarin until you have ¼ tsp (1⁄3 tsp for 4 servings); peel and dice fruit into bite-size pieces. • In a small bowl, combine sesame dressing, chili sauce, and mandarin zest. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Heat a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add cashews, 1 tsp sugar (2 tsp for 4 servings), and 1 TBSP water (2 TBSP water for 4). Cook, stirring often, until water has evaporated and cashews are coated and lightly toasted, 3-5 minutes. • Turn off heat; transfer to a second small bowl. Wipe out pan.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels. Season all over with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for cashews over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. • Remove from pan; transfer to a cutting board to rest.
• In a large bowl, toss spinach, red cabbage and carrot mix, and half the mandarin with half the dressing. • Thinly slice chicken crosswise. • Divide salad between bowls. Top with chicken, candied cashews, and remaining mandarin. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the sweet-and-spicy combo, with the mandarin and candied cashews balancing the sesame dressing nicely 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Customers found this quick and simple to make, with some appreciating learning how to candy nuts.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more dressing, cashews, and mandarin; some preferred mixed greens over all spinach.
- Portions: Several felt it wasn't quite filling enough as a main dish; adding more protein or toppings could help.
- Freshness: Some reported issues with wilted spinach or spoiled cabbage; using fresher produce would improve the dish.
Reviews from our home cooks
This salad was absolutely delicious! Although the sauce/dressing was quite thick which made it a little difficult to dress the spinach greens. I did add some sesame oil and soy sauce to the dressing. It was a bit too sweet the way it was. I think next time I will heat the dressing mixture through, like you would with a traditional spinach salad, to thin it out some. I also made Jasmine rice to go with it. The pop of the mandarins, the crunch of the cashews, everything together...perfection. Even my mother who usually needs help eating, was grabbing this by the handful. She was charmingly humming along with every bite making it known that she really REALLY enjoyed this meal. Will definitely be ordering this meal again.
Very flavorful. We also added some Chinese 5-spice to the chicken to add to the garlic/salt/pepper that was instructed. The candied cashews were REALLY good. I think a bit more quantity would be even a bigger plus. Due to a Mandarin Orange shortage (?) a Naval orange was sent and they even sent a notice prior to delivery as a 'heads up'.
Everything mixed together on this salad was the absolute perfect bite. I did have to add rice wine vinegar as it was not very much dressing and way too thick. That did the trick. The candied cashew with the carrots and sesame chicken was oh so yummy!
Very good flavor. The orange did not overpower the dish, but did enhance the sesame & sweet Thai chili dressing. Did not use the cabbage mix, as I have a hard time chewing red cabbage. Used stevia sweetener for the cashews.
The salad was amazing. I would only suggest one thing that you give a few more cashews with the ingredients. The chicken is such high quality and so delicious. Loved the purple cabbage mixed in with a spinach. The dressing was very delicious as well.
First, I don't have sugar, I'll never have sugar, and should have been warned that I'd be expected to have sugar to make the candied cashews. To me, that's not something like salt and pepper that everyone should just have. Second, this recipe was just not that great. As with seemingly all salad recipes, there is way too much of the "salad" part and way too little of the protein part. The dressing was passable but not great.
This calorie-light and quick recipe is a great lunch to help with your fitness resolutions. The candied cashews are delightful and the Sesame dressing adds a nice kick. A great salad.
WE LOVED THIS!!! The oranges and cashews made the salad interesting and delicious. This is a recipe I will gladly repeat!!
Very good except i think next time I'll make the cashews last as they cooled too much and all stuck together. Refreshing salad!!!
Delish! The candied cashews add a great crunch factor and are way easier to make than I thought they would be.
