Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad is a fresh combination of sweet and savory Asian flavors in your soon to be new favorite salad!
Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad is always a winner at gatherings. It is filled with many 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 a single person 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 dish or as a side dish. This recipe serves 10-12 as a main dish or about 18 as a side dish.
Teriyaki Spinach Pasta Salad is perfect for everything from summer barbecues, 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 completely different than this salad from the Ivory family.
Years ago a friend gave me the cookbook “Favorites”. It’s a local cookbook (which I believe is out of print now) , put together by the women of the Ivory family. If you live in Utah, the Ivory Homes name is familiar. I talked to one of the authors right after she finished this book and she told me it was a compilation of family and friend recipes they used over the years.
They originally printed the cookbook for giving to family, and had so many requests for books they decided to do a second printing to sell to the public. It sold many copies It’s a local favorite cookbook, and one that I’ve given as gifts many times over the years! I love that the proceeds from this book were donated to the Make a Wish Foundation.
This recipe is one I’ve used over and over again and is one you should PIN to use at a later date! If you are looking for a way to make this for a crowd, take a look at this post, where I share how to make this recipe for 100. I know it will become a family favorite of yours, just as it has in our family. Thanks Ivory family for sharing this recipe!
This recipe was originally posted in March of 2010 and has been updated with new photos and recipe alterations.
Spinach, Chicken and Bowtie Pasta Salad
Adapted from the "Favorites" cookbook, A Collection of Ivory Family Recipes. This pasta salad is sweet and savory and just the right blend of pasta and greens. It is everyone's favorite pasta salad and so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 16 oz Bowtie pasta, regular or mini size, cooked al dente and drained
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
Dressing
- 2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2/3 cup teriyaki sauce* see recipe notes
- 2/3 cup 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 total chicken breast
- 8-12 cups baby spinach
- 1 6 oz bag Craisins
- 3 11 oz cans mandarin oranges, drained well
- 2 8 oz cans sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped optional
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds*
- 1 small can honey roasted peanuts or cashews (about 2 cups) I like cashews
Instructions
Preparation:
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The day before serving salad, or early on the same day, marinate the chicken in a Ziplock bag or shallow dish in one cup of the teriyaki sauce. This step is optional, but the chicken will have better flavor if marinated ahead of time.
Make Dressing:
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Blend dressing ingredients together in blender or food processor. Set aside.
For Salad:
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Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water and 2 tablespoons salt until al dente, drain and set aside.
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Mix about 1 cup of dressing and the cooked pasta in medium bowl and marinate for two hours in refrigerator. Meanwhile, prepare remaining salad ingredients. If you prefer the pasta to have a lighter color, do not marinate, just toss with a little olive or canola oil after cooking and refrigerate until ready to use.
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Cook the marinated chicken in oven or on bbq grill. Let cool and slice.
Assemble Salad:
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Combine remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl, reserving a few of each of the ingredients for on top of the salad.
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Toss the salad ingredients with about 1/2 cup of dressing, add pasta and toss gently.
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Place the tossed pasta salad on a serving platter or large bowl, top the salad with the reserved ingredients and sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle with a little additional dressing and serve.
Recipe Notes
- I like to marinate the chicken in about 1 cup of teriyaki sauce overnight in the refrigerator. Drain the chicken and discard the sauce. Broil the chicken for about 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding to salad.
- Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki is my favorite pre made teriyaki sauce. It can be found on Amazon, or at most grocery stores. Usually in the Asian section. 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. Make sure to shake the bottle well before using, the sesame seeds tend to float to the top of the bottle.
- I usually skip marinating the pasta after it is cooked, I like the pasta to be lighter in color, and the chicken to have a darker color.
- This salad may also be made a day or two ahead of serving. Cook the pasta and chicken and store in separate Ziplock bags in refrigerator. Make dressing and refrigerate as well. Chop all of the following: green onions, parsley, water chestnuts and place in separate containers or bags. Drain the mandarin oranges and place in bag. When ready to serve, assemble as directed.
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This looks sooooo tasty. I am always happy to find a new and delicious salad. Thanks!!
I'm trying this yummy looking salad for a party tomorrow night. Hopefully, it is a success! Yours looks beautiful.
made this as the main course in a boxed dinner the other night, and it was seriously delectable "girl food" (several comments like, "my kids/husband wouldn't like this, but i love it!"). perfect for a party with women. i doubled the batch and came out with 30 take-out containers filled about 3/4 full. thank you for the recipe!
Si, I can't believe I never knew you had a blog. You served us this amazing salad at a Mueller Park Jr High luncheon and I have been making it ever since. Everyone loves it and always wants to have the recipe. Sometimes we say it is a small world and other times it's right under our nose and we don't realize it. My neighbor the other day was telling me about your blog and when I got on, I couldn't believe that it was yours. I have never been able to remember your name and I live right here in Bountiful. I am going to try your other recipes. Thanks for sharing about 12 years ago, many people have enjoyed this recipe. Cyndi Corey
Hi Cyndi!
That must have been one of the teacher luncheons I did back when one of my older kids were attending MPJ? It is a small world, and I love connecting with people through ABK! Thanks for the nice note. Oh, and if you are looking to make this recipe for a large group, you can search the name of the recipe with 100 after the name and it will bring up the most recent post. Helpful info if you are using this recipe for serving a large group.
Happy cooking!
Si
How many does this serve? I’m trying to multiply recipe to feed 400. Thanks!
This recipe is a family favorite! I took it to a recent family reunion and everyone was asking for the recipe.
I made this pasta salad today, it turned out delicious!
I followed the recipe exactly. My sister Roxanne told me about Si’s website a few years ago, I love that a bountiful kitchen has great recipes and helpful tips. Thank you Si!
Made this for a block party and it was a hit! The bowl was empty and everyone loved it! Thanks for the yummy recipe!!
I was just wondering if you could make a direct pin for this recipe for Pinterest. When I click on your “pin” button it just brings me to your Pinterest account and you have so many posts on your account that I can’t find the recipe on there. I an super excited to make this though! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
We made this for a family bridal shower this month and it was a hit!
It’s a great substantial salad with the pasta and chicken.
I made this the other day and it was a huge hit! Thanks!!
This is going on my recipe list! So yummy!!!
This is the recipe my family requests I bring to every single gathering. I lost the recipe this year and everyone was so disappointed I couldn’t bring this dish on 3 separate occasions this summer. Now that I’ve tracked down the recipe again it’s already on the schedule for this weekend and two other upcoming events. Not exaggerating. We eat this all. the. time.
Making this tonight! Do you prefer the taste of the dressing with honey or sugar?? It looks amazing
Hi Carly,
I have made it both ways and like both. I would say that I use sugar most often in this recipe. Hope you love it as much as we do!
xo
Si