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Recipe for Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

Sweet and crunchy Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad with chow mein noodles and sesame dressing developed by the California Culinary Centers for school food service and menu planning.

Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

For more recipes visit the CA Culinary Centers Standardized Recipes web page. Share your results with us on Twitter @CDENutrition External link opens in new window or tab..

Yields 50 Servings

This recipe yields 3 gallons and 3 quarts of Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad to make 50–9.5 ounce salads.

Ingredients

Ingredients list includes measure by weight or volume. Choose one measure, either weight or volume, for the ingredient. Weight is listed first in bold.

  • 6 pounds and 4 ounces frozen fully-cooked diced chicken (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] food item)
  • 11 pounds and 3 ounces as purchased (AP) or 5 gallons and 1 quart and 3½ cups fresh romaine lettuce
  • 2 pounds fresh ready-to-use green shredded cabbage
  • 8 pounds and 6 ounces or 3 quarts and ½ cup drained canned mandarin oranges
  • 7 pounds and 1 ounce AP fresh whole pears (USDA food item)
  • 2 cups of citrus-based juice, such as orange juice
  • 13 ounces fresh green onions
  • 2 pounds and 8 ounces or 3 quarts and ½ cup fresh ready-to-use shredded carrots
  • 1 pound and 7 ounces or 1–24 ounce can chow mein noodles
  • 50 Asian sesame dressing packets, 2 ounces each

Directions

  1. Thaw diced chicken in refrigerator. Remove thawed diced chicken and place in one–12 inch by 20 inch by 4 inch steam table pans. Critical Control Point (CCP): Hold in refrigerator at 41°F or lower.
  2. Rinse lettuce under cold running water and trim. Chop lettuce into strips to measure 3 quarts and ½ cup.
  3. Place lettuce and cabbage into separate 18 inch by 26 inch by 9 inch or 13 gallon food containers.
  4. Add shredded cabbage. Mix.
  5. Drain mandarin oranges into colander. Place mandarins into one–12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pan.
  6. Rinse and dice pears into ¼ inch cubes to measure 3 quarts and ½ cup. Place into one–12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pan. Pour citrus-based juice, such as orange juice, in pan to keep pears from turning brown.
  7. Rinse green onions and chop to measure 3⅛ cups. Place into one–12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pan.
  8. In two separate 12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pans, place shredded carrots and chow mein noodles.
Assembly
  1. Arrange and stage ingredients in sequence on Ameri Pac Machine or work table to build salad.
  2. In 3 cup capacity or larger individual serving container: Portion 2 cups lettuce-cabbage mix, top mix with ½ cup or one number 8 scoop diced chicken, ¼ cup or one number 16 scoop shredded carrots, 1 tablespoon chopped green onions, and ¼ cup or one number 16 scoop chow mein noodles.
  3. Cover or wrap salad. CCP: Hold in refrigerator 41°F or lower.

Nutritional Analysis

  • Calories, in K calories: 251
  • Carbohydrates, in grams: 34.4
  • Protein, in grams: 21
  • Saturated fat, in grams: 1
  • Trans fat, in grams: 0
  • Total fat, in grams: 5.2
  • Sodium, in milligrams: 174

Recipe Options

The CA Culinary Centers have calculated and tested the yields for this standardized recipe. You may choose to vary the spices in the recipe to meet the taste preferences of your students. For example, using a 1.5 to 2 ratio for spices when doubling the recipe yield from 50 to 100. However, changing or substituting any other ingredients may result in a different yield, meal contribution, or dietary specification, and should be considered a different recipe. To learn more about how to standardize your recipe visit the CA Culinary Centers Standardized Recipes web page Resources tab.

Yields 100 Servings

This recipe yields 7 gallons and 1⅔ quarts of Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad to make 100–9.5 ounce salads.

Ingredients

Ingredients list includes measure by weight or volume. Choose one measure, either weight or volume, for the ingredient. Weight is listed first in bold.

  • 12 pounds and 8 ounces frozen fully-cooked diced chicken (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] food item)
  • 22 pounds and 6 ounces as purchased (AP) or 10 gallons and 2 quarts and 3 cups fresh romaine lettuce
  • 4 pounds fresh ready-to-use green shredded cabbage
  • 16 pounds and 12 ounces or 1 gallon and 2 quarts and 1 cup drained canned mandarin oranges
  • 14 pounds and 2 ounces AP fresh whole pears (USDA food item)
  • 1 quart of citrus-based juice, such as orange juice
  • 1 pound and 10 ounces fresh green onions
  • 5 pounds or 1 gallon and 2 quarts and 1 cup fresh ready-to-use shredded carrots
  • 2 pounds and 14 ounces or 2–24 ounce cans chow mein noodles
  • 100 Asian sesame dressing packets, 2 ounces each

Directions

  1. Thaw diced chicken in refrigerator. Remove thawed diced chicken and place in two–12 inch by 20 inch by 4 inch steam table pans. Critical Control Point (CCP): Hold in refrigerator at 41°F or lower.
  2. Rinse lettuce under cold running water and trim. Chop lettuce into strips to measure 1 gallon and 2 quarts and 1 cup.
  3. Place lettuce and cabbage into separate 18 inch by 26 inch by 9 inch or 13 gallon food containers.
  4. Add shredded cabbage. Mix.
  5. Drain mandarin oranges into colander. Place mandarins into two–12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pan.
  6. Rinse and dice pears into ¼ inch cubes to measure 1 gallon and 2 quarts and 1 cup. Place into two–12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pan. Pour citrus-based juice, such as orange juice, in pan to keep pears from turning brown.
  7. Rinse green onions and chop to measure 1 quart and 2¼ cups. Place into one–12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pan.
  8. In two separate 12¾ inch by 6⅞ inch by 4 inch pans, place shredded carrots and chow mein noodles.
Assembly
  1. Arrange and stage ingredients in sequence on Ameri Pac Machine or work table to build salad.
  2. In 3 cup capacity or larger individual serving container: Portion 2 cups lettuce-cabbage mix, top mix with ½ cup or one number 8 scoop diced chicken, ¼ cup or number one 16 scoop shredded carrots, 1 tablespoon chopped green onions, and ¼ cup or one number 16 scoop chow mein noodles.
  3. Cover or wrap salad. CCP: Hold in refrigerator 41°F or lower.

Nutritional Analysis

  • Calories, in K calories: 251
  • Carbohydrates, in grams: 34.4
  • Protein, in grams: 21
  • Saturated fat, in grams: 1
  • Trans fat, in grams: 0
  • Total fat, in grams: 5.2
  • Sodium, in milligrams: 174

Recipe Options

The CA Culinary Centers have calculated and tested the yields for this standardized recipe. You may choose to vary the spices in the recipe to meet the taste preferences of your students. For example, using a 1.5 to 2 ratio for spices when doubling the recipe yield from 50 to 100. However, changing or substituting any other ingredients may result in a different yield, meal contribution, or dietary specification, and should be considered a different recipe. To learn more about how to standardize your recipe visit the CA Culinary Centers Standardized Recipes web page Resources tab.

General Recipe Information

Category

  • Salad recipes

Serving Suggestion

  • Yield 50 or yield 100–9.5 ounce servings

Contribution to Meal Pattern

The contribution to the meal pattern for this recipe is based on the suggested serving size above.

  • 2 ounce equivalents meat/meat alternative
  • ½ cup fruits
  • 1⅜ cup vegetables: ⅞ dark green, ¼ red orange, and ¼ cup other

If you decide to modify this recipe or serving size, you may use the tools available on the CA Culinary Centers Standardized Recipes web page Resources tab to create your own standardized recipe or find the contribution to the meal pattern.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Items

  • Frozen fully-cooked diced chicken
  • Fresh whole pears

Recipe Roots (Flavor Profile)

  • California fresh
  • Asian

Preparation Time

  • Preparation to serve time: 1 hour and 30 minutes for 50 servings and 3 hours for 100 servings

Critical Control Point (CCP)

  • CCP: Hold frozen fully-cooked diced chicken in refrigerator at 41°F or lower.
  • CCP: Hold salad in refrigerator at 41°F or lower.

Kid Rating

Four-fork kid rating.

Culinary Center

Riverside Unified School District

 

Questions:   Nutrition Services | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Thursday, July 17, 2025
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