Mandarin and Brown Rice Chicken Salad
By Julie Cader
Hey cuties! It’s that time of year for the yummy, juicy mandarins from California. In this brown rice salad recipe, the brown rice was cooked in water seasoned with olive oil fused with blood orange. Adding chopped vegetables, dried fruit and hazel nuts, along with the cooked chicken, makes for a hearty side salad.
Ingredients
For the rice:
2 cups California Brown Rice
3 cups water
1 Tablespoon Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil
Dash of salt
Combine rice, water, oil and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover with tight-fitting lid and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let rice steam (covered) for another 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and let cool.
For the salad:
6 cups cooked brown rice, cooled
6 mandarins, peeled and cut into small segments
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced red, orange and yellow mini peppers
1 cup diced Brazil Nuts
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup diced dates
1 Tablespoon diced fresh mint
1 teaspoon lemon pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
In a bowl, combine the cooled brown rice with the other ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
For the salad dressing:
Juice of 4 mandarins
2 Tablespoons Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to Taste
In a bowl, combine salad dressing ingredients. Stir into rice mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend.
Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice.
