Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (Panera Bread Copycat)

Is the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad your favorite thing to order at Panera Bread? Then you’re in luck, because today I’m showing you just how easy it is to make it at home! It’s more affordable than ordering it at the restaurant and you can make it your own with whatever toppings you choose!

The salad is tossed with my easy copycat Fuji Apple Salad Dressing, giving it the signature sweet, tart flavor that we all know and love!

I remember when Panera Bread came to my hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma when I was in high school. It was such a big deal and we would frequent there for breakfast pastries and lunch.

The salad + sandwich combo became my go-to lunch order, with the salad always being the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. It’s got the perfect combination of flavor and texture. From the warm flavorful grilled chicken, to the crispy apples, I can’t get enough of this salad!

In 2020, when we were staying at home, I started recreating some of my restaurant favorites. Like this Pasta Boscaiola from Buona Forchetta (a local San Diego favorite!) and Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, a copycat recipe from one of my favorite San Diego Thai restaurants.

Next up was this Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, a Panera Bread restaurant favorite. The number of homemade ingredients in this recipe is totally up to you!

You can make your own apple chips, or do what I did and buy them at the grocery store. You can grill your own chicken, or use already cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken.

But the one thing I insist that you make yourself is the Fuji Apple Salad Dressing! It really is what gives this salad it’s signature flavor and it’s easy to make in only 5 minutes!

Ingredients

• Mixed greens – for this recipe, I used a combination spring mix and baby spinach. You could use just spring mix, just spinach, kale or chopped romaine lettuce.
• Fuji apple salad dressing – this easy homemade recipe only takes 5 minutes to make, with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!
• Apple chips – these can be homemade or store bought. If you want to make them yourself, I recommend checking out this recipe for apple chips to make them in the oven or air fryer. If you’re purchasing them at the grocery store, I recommend a plain, non-flavored apple chip for this recipe.
• Cooked chicken breasts – for this recipe, I used this grilled Lemon Rosemary Chicken. It’s delicious and pairs perfectly with the salad! If you’d like something easier, pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. Shred or chop the breast meat and add it to the salad.
• Crumbled gorgonzola cheese – this Italian style blue cheese is what Panera Bread uses on their salad at the restaurant. We love it, so that’s what we use also! If you’d like a milder cheese, I’d recommend crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.
• Red onion
• Cherry tomatoes
• Toasted pecan pieces – this is another ingredient that you can make yourself or purchase at the grocery store. Evolving Table has a great post on How to Toast Pecans in the oven or on the stove. Follow her directions to easily toast the pecans yourself, or purchased toasted or roasted pecans at the grocery store.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, toss the mixed greens with the fuji apple salad dressing. Divide between four bowls.
2. Top with the apple chips, chicken, gorgonzola cheese, red onion, tomatoes and pecans.

Easy as that, in two simple steps your Panera Bread copycat salad is on the table for lunch or dinner!

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