Recipe: Copycat Panera Strawberry Chicken Salad

If you're a fan of Panera's Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad, you're going to LOVE our healthy [...]

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If you're a fan of Panera's Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad, you're going to LOVE our healthy version! We pile spring mix high with grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, sliced almonds and our Skinny Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing for a healthy and filling salad. Now that you know how to make your own Panera® salad, you can make it for cheap whenever you want!

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Pro tip: If the calorie count seems a little high for you, ditch the dressing (even though it's delicious). The salad alone with no dressing comes in at only 272 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 27 carbs. Click here for the Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing recipe, complete with nutrition facts!

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Recipe: Copycat Panera Strawberry Chicken Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving size: ¼ of recipe + 2 tablespoons dressing

Ingredients
Salad:

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 1 (1-pound) container spring mix (about 10 cups)
  • 2 cups sliced strawberries (about half a quart)
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup canned pineapple wedges in 100% juice
  • 1 cup canned no-sugar-added mandarin oranges
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing:

  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • ½ cup white balsamic vinegar (or regular, but the dressing will be darker)
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon stevia (or your favorite no-calorie sweetener)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Instructions

  1. Preheat a grill pan or indoor grill to medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.

  2. Coat the grill pan with nonstick cooking spray, and grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from the heat and let rest before slicing diagonally in thin strips.

  3. To assemble the salad, gently toss all of the ingredients together and serve the sliced chicken on top.

  4. To make the dressing: Combine all of the dressing ingredients except the poppy seeds together in a high-speed blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

  5. Stir in the poppy seeds and transfer to an airtight bottle or container with a lid (like a mason jar) and store in the refrigerator.

  6. Drizzle ½ cup of the dressing on the salad and toss to combine.

  7. If you choose to plate the salads individually, each serving yields about 2½-3 cups of spring mix, 4 ounces of chicken, ½ cup of strawberries, ¼ cup of blueberries, ¼ cup of pineapple, ¼ cup of mandarin oranges, 1 tablespoon of almonds, and 2 tablespoons of dressing.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (¼ of recipe + 2 tablespoons dressing)
Calories: 391
Fat: 13g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 55mg
Sodium: 333mg
Carbohydrates: 41g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 24g
Protein: 29g

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