Friday, June 23, 2017

Thai Chicken Salad (Copy Cat Panera Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken)

Last Year's Post: Salmon Nicoise Salad
Two Years Ago:   Muffuletta

This is my favorite Panera salad by far.  I think it's the spicy peanut drizzle along with the crunch of Romaine, edamame, wonton strips and nuts that makes it so satisfying while still low-fat and healthy.  Although I found several versions of the recipe online that supposedly re-created the salad, a lot of them had strange variations (yogurt in the sauce?  I mean, really.)  I KNOW this salad and wanted to re-create it as faithfully as possible so I combined various elements from all the recipes and was very happy with the result.  (OK, true confession, I substituted peanuts for cashews because that's what I had on hand.  Same difference.)

As you go through the Panera ordering line, the server first tosses the greens with dressing, then adds a scoop of edamame/carrots/red pepper and another scoop of sliced chicken.  The peanut drizzle, wonton strips and nuts go on last.  Can you tell I've ordered it a few times?  This recipe mimics that process.  The only thing I couldn't tell is whether they marinate their chicken before cooking, but I found an interesting marinade in one of the recipes so I tried it.  The resulting flavor is delicate but complements the salad very well.  If you don't feel like marinating the chicken I don't think it will impact the salad much with all those other big flavors, which means you could make it quickly any night of the week using a grilled or rotisserie chicken breast from the deli.




The good news is that the only somewhat unusual ingredient is Thai sweet red chile sauce, which you can find in the Asian condiments at any grocery store.

Start by marinating and cooking the chicken, if applicable, so it can cool.  You could also do this in advance.  Then saute the veggies so they can cool which only takes a few minutes, or it can also be done in advance.  Make the salad dressing and peanut drizzle, then you're ready to assemble.


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Thai Chicken Salad (Copycat Panera)

Chicken Marinade:
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, grated
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 small lime, juiced
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salad:
Vegetable oil
1 small carrot, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup shelled edamame (defrosted if frozen)
8-10 cups Romaine hearts, chopped (about 3 hearts)  
½ cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup wonton strips
½ cup chopped cashews or peanuts

Dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup Thai sweet red chili sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Pinch of salt and pepper

Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Thai sweet red chili sauce
2 tablespoons water (more if needed)


In a ziplock bag, combine all ingredients for the chicken marinade.  Add the chicken and massage the bag to coat the chicken on both sides, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Cook the chicken on a grill or in a 350d oven for about 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165d.  Set aside to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Preheat a nonstick skillet to medium, and then add a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil.  Cook the chopped carrot, red pepper and edamame until charred and slightly soft.  Cool mixture and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients; taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  In a second small bowl, combine all the peanut sauce ingredients; thin with a little additional water if it seems too thick to drizzle. 

In a large bowl, combine the Romaine, cilantro, and green onions. Toss with enough dressing to barely coat.  Divide among serving bowls, and then top with chicken and vegetable mixture.  Drizzle with the peanut sauce and top with wonton strips and nuts.



3 comments:

somesh said...

thank you for sharing this recipes

i really loved it

for more salad recipes

visit us

Salad Recipes

Unknown said...

This was delicious! Taste just like Panera bread. I used chicken tenderloins instead and I loved it. Prep is a little long but end results were great!!

Kaz70 said...

We are kindred spirits with this salad!! I do NOT know how i never came across your post before but at least i found it today! I don't actually do the Thai dressing though, i prefer just getting a little extra peanut sauce. I found a handful of other people's copycat recipes which were never even close.. i came across the one with the yogurt too... Whaaat?! After digging around on Panera's website a bit,i had found the "supposed" recipe of how to make the peanut sauce, but it uses their Asian sesame dressing and srirachai sauce instead of the chili sauce. It's SO bad i had to throw it out... I Tried 3 separate times adding things to potentially counter the bad taste. My husband insisted i didn't follow the measurements for it to be that bad. Anyways, after a year of looking and testing, i found your recipe and immediately went to make it. I had to substitute Frank's hot sweet chili sauce for the Thai one because i was too excited to wait and run to the store, but they're very similar. I was in salad heaven!! Thank you so much for posting this! I only have 1 other copycat recipe to find (a discontinued
Item froml Noodles & Co that I'm very upset about) but for now i can eat my salad a ridiculous number of times with no guilt since it's home made :)