Panera Bread’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad is one of favorite salads, especially this time of year. Unfortunately the nearest Panera Bread is about 20 minutes from my house. When I want to get my Fuji Apple Chicken Salad fix I sometimes just make my own at home.
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Tender chicken breast slices, tomatoes, red onion slices, apple chips and toasted pecans are tossed in a white balsamic vinaigrette to make a salad that is crisp, sweet and tart. It’s a delight for the tastebuds and anything but an ordinary salad.
Copycat Recipe
This is by far my favorite salad at Panera. I’ve lost track of how many times I have ordered it. The great thing about making it at home is you can do it for a fraction of the cost, plus you can control the ingredient proportions. Pants fitting a little tight one week? Go easy on the cheese and pecans and heavy on the mixed greens. Plus if you work from home like I do, you can portion the salad into 4 Tupperware containers (keep the pecans and apple chips separate so they don’t get soggy) and eat it for lunch all week.
It combines all of my salad favorites: a protein, cheese, fruit, and nuts. This salad is a lovely combination of mixed greens, chicken breast, tomatoes, red onion, gorgonzola cheese, pecans and the piece de resistance- Apple Chips!!! They totally make the salad and this time of year I say apples should be eaten at every opportunity.
Caramelized Apple Chips
I used these fabulous Caramelized Apple Chips that I made recently. It’s a super simple recipe that involves simmering thinly sliced apples in a water/sugar solution and then baking them in the oven. They get nice and crisp, plus have an incredible sweetness to them, just like the ones on Panera’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
The tangy flavor from the vinaigrette really complements the flavor of the apple chips. This dressing can easily be doubled or tripled so you have salad dressing for the whole week.
Variations and Substitutions
Salads are so easy to customize to your own tastes and to what you have on hand.
- For a shortcut, use rotisserie chicken.
- For a milder flavor, use goat cheese or feta cheese.
- Add cucumber, avocado, red bell pepper, or carrots.
- Use fresh apple in place of apple chips.
- Use walnuts or almonds in place of pecans.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
- Strawberry Fields Salad
- Dorito Taco Salad
- Chopped Cobb Salad
- Pickled Beet Salad with Walnuts and Feta
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Layer Salad
- Blue Cheese Chopped Salad with Craisins and Candied Pecans
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 boneless,, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- 1 (10-ounce) package mixed greens
- 2 medium tomatoes,, cut into thin wedges
- 1/4 of a red onion thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup toasted pecan halves
- 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
- 2 cups Apple Chips
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup Canola oil or Olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Combine olive oil and lemon juice and rub mixture into chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook chicken for 4-5 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the middle. Let cool and then slice.
- In a salad bowl combine mixed greens, tomatoes, red onion, cheese, and pecans. Top with chicken and sprinkle apple chips on top.
- To make dressing, whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Notes
To take some of the bite out of red onion, place the sliced onion in a bowl of ice water for at least 10 minutes. Works like a charm! Nutritional info is provided as an estimate only and will vary based on brands of products used. Not to be used for specific dietary needs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted September 25, 2013.
OMG!!!! I have never made or eaten apple chips before !!! I can’t wait to try them! They sound and look lovelyyyyy!!!! Plus, this salad is a real winner!!! Loveeeed it! 🙂
Salads are the way to my heart. They’re probably on top if my list over dessert if you can believe that! This version sounds so delicious with all of those veggies, pecans, and those apple chips, and Gorgonzola. Your dressing also sounds terrific — nice and simple and flavorful — just the way I like it. Pinning!
I’ve always loved salads too Marcie. Sometimes I even crave them the way I crave sweets!
I love creating restaurant recipes at home – and I do love this salad from Panera : ) This is definitely going to happen soon. I really need to try making apple chips at home – these caramelized ones sounds amazing!
Try the apple chips Ashley! They are so easy and yummy!
Oh those apple chips look amazing. by the way, the link looks funny in the recipe, you should check that. But yeah, the recipe – amazesalad 🙂
I love the crunch that the apples and pecans add to this salad. It looks incredibly fresh and delicious!
LOVE.
This is my fav salad from Panera!
I totally agree! It’s so much better and healthier when you make the food you love at home vs eating out. This salad is gorgeous! Love the caramelized apple chips on top Christin!
I love cheese + nuts + fruits in my salads as well, and oh girl, this one looks over the top delicious… Totally wishing it was my dinner today, I’m drooling now… those apple chips, gosh, they look so tasty 😉