Fuji Apple Chicken Salad

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

Originally posted September 25, 2013.