Copycat Panera Bread BBQ Chicken Salad

If you love Panera's BBQ Chicken Salad, then you'll love this copycat recipe! This hearty restaurant-style salad is packed full of juicy chicken and crisp vegetables tossed with black bean corn salsa and homemade BBQ Ranch dressing.

Panera's BBQ Chicken Salad is one of my favorite salads of all time! And I'm so happy that I have come up with the perfect copycat recipe! It makes a delicious lunch or supper - and the barbecue ranch dressing is phenomenal!

If you love Panera as much as I do, check out Panera Copycat Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad and Copycat Panera Lemon Drop Cookies.

For another delicious copycat salad, check out La Scala Salami Chopped Salad.

❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Delicious flavor: This Panera Bread copycat BBQ chicken salad has a deep, tangy BBQ taste that is irresistible.
• Colorful salsa: The addition of black bean corn salsa adds color and flavor.
• Easy to prepare: This copycat recipe is relatively simple to make, requiring basic grilling techniques for the chicken and quick assembly of the other ingredients.
• Great for meal prep: With some advance preparation, you can easily pack individual servings of this delicious salad for healthy lunches throughout the week.
• Hearty summer salad: The combination of grilled chicken breast, fresh greens, and zesty flavors makes this BBQ chicken salad ideal for summer.

📋 Ingredient Notes + Substitutions

To make this Panera copycat salad, you'll need:

• Chicken breasts. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can use chicken thighs, leftover chicken, or rotisserie chicken.
• Chicken Rub: I used my homemade Dry Rub for Smoked Chicken - a reader favorite. It contains brown sugar, garlic powder, Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, seasoning salt, and black pepper. You can also use your favorite chicken seasoning.
• Lettuce. Romaine lettuce is my favorite, but you can also use green leaf lettuce or even spinach.
• Tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes cut in half, but you can also use cherry tomatoes or diced Roma tomatoes.
• Black bean corn salsa. You can use store-bought, but it is quick and easy to make at home. All you need is a can of black beans, canned corn, olive oil, red onion, red pepper, white vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Crunchy tortilla strips. I think these take any salad to the next level. I just used jalapeno-flavored tortilla chips and broke them into strips. You can use tortilla strips, french fried onions, or french fried jalapenos - even crushed Doritos!
• BBQ ranch dressing. This is also quick to make using your favorite BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and taco seasoning.
• Lime. A squeeze of fresh lime juice ties the flavors together beautifully!

See the printable recipe card for quantities and a complete list of ingredients.

🥗 How To Make Copycat Panera BBQ Chicken Salad

Prepare the chicken

If making homemade chicken rub, add the brown sugar, garlic powder, Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, seasoning salt, and black pepper to a small bowl and combine.

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and generously sprinkle the dry rub over the chicken breasts.

Cook the chicken on the smoker, grill, air fryer, or stovetop.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat to cook the chicken on the stove. Place the chicken on the grill pan and cook for 5-6 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Alternatively, you can make Air Fryer Chicken Breast, Smoked Chicken Breast, Oven Baked Chicken Breast, or Grilled Chicken Breast.

I cooked mine on the smoker at 225 degrees F for one hour, flipping it over halfway through the cooking time.

Generously slather the chicken on both sides with your favorite barbecue sauce during the last few minutes of cooking.

Make the Black Bean Corn Salsa

Combine the drained black beans, corn, diced red pepper, and sliced red onion in a large bowl.

Add the olive oil, white vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Stir until everything is well mixed.

Let the salsa sit for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld together.

Make the BBQ Ranch dressing

Combine the BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and taco seasoning in a medium bowl. Whisk together until smooth. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

Assemble the Copycat Panera BBQ Chicken Salad

Now, onto the fun part!

Place lettuce in a large salad bowl or dinner plate. Top with sliced chicken breast.

Add black bean corn salsa, sliced tomatoes, and tortilla strips.

Top with a drizzle of BBQ ranch dressing, and finish it off with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Serve your homemade Panera Bread BBQ Chicken Salad immediately.

💭 Expert Tips

• Store the leftover salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but add the dressing and crunchy toppings just before serving.
• Do not overcook the chicken. Remove it from the heat once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
• Prepare the black bean corn salsa while the chicken is grilling and store it in the refrigerator.
• Instead of canned corn, use freshly grilled corn on the cob or Smoked Corn on the Cob and cut off the kernels.
• For optimal freshness, serve the salad right after you finish assembling it. The longer it sits dressed with dressing, the softer the greens may become.
• If you need to prepare this salad ahead of time, keep components separate until just before serving. Store dressing separately in an airtight container and toss everything together right before serving.

📋 Recipe FAQs

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