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.
PIN the recipe to try it later!
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 salads as much as I do, check out my Panera Copycat Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad too!
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❤️ 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!
Enjoy!
💭 Expert Tips
- The BBQ ranch dressing is a game-changer—make sure to give the salad a good drizzle!
- Store the leftover salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but remember to add the dressing and crunchy toppings just before serving. Store it in a mason jar for convenience!
- To ensure juicy and tender chicken, be careful not to overcook it. Remove it from 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 using 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
Absolutely! You can store the leftover BBQ chicken salad in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just add the dressing and tortilla strips right before serving to keep everything fresh and crisp.
Absolutely! If you're short on time, use rotisserie chicken.
Of course! Feel free to add other veggies like avocado, sliced jalapeno peppers, or tortilla strips or french-fried onions.
This salad is quite hearty on its own, but it pairs well with a slice of crusty bread, a cup of soup, or even some fresh fruit on the side.
👩🏻🍳More Salad Recipes You'll Love
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📋 Recipe
Copycat Panera Bread BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon dry rub for chicken *see ingredients below or your favorite chicken rub
- 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
Dry Rub For Chicken
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic and Peppers Seasoning a Club House seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Black Bean Corn Salsa
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained (15 oz)
- 1 can corn niblets drained, or 1½ cups fresh corn (15) oz)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup red onion slivered
- ½ cup red pepper diced
- ⅛ cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
BBQ Ranch Dressing
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ½ cup Ranch dressing
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
BBQ Chicken Salad
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 3 heads romaine lettuce washed and chopped
- ½ cup tortilla strips or French fried onions
- 1 lime
Instructions
Cook Chicken Breasts
- Preheat the grill or stovetop to medium-high heat or your pellet grill to 225 degrees F.
- Season chicken breasts liberally on both sides with chicken rub. Grill chicken breasts over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, flipping every 4-5 minutes. If you have a pellet grill, smoke chicken breasts for one hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Baste with barbecue sauce during the last few minutes of cooking time.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon dry rub for chicken *see ingredients below, 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice chicken into strips or cut into bite-sized pieces.
Make Black Bean Corn Salsa
- While the chicken is cooking, combine black beans, corn, olive oil, red onion, red pepper, white vinegar, sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Stir until everything is well mixed.1 can black beans, 1 can corn niblets, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup red onion, ½ cup red pepper, ⅛ cup white vinegar, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Let the salsa sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Make BBQ Ranch Dressing
- Whisk together barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, and taco seasoning in a small bowl.½ cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, ½ cup Ranch dressing
- Set in the fridge until ready to use.
Assemble the Panera Copycat BBQ Chicken Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, sliced BBQ chicken breasts, black bean corn salsa, cherry tomatoes, and tortilla strips. Drizzle with BBQ Ranch dressing and finish with a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately.2 cups cherry tomatoes, 3 heads romaine lettuce, ½ cup tortilla strips
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The BBQ ranch dressing is a game-changer—make sure to give the salad a good drizzle!
- Store the leftover salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but remember to add the dressing and crunchy toppings just before serving. Store it in a mason jar for convenience!
- To ensure juicy and tender chicken, be careful not to overcook it. Remove it from 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 using 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.
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