Panera Bread Fuji Apple Salad Copycat Recipe

If you're a sucker for Panera's Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken, who could blame you? It's a delicious salad filled with crisp greens and veggies, crunchy nuts, a sweet mix of dried fruit, and the slightly salty and tangy flavors of cheese and dressing, all topped with chicken. But if you get tired of driving through the drive-thru at lunch (and paying the markup for a salad that easily costs half the restaurant price if you make it at home), then guess what? You can easily make this recipe in your own kitchen.

"I love this Panera Bread Fuji apple salad copycat recipe because it's a filling but healthy meal," says recipe developer and registered dietitian Kristen Carli. "It's my favorite to eat for lunch because it's not too rich that it leaves me looking for an afternoon nap." Plus, it's super simple to throw together — all you need are the right ingredients and about ten free minutes of time.

If you tend to make a lot of salads, you might already have everything you need for this Panera Bread Fuji apple salad copycat recipe on hand. But if not, just take a quick tour through your grocery store's produce department and deli to pick up what you need. The beautiful thing is, you can rely on a few pre-packaged staples to speed up prep time. For instance, grab a bag or box of pre-washed spring mix greens as your salad base, and look for the pre-sliced red onions, as well. Otherwise, a pint of cherry tomatoes (you'll want to take a minute or two to halve them), toasted pecans, dried apple chips, feta cheese, and dried cranberries are all you'll need, aside from the chicken and dressing ingredients.

As far as the chicken goes, you have options. "I'd recommend rotisserie chicken if you're looking for flavor and something easy," says Carli, although you can always use leftovers or another pre-cooked chicken you can pick up from the deli. 

Then, for the dressing, all you need is olive oil, white wine vinegar, minced garlic, horseradish mustard, and honey. The list of actual ingredients is fairly long, but they're simple and straightforward items you can find practically anywhere (they may already be in your own kitchen).

After gathering your Panera Bread Fuji apple salad copycat recipe ingredients and halving your tomatoes, your prep work is almost done (really!). Simply put the greens, tomatoes, onions, pecans, apple chips, feta, and dried cranberries all together in a large bowl. Cut up your chicken into bite-sized chunks and add it on top. Toss the dry salad a bit just to mix it up, but don't worry too much about this part yet — you'll toss it again after you add the dressing. Set the bowl aside (pop it in the fridge to keep things cool) as you mix your dressing.

Place all the remaining Panera Bread Fuji apple salad copycat recipe ingredients into a bowl to whisk them into a dressing. There are only five ingredients — olive oil, white wine vinegar, minced garlic, horseradish mustard, and honey — so it's incredibly easy to make. That said, you can opt for a few substitutions, if desired. Carli says you can switch champagne vinegar for the white wine vinegar, or a Dijon mustard for the horseradish mustard. "You're really just looking for that tangy element," she says. And of course, it's easiest to buy a pre-minced garlic, rather than mincing your own at home. 

Once you've placed your desired ingredients in a bowl, whisk them until they're well-combined. You may end up with more dressing than you plan to use on a single salad, so you can store any remaining dressing in a jar with an airtight lid and save it in the fridge for about a week. 

You're ready for the final step of this Panera Bread Fuji apple salad copycat recipe! Pull your dry salad from the fridge, and add the dressing on top. Use a fork and spoon to mix the salad well so the dry ingredients all get a touch of the dressing. You can serve the salad in portions for a group, which makes for about six good-sized (but not huge) salads, or you can split the salad into two servings and share it with a friend. And of course, you can channel Panera's favorite sides and enjoy the salad with a hunk of sourdough bread or a baguette, or if you want something a little different, try it with potato wedges, as suggested by Carli.