Do you love ordering a Panera strawberry poppyseed salad, but don’t like paying $12+ every time? You can now make a Panera poppyseed salad at home at costs less and has better ingredients. A fantastic meal prep salad, too!
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Do you enjoy the convenience of ordering a salad from Panera? While their salads are definitely delicious, often the costs of those salads are on the rise, costing upwards of $12 or more at some locations.
Why not save yourself some money AND better yet, provide yourself a healthier salad by making this Panera Strawberry poppyseed salad at home.
Made with fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges and pineapple alongside grilled chicken, this salad is quite easy to toss together for a healthy lunch.
What do I need to make a Panera poppyseed salad at home?
- Grilled Chicken – feel free to grill your own chicken or purchase pre-cooked chicken like Tyson’s Grilled and Ready Diced Chicken Breast, which can be found in the frozen foods section of your grocery store.
- Romaine lettuce or spring mix – I purchased pre-cut and washed romaine lettuce, but feel free to chop your own romaine hearts or use your preferred salad mix.
- Mandarin oranges – I recommend buying canned mandarin oranges in water. They are pretty economical and are already peeled.
- Pineapple – feel free to use fresh, frozen or canned pineapple chunks or tidbits. If using canned pineapple, make sure to look for fruit that is packed in water versus syrup.
- Strawberries – I recommend using fresh strawberries, however, if strawberries are out of season or unavailable look for freeze-dried or whole frozen berries that can be thawed and sliced.
- Blueberries – I recommend using fresh blueberries as well, as these are ideal for a salad. If you cannot find fresh blueberries, opt for frozen, thawed berries.
- Red onion – again, fresh red onion is preferred. I would also recommend using my homemade pickled red onions, which are fantastic in any salad!
- Pecans – chopped pecan, pecan halves or even candied pecans are great in this salad. If you’re looking for less calories and sugar, go for simple raw pecans.
- Creamy poppyseed dressing – I recommend making your own homemade poppyseed dressing, as most store-bought dressings are loaded with sugar and unhealthy oils. Homemade dressing tastes better, too!
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe. Thanks!
What makes this strawberry poppyseed salad better than other recipes?
- This recipe is better because I’ve tested each component of the ingredients numerous times. The grilled chicken I’ve made several dozen times, always with success. The dressing is also one that I’ve made and tested numerous times, and it is a perfect pairing with this salad.
- The ingredients I’ve chosen for this recipe are realistic and easy to find. Often times we come across recipes that have strange or costly ingredients that are hard to find. Not this one! My rule of thumb is that if my mom, who lives in a rural Midwest town, cannot find an ingredient or a close substitute, the recipe doesn’t get posted.
- Preparation and assembly is not time-consuming. I definitely understand that most of us don’t have all day to meal prep food for the week. It’s not how we want to spend our time, even if we did have it. This recipe can be easily made and assembled in a realistic timeframe. The chicken and dressing can also be made in advance to easy assemble at a later time.
What grilled chicken is best for adding to a salad?
For this copycat Panera poppyseed salad, I chose a grilled chicken breast that best emulates what Panera adds to their salads. For this recipe I used my Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken, which is a wonderfully flavorful grilled chicken recipe that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients of this salad.
Another flavorful option would be this Grilled Pineapple Chicken or my Brown Sugar Balsamic Grilled Chicken, which have a great sweet and savory flavor. It would compliment the fruits in this salad perfectly!
Like Panera, I cut long strips of the grilled chicken to go into the salad. You could also dice into small bite-sized pieces.
Can I use store-bought chicken in a salad?
You can definitely use store-bought chicken in this strawberry poppyseed salad. Here are a couple I recommend:
- Tyson’s Grilled and Ready Diced Chicken Breast – this can be found in the frozen foods section of your grocery store. It’s a good option for adding to salads, and defrosts easily in the microwave.
- Hand-Pulled Rotisserie Chicken Breasts – you can find this vacuum-packed chicken breast meat at Costco. I absolutely LOVE this pre-cooked chicken option for adding to salads, soups and pasta dishes for a quick lunch or dinner. Check out my post for the 15 Things I Buy at Costco for Healthy Meals and Snacks.
- Leftover chicken – do you have some leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken in your refrigerator that you need to use? That chicken would be perfect in this salad.
How do I make Panera Poppyseed Dressing?
Sorry to say, but the Panera’s poppyseed dressing is not super healthy. In fact, it contains large amounts of refined sugar and is made with canola oil.
This homemade creamy poppyseed dressing needs only four ingredients and can be whisked together in about 1 minute. You’ll need Greek yogurt, lemon juice, granular sweetener and poppyseeds.
What other dressings are good on a Panera strawberry poppyseed salad?
If you would prefer to use another dressing on your strawberry poppyseed salad, some good options are this Lemon Olive Oil Salad Dressing, Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette or this Avocado Lime Dressing.
How do I meal prep a salad?
Are you looking to make salads in advance for quick grab and go lunches? This poppyseed salad is a fantastic option for prepping in advance. Here’s how to do it:
- Choose your greens. For this recipe I used store-bought, pre-cut romaine lettuce, which was very easy to quickly add to the bottom of my meal prep containers. You can use any salad greens or spring mix you prefer.
- Prep your chicken. If you are using homemade grilled chicken, cook that first and then let it cool to room temperature. Slice or dice it however you prefer. Add about 4 oz. of chicken to the salad greens.
- Add the fruits and veggies. For this Panera strawberry poppyseed salad, you’ll need strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and oranges, along with red onion. Add about a 1/4 cup of each fruit and about 2 tablespoons of the onion to each container.
- Top with nuts and seeds. For this Panera salad recipe, we’re using pecan halves and poppyseeds, which will add a great crunch to every bite.
- Keep the dressing separate in its’ own container. If you add the dressing to the salads, the salad ingredients will quickly become soggy and wilt. Keep the dressing separate until ready to eat.
As you can see, this copycat Panera strawberry poppyseed salad is absolutely gorgeous. Topped with a homemade creamy poppyseed dressing, and crisp pecan halves, this salad can’t be beat. The flavor is absolutely incredible and an amazing way to enjoy seasonal fresh fruit with grilled chicken in a salad.
Another fantastic salad recipe that features fresh fruit is my Chicken and Mango Salad.
Looking for more meal prep salad ideas? Check out some of these other meal prep recipes:
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Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
Equipment
- Meal Prep Containers These are fantastic for prepping salads in advance for a busy week.
- Grilling Tongs These stainless steel grilling tongs by OXO are perfect for quick grilling.
Ingredients
- 6 cups Romain lettuce washed and sliced
- 1 lb. grilled chicken or store-bought grilled or shredded chicken
- 1 (11 oz. can) mandarin oranges drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh blueberries rinsed
- 1 cup pineapple chunks fresh, frozen or canned
- 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
Salad Toppings:
- 1/2 cup pecan halves or chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup creamy poppyseed dressing (2 Tbsp. per individual salad)
- poppyseeds an extra sprinkle for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- If using homemade grilled chicken, prepare chicken according to recipe directions. Let chicken cool, then slice or dice to your preference.
For meal prepping individual salads:
- Add 1 1/2 cups of the romaine lettuce to the bottom of each meal prep container. (You'll need 4 containers.) Add in 4 oz. of the chicken.
- To the lettuce and chicken, add in 1/4 cup of the strawberries, blueberries, oranges and pineapple to each salad container. Add about 2 tablespoons of the red onion to each salad container.
- Top each salad with a sprinkling of pecans and poppyseeds, if you prefer.
- For the dressing, measure out 2 tablespoons into individual dressing containers. (Or, keep dressing refrigerated in its own container.) The dressing needs to stay separate of the salad. Add it just before eating.
For one large salad:
- Place salad greens into a large salad bowl or serving platter. Add in the grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, oranges and pineapple. Top with the red onions, pecans and a sprinkle of poppyseeds. Serve with the dressing on the side if you expect leftovers. Entire salad can be dressed just before serving if you know the entire salad will be enjoyed right away.
Notes
Nutrition
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