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A Panera strawberry poppyseed salad with pecans, berries, pineapple, oranges and grilled chicken in a bowl.

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

Erin Indahl-Fink
Do you love ordering a Strawberry Poppyseed Salad at Panera Bread, but don't like spending all that money? You can now make that delicious Panera poppyseed salad at home at a fraction of the price, AND get a healthier, more delicious salad.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Course Salad, Meal Prep
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 363 kcal

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

Chicken: I used my Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken recipe which was a very flavorful option for this salad. You can also use store-bought pre-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken. See the post above for more chicken ideas.
Dressing: I used my Creamy Poppyseed Dressing for this recipe, which is a super easy 4 ingredient recipe. It takes just a minute to mix together and pairs perfectly with this salad. See the post above for more dressing ideas.
Storage: Meal prepped salads stored individually in their own containers will keep for up to 5 days. Be sure to store the dressing separately, and dress your salad just before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 363kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 31gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 671mgFiber: 5gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 6250IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Strawberry poppyseed salad, Panera strawberry poppyseed salad, Strawberry poppyseed salad Panera Bread, Panera Poppyseed salad
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