Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl
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This copycat of the Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl is packed with juicy, marinated chicken, brown rice, quinoa, avocado, tomatoes, feta and more! It’s great for any meal at home or make-ahead meal planning!
What You Will ❤️ About Panera Warm Grain Bowl
- Make At Home – This is a favorite of mine and might not be on the menu much longer! No worries – you can make it at home!
- So Healthy! I just felt healthier eating this dish complete with brown rice & quinoa, marinated chicken breast and healthy avocados and fat free Greek yogurt!
- Flavor! With the best marinade on the chicken, the salsa verde and the feta – every bite has something new!
Are the Panera Grain Bowls good?
Panera came out with two new grain bowls back pictured above back in 2019. (Left – Baja, Right – Mediterranean) I went out right away and got both of them!!! I definitely liked them – the Mediterranean grain bowl has arugula and I liked the addition of the greens & hummus to it. Either way you get it – they taste great!
What are the ingredients in the Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl?
The Panera Baja Grain Bowls have the same base as the Mediterranean Warm Grain Bowl: marinated chicken, brown rice and red & white quinoa. But here’s everything you’ll need to make it at home:
- Chicken breasts – you could use other proteins or even chicken thighs but marinated chicken breasts is how Panera does it!
- Mojo criollo marinade – this marinade is a blend of orange and lemon juices, accented with garlic and spices. I use it for all my Panera recipes! You could also do a cilantro lime marinade.
- Cooked brown rice & quinoa – for convenience, I use the pre-cooked bagged version and just heat it in the microwave while I’m prepping my ingredients
- Grape tomatoes – these tasty little guys add a pop of freshness
- Black bean & corn salsa – you can use whatever salsa you like – or even some black beans and corn on their own!
- Salsa verde – salsa verde is made with tomatillos – I also like to swap out this Guacamole Salsa because it’s green and ALWAYS in my fridge!
- Pickled red onions – you can buy them or make them!
- Feta cheese crumbles – goat cheese would also be delicious in this but feta has that saltiness I love
- Plain Fat Free Greek yogurt – you could also use sour cream
How to make the Panera Baja Grain Bowl
Panera Grain Bowls are fairly easy to make – once you get your chicken perfect! Then it’s just adding it all to one bowl! Here’s how I make mine:
- Marinate chicken breasts in your favorite citrus/garlic marinade overnight.
- Air Fry chicken breasts for 10-15 minutes at 350 until cooked to an internal temperature of 155º. Remove and let rest. That’s they key – cook a little under temp and they’ll come up to temp and be delicious & juicy!
- While chicken is resting, microwave rice/quinoa mixture according to package directions.
- Prep veggies: slice tomatoes and dice avocado
- When quinoa is cooked, divide between two serving bowls
- Top quinoa/argula with tomatoes, salsa and avocado
- Slice chicken and place on top of quinoa.
- Add a heaping spoonful of yogurt to the bowl
- Top with feta crumbles and a drizzle of salsa verde
Recipe Variations
- Mediterranean – swap the avocado and salsa for kalamata olives, diced cucumbers & hummus
- Taco – swap the chicken for taco meat and the feta for shredded colby jack
- Salad – swap the rice/quinoa for a salad and you’re going keto!
- Teriyaki – give it an Asian flare by using a teriyaki marinade and using broccoli and carrots for more of a hot dish
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass storage ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. These are great for meal prep! I made one in a bowl for dinner and put the rest in a container for lunch the next day!
Get Heather’s NEW cookbook – Air Fryer Cooking for One today!
Panera Copycat Recipes
- Chicken & Broccoli Teriyaki Bowl
- Mediterranean Warm Grain Bowl
- Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese
- Pasta Primavera
- Broth Bowl
Panera Soup Recipes
Panera Baja Warm Grain Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1-2 cups mojo criollo marinade
- 2 cups cooked brown rice & quinoa
- 10 grape tomatoes halved
- 1 avocado diced
- 1/3 cup Black bean & corn salsa
- 1/4 cup salsa verde diced
- 1/4 cup pickled red onions
- 1/3 cup feta
- 1/2 cup Plain Fat Free Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Marinate chicken breasts in your favorite citrus/garlic marinade overnight.2 chicken breasts, 1-2 cups mojo criollo marinade
- Air Fry chicken breasts for 10-15 minutes at 350 until cooked to 155º. Remove and let rest. That’s they key – cook a little under temp and they’ll come up to temp and be delicious & juicy!
- While chicken is resting, microwave rice/quinoa mixture according to package directions.2 cups cooked brown rice & quinoa
- Prep veggies: slice tomatoes and dice avocado10 grape tomatoes, 1 avocado
- When quinoa is cooked, divide between two serving bowls
- Top quinoa/argula with tomatoes, salsa, pickled red onions and avocado1/3 cup Black bean & corn salsa, 1/4 cup pickled red onions
- Slice chicken and place on top of quinoa.
- Add a heaping spoonful of yogurt to the bowl1/2 cup Plain Fat Free Greek yogurt
- Top with crumbled feta and salsa verde1/4 cup salsa verde, 1/3 cup feta
Notes
– For the brown rice/quinoa – you can either use a bag of frozen rice/quinoa or Minute Rice makes a microwavable one! Super quick!
Which salsa verde you used?
I used the Taco Bell Salsa Verde
Can you tell us how you made the salsa verde?
i purchased the salsa verde
How much of the 2 kinds of salsa did you use?
taco bell salsa verde is $1.89 and black bean & corn salsa is $2.50-$3 (at Meijer anyway)
can this be made in a crockpot?
Probably not – not sure what part you'd make in the crockpot. You could make the quinoa – but for the most part it's a cook separately and assemble dish. Hope that helps.
How much of the salsa's did you use? Not sure how much to put in each bowl.
It's up to you – based on how much you like . I really like black bean & corn salsa – so probably 1/4 cup of that and maybe a couple tablespoons of the salsa verde.
Really great and delicious copycat! I think that if you are just making this for yourself you could get three servings out of it. It's super filling.
I read somewhere that they also add slices of marinated red onion (red wine vinegar) and today I added tzatziki instead of plain Greek yogurt and I added some Everything Bagel seasoning! Oh my gosh love this salad so much!!!!
those additions sound very good – i’m obsessed with tzatziki!
What brand do you like for the black beans and corn salsa?
My favorite is Newman’s Own but I’m not picky – haha
Love this recipe ❣
Made this for dinner and it was delish!