This Copycat Panera Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken is my absolute favorite!!! I made it three times this past week!!! Once you have all the ingredients – you can’t help but make it every day!
Jump to Recipe
This salad literally has all my favorite toppings – corn, ranch, avocado, feta and chicken – what more can you want?! There’s some lettuce in there too for good measure! But trust me – the Southwest Dressing is what you’re going to come here for and I have an easy hack to make it for yourself!
What is in Panera Southwest Chicken Salad?
Panera’s version has citrus pepper chicken, romaine, arugula, pickled red onions, black bean & corn salsa, fresh cilantro, and masa crisps tossed in chile lime rojo ranch and topped with feta and avocado.
I modified that just slightly by using tortilla strips and made my own chile lime southwest ranch – and you’re going to love it!!! It’s zingy and so delicious with just a little spice!
It’s so easy to make this salad! Start with a base of romaine and arugula (sparingly on the arugula – it’s got a peppery flavor that can overwhelm you). Then layer everything on from there: sliced chicken, pickled red onions, black bean & corn salsa, cilantro, tortilla strips, feta, avocado and my own Southwest Ranch Dressing! So good!
What’s in the Panera Southwest Dressing?
Panera’s dressing recipe is always where I start when making a copycat – this one contains a chile lime rojo blend which has pesto, garlic, buttermilk, a variety of peppers (guajillo, piquante, cayenne, chipotle), vinegar, egg, sugar, lime juice and Greek yogurt.
I decided to spin this into something easy! My favorite dressing is my Jalapeno Lime Ranch – then I had some Chipotle Taco Sauce in my fridge – and boom – Chipotle Lime Ranch!
If you’re looking for the Chipotle Taco Sauce – I found Ortega’s at Kroger for less than $3. If you can’t find it – you can also add Chipotle Pepper Seasoning to your ranch – or even canned chipotles in adobo sauce. On the last one – tread lightly – it’s spicy!
Tips and Tricks
I would reco starting with my Jalapeno Lime Ranch – but if you have bottled ranch – you can add juice from a lime, grated jalapeno and chipotle pepper seasoning!
You make them!!!! I always have the base for these No Cook Refrigerator Pickles in the fridge – most of the time – it’s full of red onion just so I have them on hand. You can use them after they’ve set overnight – but the longer they’re in the juice – the softer and more pickled they’ll get!
They always marinate in a Citrus Pepper marinade and my best copycat is this Mojo Criollo marinade – it’s super cheap and adds so much to the chicken!
I always make chicken breast in the air fryer! Depending on the size of the chicken breast – I air fry at 350 for 12-15 minutes – flipping halfway thru. Temp check with a meat thermometer to 160 and then let it rest for 5 minutes so the juices absorb into the chicken.
Panera’s version has 680 calories. My version has 708 calories. Pretty close!
Recipes included in this chicken salad:
Other Panera Salad Copycat Recipes:
Copycat Panera Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1.5 cups mojo criollo marinade
- 1/4 cup pickled red onion
- 3 cup romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup arugula
- 1/4 cup black bean & corn salsa
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 avocado diced
- 1/4 cup feta crumbled
- 1/4 cup tortilla strips
- 1/3 cup Jalapeno Lime Ranch Dressing
- 1/4 cup Ortega Chipotle Taco Sauce
Instructions
Night before
- Marinate chicken in Mojo Criollo marinade in the refrigerator
- Mix together Jalapeno Lime Ranch Dressing and add Chipotle Taco Sauce and refrigerate overnight
- Mix together Quick Overnight Pickles and place rings from 1/2 red onion in
Time to Eat
- Cook chicken breasts – I air fry at 350 for 12-15 minutes – depending on size/thickness. Flip halfway thru and temp to 160-165. Let rest until ready to serve.
- Slice chicken breast into strips, core avocado and dice
- In 2 salad bowls, layer the lettuce and arugula.
- Top with 1/4 cup red onions, salsa, diced avocado, sliced chicken, feta, tortilla strips and fresh cilantro, if desired.
- Toss with dressing.
mdieppa says
why did they suggest jarred bean and corn salsa, when its not the same.
NO, just get a can of black beans (or any kind you like), rinse thoroughly and drain, add corn, chopped red onions, chopped cilantro, lime, salt and pepper to taste.
THATS it. Lastly, the original salad does NOT have onions, pickled or not. If you want to “copycat” something, try to make it as close to the original as possible. or simply call it something else, because you have created something different.
FoodHussy says
“they” is me – and they bought the salad at panera before making this.
you might want to recheck the salad because per the Panera website – they do use corn & black bean salsa AND pickled red onions:
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/app/product/fd0d1c7b31ad8fe5970dd73c82b0de9a.html
Pickled red onions are literally in the picture and on the ingredients list.
So maybe before you critique the creator of a free recipe – you should check your facts.