Love this Panera Spicy Thai Salad – there’s so many different crunchy items packed into this salad. Then top the salad with this spicy dressing and peanut sauce – it’s a favorite in our house!
There are a lot of ingredients in this dish but, let me tell you, it’s definitely worth it! I love the pop of the edamame with the crunch of the wonton strips – then topped with that spicy vinaigrette. It’s a little sweet, a little salty and a whole lot of delicious.
How do you make Spicy Thai Vinaigrette?
Salad dressings are very simple – and you can always double the recipe! I make it in a mason jar – then just shake it up whenever I’m ready for salad. This one has quite a few ingredients – but you likely have all of them already. Mix together soy sauce, water, honey, mirin (rice wine vinegar), olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, sweet chili sauce, garlic and ginger.
Mirin is a rice wine – similar to sake but with less alcohol and more sugar. If you don’t have that, you can use rice wine vinegar or even dry white wine. You could make your own sweet chili sauce but I use it a lot so I always have a bottle in the fridge.
How do you make Panera’s Spicy Thai Salad?
Once you have the dressing together, it’s just a matter of putting everything together. I love using big pasta bowls for salad. First make a nice bed of romaine lettuce. I usually cheat and buy a bag of it already chopped – makes for quick lunches. Then add your toppings.
I marinate 2-3 chicken breasts on Friday night in whatever dressing is in my fridge. Then I air fry the chicken at 350 for 12 minutes. Then pop them in an air-tight container and they’re ready for salads or pasta any time!
Slice the chicken for your salad – if you have a big chicken breast – you can probably split it between two people. Top with sliced almonds, roasted red peppers (from the jar or you can roast one yourself when you’re grilling), edamame, carrot, cilantro and wonton strips.
To make your own roasted red peppers – I pop a red pepper on the grill until the skin blisters on each side. Then I refrigerate and use them in salads and pasta dishes. With edamame – I keep a bag of the pods in my freezer and pull out a handful for salads. I heat them in the microwave and then after they cool – they’re ready for the salad!
Lastly, drizzle with your dressing and the peanut sauce. The sauce is a little thick – but just sprinkle it around – you’ll mix it all together anyway.
Other Copycat Panera Salads & Bowls
Panera has so many great salads – I’ve made a few of them – here are some of my favorites:
Copycat Panera Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Dressing
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
Salad
- 2 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1-2 chicken breasts cooked, sliced
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds
- 2 tbsp roasted red peppers sliced
- 15 pods edamame beans removed
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 small carrot julienned
- 1/4 cup wonton strips
Instructions
Peanut Sauce
- Whisk together all ingredients and set aside
Dressing
- Whisk together all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve – feel free to make ahead
Salad
- Add romaine to salad bowls – split all ingredients remaining between two large salad bowls
- Top with sliced chicken, almonds, red peppers, beans from edamame, carrots, cilantro and wonton strips
- Top with dressing and drizzle peanut sauce over the top
Notes
- I marinated chicken in a lemon herb vinaigrette overnight and cooked for 12 minutes in the air fryer
- If using frozen edamame, heat pods in microwave for a couple of minutes (per package directions) and let cool before removing from pods
- If you have leftover dressing, refrigerate in air tight container for up to a week
[…] Panera Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken […]