If you’ve been reading IGE for any length of time, than you know I have a fondness for making healthier versions of my favorite, not-so-healthy restaurant dishes at home, such as…
P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps (less grease!), Food Court Baked Ziti (less cheese!), Chipotle Burrito Bowls (less funky chicken!) rise to the top as some of my top picks.
But some of my favorite dishes to grab on the go, don’t necessarily need a makeover. They’re light and satisfying on their own, without having to go back to the drawing board. One such meal is Panera’s Asian Sesame Chicken Salad.
This salad is perfectly light, crunchy, sweet and savory. The only thing that needed changing was the location of the salad. As in, from Panera’s kitchen, to my own.
The recipe for this salad is broken into 3 parts for easy preparation. Don’t let the long(ish) ingredient list scare you – it comes together lickity split.
Part 1: The Chicken
Start by mixing up a savory, sesame-flavored marinade for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, that combines sesame oil and soy sauce or gluten-free tamari (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce) with ground ginger, garlic powder and some other far-east flavors.
Marinate the chicken in the mixture for 15 minutes, or up to an hour, then grill or cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet until done. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then slice, and set aside.
Part 2: The Dressing
This recipe for Panera’s perfectly sweet & tangy Asian Sesame Dressing is SPOT ON, plus it’s a cinch to make. Start by whisking sugar into boiling vinegar until it fully dissolves, about 30 seconds.
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Once cooled, combine it with canola oil, sesame oil, salt & pepper.
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Next, add in toasted sesame seeds. You don’t HAVE to toast the seeds, but it adds so much, plus it takes like 2 minutes. Just add the seeds to a dry skillet over medium heat, and shake the pan every 30 seconds or so until they’re are golden brown. Presto.
Add ’em in, and shake ‘er up!
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Dressing = done!
Part 3: The Toppings
Toppings are what make the world go round, and this salad has no shortage of them. I used chopped cilantro, mandarin oranges packed in water (just rinse and pat dry if they’re packed in syrup.)
sliced almonds, and baked wonton strips. You could snag some fried wonton strips from your grocery store’s Chinese buffet ($.50 or so) or do what I did and cut wonton squares into strips, spray with non-stick spray, and bake at 400 degrees for 3-4 minutes. I wouldn’t buy a package of wontons just to make these strips, but dear Ben cleaned out the freezer for us this weekend (cabin fever makes husbands do crazy things,) and found a whole, unopened package of wonton wrappers, which is why I made my own vs buying. This is far longer than I wanted to talk about wonton strips.
(Note: this recipe was written prior to me getting Celiac Disease — wontons are not gluten free!)
Assembly:
Pile romaine lettuce and baby spinach onto a plate, then top with the chicken and toppings. Drizzle with zee dressing, and dive in!
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Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Chicken Salad
Description
Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Chicken Salad is a healthier version of my favorite salad from Panera!
Ingredients
- 1 bag chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 4 medium chicken breasts
- For the chicken marinade:
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free Tamari (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown
- Salad toppings:
- Chopped cilantro
- 11oz can mandarin oranges packed in water or 100% juice (rinse in water if packed in syrup)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Baked or fried wonton strips
- Sesame seeds
Directions
- For the chicken: Whisk together chicken marinade ingredients, and marinate chicken for 15 minutes. Grill, or cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet until done, then let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Cut into slices.
- For the dressing: Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, then add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool. Combine with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a jar, and shake to combine.
- Divide lettuce and spinach between four plates. Top with sliced chicken, salad dressing, and toppings.
Notes
Dressing from Art + Food + Life
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Panera’s version:
and mine!
The addition of mandarin oranges, which Panera doesn’t use, to this salad was totally clutch. That burst of juicy sweetness is fantastic with the bold cilantro, and sesame-laced dressing.
The textures in this salad were out of this world too. Love it when a recipe remix comes together like this!
Now if only I could find a recipe for Panera’s Cinnamon Crunch Bagel…
Holly Fuller 07.09.2012
I’ve made this twice and it is wonderful! My mother-in-law even loved it!
Sheilda 06.09.2012
I made this exactly as you made it. It was beautiful and delicious & my husband enjoyed it also. Thanks so much.
Heather {ModernMealsforTwo} 05.24.2012
I made this last night and loved it! It was packed full of flavor. Hubster liked it, but he’s not really a salad for dinner kind of guy. Do you serve anything on the side for Ben? Maybe some sort of carb?
Thanks!
Iowa Girl Eats 05.28.2012
Not usually, but a piece of broiled garlic bread would be great with this!
Savannah 11.18.2013
Salads and fruit are nothing but carbs. But there is a difference between the “complex” carbs found in fruit/veggetables and the “simple” carbs found in things like white bread and pasta. Complex are harder for your body to digest and allows your body to use the minerals and vitamins in the food. Simple carbs digest easily and usually transfer into blood sugar and that kind of thing. For more information I would highly suggest reading “The China Study” by T. Collin Campbell.
Alexis from "Lex's Life as a New Wife" 02.25.2012
I just made this and it was a huge hit our house! I always feel like the at home versions are healthier and in this case you don’t lack any flavor! Thanks for a great recipe, here is my blog post about it.
http://lexslifeasanewwife.blogspot.com/2012/02/asian-sesame-chicken-salad.html
Vicky 02.23.2012
Awesome photos of the salad. It looks absolutely divine – I do love this salad at Panera and will definitely have to try your copycat recipe.
I heart salads. « A Tasty Life 02.16.2012
[…] not lately.  When I saw this Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Chicken Salad I knew I had to have it.  And soon.  I wanted to make it for Big Guy but I couldn’t wait. […]
Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Salad « Get Dinner on the Table 02.15.2012
[…] Recipe and image from Iowa Girl Eats […]
Kari 02.14.2012
I just want to let you know I tried this…and probably 90% of the rest of your recipes…I plan my weeks around your blog! This one blew me and my bf of our feet was and was the PERFECT Valentine dinner! You are great and I look forward to reading your blog every day. Thank you for letting me follow along :)
Emily 02.09.2012
Question – under the dressing, you have sesame oil listed twice…mistake? I really want to make this and I want it to be just perfect…like yours looks. :)
Iowa Girl Eats 02.09.2012
One of the items is sesame seeds. Is that maybe what you were thinking was a second listing of sesame oil?
Emily 02.09.2012
I was mistaken and caught it 2 seconds after I pressed “submit comment.” So sorry! Thanks for keeping me in line.
Iowa Girl Eats 02.09.2012
Oh gosh, no worries – hope you enjoy! :)
Hannah (Hannah Lives) 02.08.2012
I am too lazy to go through the 4 pages of comments, and someone may have mentioned this already, but…. Panera now has bottled version of most of their dressing available in stores. I saw them (Asian Sesame included) at Target last week, it’s about $5.50 a bottle (in Mpls).
The nutritionals aren’t terrible, with just a few un-pronounceable ingredients, and HFCS.
Alas, a homemade version is almost always cheaper, and better for you!
Amanda 02.08.2012
Ive been to the Living History Farms 11K run back in 2009 & 2010. Its a fun race. I like vanilla vodka with diet pepsi. :)
Lisa 02.07.2012
Thanks for the shout out! I am so glad I could share a recipe and help spread the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad love. Nothing better than recreating a favorite restaurant recipe and finding it is even better at home.
Lisa @ Life in Green 02.07.2012
Favorite cocktail is a Citron and Tonic – so refreshing!
I love that salad from Panera, but yours looks even better. :)
Homemade Creamy Chicken Rice | Iowa Girl Eats 02.07.2012
[…] I’m going to have to give some of those concoctions a try sometime! That said, the winner of 2 tickets to Living History Farms’ Spirits & Sweets event this Saturday […]
Sara Reeder 02.07.2012
I love me a good Black Russian (heavy on the Russian)! :)
LuAnn Reinders 02.07.2012
SKILIFT: Hot chocolate and butterscotch schnaaps.
SUE 02.07.2012
Salad looks yumm-o. Is it difficult for you and your hubby to enjoy so many salads in the winter weather? I know tend to crave a hot meal or nice healthy soup when it’s cold and especially when it’s snowing!
Iowa Girl Eats 02.08.2012
Actually not really! We both love salads, and are both kind of in Spring mode (despite the snow) since the temps have been so warm the past couple of weeks!
Holly 02.07.2012
I love a vodka and grapefruit juice (white, not the pink kind)!
Ashley 02.07.2012
Margarita! Whether it’s a Skinnygirl margarita, homemade margarita, Monterrey margarita… doesn’t matter – I love them. Either lime on the rocks with salt or frozen mango :)
Emily 02.07.2012
Almost any martini from “The Lift” in Des Moines!!!!!!