Napa Chicken Salad (Panera Bread Copycat)
Copycat Panera Napa chicken salad recreates the beloved discontinued café favorite. This sweet, savory, creamy and texture-packed chicken salad will hit the spot anytime you find yourself missing the old menu staple.
If you were disappointed when Panera took their Napa chicken salad off the menu, you’re definitely not alone.
It was one of those simple but perfectly balanced recipes that had a loyal following.
And it’s no surprise it was so beloved.
It featured a combination of tender chicken, sweet grapes, crunchy nuts, and creamy dressing.
This homemade version captures all those familiar flavors and textures so you can enjoy it at home despite it being discontinued.
It makes for a yummy, elevated chicken salad sandwich anytime.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Chicken– Chopped rotisserie chicken with the skin and bones removed.
- Mayonnaise– Real, full fat mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip, low fat mayo, or mayonnaise style dressing.
- Vinegar– Apple cider vinegar.
- Honey
- Seasonings– Salt, pepper, lemon pepper seasonings.
- Celery– Diced.
- Seedless grapes- Sliced in half lengthwise.
- Almonds– Slivered.
- Sandwich fixings– Good quality sliced sandwich bread, sliced roma tomatoes, and lettuces leaves
How to Make
This copycat Panera Napa chicken salad is so easy.
Just combine the chicken, celery, grapes, and almonds together in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate, smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, and seasonings until everything is evenly combined.
Pour the dressing over the chicken salad mixture and stir it together until everything is evenly coated.
Serve as is or make chicken salad sandwiches by spreading an even amount of chicken salad onto six slices of bread.
Top each sandwich with a lettuce leaf, slices of tomato, and finally the remaining slices of bread.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
I don’t recommend storing leftover assembled sandwiches as they will get soggy in the fridge.
You can store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days.
Tips and Tricks
- Only make as many sandwiches as you plan to eat in one second and store the rest of the sandwich components separately.
- Give the chicken salad a taste to check for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- The beauty of making this at home is you can customize the chicken salad to your liking and omit the grapes, almonds, or celery if you don’t like that.
Other Copycat Panera Recipes
Copycat Panera Napa chicken salad tastes just like the discontinued favorite!
Make it today and enjoy!
Looking for other copycat Panera recipes?
Try these:
- Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese
- Classic Tomato Soup
- Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad
- Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
- Bistro French Onion Soup
If you’ve tried this COPYCAT PANERA NAPA CHICKEN SALAD, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Napa Chicken Salad (Panera Bread Copycat)
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- pinch lemon pepper seasoning optional
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup sliced (halved lengthwise) seedless grapes
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 12 slices quality sandwich bread
- 3 roma tomatoes sliced
- 6 lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Add the chicken, celery, grapes, and almonds to a large mixing bowl. Gently stir together until evenly combined. Set aside.3 1/2 - 4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken, 1 cup diced celery, 1 cup sliced (halved lengthwise) seedless grapes, 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- In a separate, smaller mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, and seasonings then whisk them together until evenly combined.1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, pinch lemon pepper seasoning, salt & pepper
- Pour the dressing over the chicken salad mixture and gently stir together until everything's evenly coated.
- Spread an even amount of chicken salad onto six slices of bread. Top each sandwich with a lettuce leaf, slices of tomato, and finally the remaining slices of bread.12 slices quality sandwich bread, 3 roma tomatoes, 6 lettuce leaves
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Only make as many sandwiches as you plan to eat in one second and store the rest of the sandwich components separately.
- Give the chicken salad a taste to check for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- The beauty of making this at home is you can customize the chicken salad to your liking and omit the grapes, almonds, or celery if you don't like that.
Nutrition
