Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

Who doesn’t love a Panera strawberry poppyseed salad? We make our version with the addition of oranges and feta cheese. We like to marinate the chicken during the day, and then when we come home, we just roast off the sweet and spicy pecans, slice up some strawberries and oranges and whip up a simple poppyseed dressing. Grilled chicken salad is a great dinner, and if you double the batch you can take some for lunch the next day! Oh, and be sure to make enough of our sweet and spicy toasted pecans!

Ingredients for Panera strawberry poppyseed salad

  • Chicken breast
  • Granulated garlic
  • Smoked paprika
  • Dried thyme
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Dijon mustard
  • Sriracha sauce
  • Olive oil
  • Champagne or white wine vinegar
  • Orange juice
  • Orange marmalade
  • Honey
  • Poppy seeds
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Feta
  • Toasted Pecans
  • Spinach
  • Strawberries
  • Clemantine oranges

Are Poppy Seeds good for you?

Poppy seeds are particularly rich in manganese, a trace element important for bone health and blood clotting. This mineral also helps your body utilize amino acids, fats, and carbs. They’re likewise high in copper, a mineral needed to make connective tissue and transport iron.

6 Emerging Benefits of Poppy Seeds

Are Blueberries a healthy addition to this salad?

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids. Blueberries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory. 

10 Proven Health Benefits of Blueberries

 

Spinach salad with oranges, strawberries, chicken, pecans, and feta, with a bowl of strawberries and pecans and an orange and a pitcher of poppyseed dressing

Panera Strawberry and Poppyseed Salad

Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Course: entree, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: panera, poppyseed, Salad, strawberries
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 737kcal
Author: Bruce and Dina Miller

Equipment

  • Sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Grill
  • sheet pan
  • small bowl
  • Whisk

Ingredients

Ingredients for Marinated Grilled Chicken:

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

Ingredients for poppyseed dressing:

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup champagne or white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • Fresh cracked pepper
  • Pinch of sea salt

Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Ingredients:

  • 4 ounce fresh baby spinach
  • 2 small clementine oranges peeled pith removed and sliced
  • 8 strawberries sliced
  • ½ cup sweet and spicy roasted pecans
  • 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled

Instructions

  • A few hours before, or night before, add chicken to a sealable container, and add the ingredients for the marinade. Be sure to coat all sides and allow at least 1 hour to marinade.
    1 chicken breast, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
  • To grill the chicken, prepare the grill that you are using. Grill chicken for 3 minutes, then turn over. Grill for another 3 minutes and turn again, giving it a half spin, to create grill marks. Grill for another 3 minutes. Turn one last time, and grill for 2-3 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your chicken and the heat of the grill, you want to make sure chicken is done. For chicken breasts, check for 160 degrees internal temp, then pull off the grill, and cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
    1 chicken breast
  • While chicken is grilling make the dressing. Mix together all the ingredients, and taste. Adjust seasonings or add more mustard, honey or juice as needed. Set aside.
    ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup champagne or white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice, 3 tablespoons orange marmalade, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, Fresh cracked pepper, Pinch of sea salt
  • Slice strawberries, peel oranges and slice, and crumble feta cheese.
    8 strawberries sliced, 2 ounces feta cheese, 2 small clementine oranges peeled
  • Uncover chicken and slice into bite size chunks. Prepare salad by adding spinach, strawberries and oranges to a plate. Arrange grilled chicken over the top. Add the feta, pecans and drizzle dressing over, serving additional along the side.
    ½ cup sweet and spicy roasted pecans, 4 ounce fresh baby spinach

Nutrition

Serving: 1salad | Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 510mg | Potassium: 850mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 4276IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 241mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More salad inspo….

Dina and Bruce at the Golden Gate Bridge

Hi, we are Bruce and Dina Miller. We love to cook every night. We enjoy making a few healthy dishes, and also comfort food. We love crafting cocktails too! Come take a look, we would love to share our recipes with you.

Comments

  1. Elaine & James Reply

    5 stars
    We used to buy this salad all of the time! Love the addition of oranges and feta! Yum!

    • Dina and Bruce at the Golden Gate Bridge

      Bruce and Dina Miller Reply

      Elaine and James,

      Thank you! This is a tasty meal to share! So glad you like it!

      Dina and Bruce

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  4. Gina Abernathy Reply

    5 stars
    I love everything about this salad. I made it last night for my family and they loved it! The toasted pecans are my favorite.

  5. Tara Reply

    5 stars
    Oh yum! Such a beautiful salad! Love all the color and the flavors sound fantastic too.

  6. Dannii Reply

    5 stars
    Such an incredible salad. Really light and fresh flavours.

  7. Nathan Reply

    5 stars
    Anything with toasted pecans as a topping has my attention! I’ve had Panera’s version of this salad, but I’m excited to try making it for myself!

    • Dina and Bruce at the Golden Gate Bridge

      Bruce and Dina Miller Reply

      Nathan,

      Bruce loves to toast pecans or walnuts for salads, they are so tasty! Thank you!!

      Dina and Bruce

  8. Shelby Reply

    5 stars
    Love this delightfully delicious meal-sized salad. The homemade poppyseed dressing is the BEST!

    • Dina and Bruce at the Golden Gate Bridge

      Bruce and Dina Miller Reply

      Shelby,

      Awe, thank you so much! We love making it in the Summer!Thank you,

      Dina and Bruce

  9. Nikki Reply

    5 stars
    Oh wow, this looks incredible! Love all the flavors and that poppyseed dressing, Yummy!

  10. Colleen Reply

    5 stars
    This salad has everything, it’s fruity but spicy and the dressing is amazing! We loved it and I make it again.

  11. Seema Doraiswamy Sriram Reply

    5 stars
    That is one healthy bowl of salad. Colourful bites and nutritious too.

  12. Amy [email protected] Reply

    5 stars
    Yummy! This was so delicious! I love this salad at Panera so it is nice to have this recipe in my back pocket.

  13. Ned Reply

    5 stars
    Such a delicious summery salad! I loved it!

  14. Charla Reply

    5 stars
    This is everything you could ever ask for in a summer salad.

  15. Anjali Reply

    5 stars
    I made this salad for lunch today and it totally hit the spot! It was refreshing but still filling and satisfying. And I think it tasted even better than the Panera version!

  16. Amanda Wren-Grimwood Reply

    5 stars
    Such a delicious salad. Loved the strawberries and mandarin combination – so refreshing.

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