Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken
This Panera Copycat Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken is just as flavorful as the original and so easy to make. Made with fresh summer fruits, tender and juicy chicken, and toasted pecans. Sweet and delicious poppy seed dressing to drizzle all over this salad. This will quickly become your go-to summer salad!
Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken
One of Panera’s best and most delicious salads has to be their Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad. It’s so fresh, colorful and flavorful. It’s probably my favorite item on their menu. So much that I decided to make my very own version. This Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken is made with fresh fruit, tender and juicy chicken, and toasted pecans. With a sweet, zesty and delicious poppy seed dressing to drizzle all over the salad. It’s so easy to make and so satisfying. Makes for the perfect light summer night dinner. It will quickly become your go-to salad!
Ingredients needed to make Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken:
- Chicken Breasts– You can also use chicken thighs.
- For Chicken– Lemon juice, olive oil, pink sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- For Salad– Romaine lettuce, strawberries, mandarins, blueberries, pineapple chunks, raw pecan halves.
- For Poppy Seed Dressing– Plain Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, poppy seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and pink sea salt.
Equipment needed to make Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken:
- Mixing Bowls– A large one for prepping chicken and a small one to prep the marinade.
- Whisk– To whisk marinade.
- Small Mason Jar– For prepping poppy seed dressing.
- Grill or Cast Iron Skillet– To cook chicken on.
- Tongs– To flip chicken when cooking.
- Large Serving Salad Bowl– To layer all the salad ingredients on and toss it.
How to make Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken:
- Step 1– Start by prepping romaine, fruit and pecans. Chop up romaine lettuce and place on a large serving bowl. Slice strawberries, peel and split mandarins into segments, chop pineapple into chunks. Toast pecans if desired by simply putting them in a small pan over the stove on medium-high heat. Give them a toss to make sure they toast evenly for about 1-2 minutes Layer each fruit and pecans over romaine lettuce and set aside.
- Step 2– Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and place in a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredient for chicken; olive oil, lemon juice, pink sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Pour marinade over chicken breasts and rub making sure all slices of breasts are well coated. Set chicken aside.
- Step 3– Preheat grill on medium-high heat.
- Step 4– While grill preheats, in a small jar or bowl mix all of the ingredients for salad dressing; Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, pink sea salt, and poppy seeds. Whisk until the dressing is well combined. Set aside.
- Step 5– Place marinated chicken on preheated grill. Grill each slice of chicken breast for 7 minutes. Use tongs to flip chicken over and grill for another 7 minutes on the other side. Place chicken on a cutting board and cut into bite size slices.
- Step 6– Give salad a quick toss. Place sliced chicken over tossed salad. Drizzle dressing over salad and give it another toss. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions:
- Keep salad and salad dressing refrigerated preferably while chicken is grilling- This will keep romaine, fruit and salad dressing cool and fresh.
- No grill? No problem- Cook chicken on a cast iron skillet over stove top.
- Switch up your fruit- You can use other fruit if you prefer like kiwi, grapes, peaches, etc.
- Switch up pecans- Use walnuts, almonds, etc.
- Substitute for poppy seeds- You can use chia seeds or hemp hearts.
- Substitute for honey- Maple syrup is a good substitute.
How to serve Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad:
This is such a refreshing, filling and satisfying salad. Perfect to serve all summer long. I love making it for lunch or a light dinner. Typically I make a huge bowl and toss it with the grilled chicken. I prepare the poppy seed dressing and serve it on the side. This was everyone can serve themselves as much salad as they’d like and drizzle the dressing on their portion. If there is any salad leftover, I can store it for a couple of days without it getting soggy from the dressing.
Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken FAQ’s:
What type of chicken should I use?
For this recipe I like to use grilled chicken breasts. You can certainly use chicken thighs. Just make sure they are boneless and skinless chicken thighs.
Can I use store bought poppyseed dressing?
Yes. You can use store-bought poppy seed dressing if you wish. I believe Panera sells their own poppy seed dressing. It may just have a lot more calories than homemade however.
Do I need to store the Poppy Seed Dressing in the fridge?
Yes. The base for this poppy seed dressing is Greek yogurt. So it definitely has to be refrigerated.
How do you cut a pineapple?
The easiest way to cut a pineapple is by using a pineapple corer. Cut the top of the pineapple off, then proceed to insert the corer inside of the pineapple. Then you just have to twist it up and the skin will be removed from the fruit. This tool will also remove the pineapple’s core. Hence it being a corer. Then Just slice your pineapple into circles to be grilled for your Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad.
Meal Prepping it:
This Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad can easily be meal prepped. Make your chicken, prep the salad ingredients and the poppy seed dressing. Keep them all in separate containers. When you are ready to serve, combine them all at once or enough for as many servings you need at the moment.
Storing Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad:
Place any leftover Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad in an airtight container. If the salad already has dressing on it, keep it refrigerated for up to 1 day. If it doesn’t have dressing on it, keep it refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.
Did you like this Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad recipe? You may also like these other salad recipes:
- Fresh and Easy Fruit Salad
- Watermelon Blueberry Salad with Feta
- Grilled Pineapple and Chicken Salad
- Cucumber Herb Salad
Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp pink sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salad
- 6 leaves romaine lettuce
- 2 cups whole strawberries
- 2 mandarins
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup raw pecan halves
Dressing
- 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tbso olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/4 tsp pink sea salt
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
Start by prepping romaine, fruit and pecans. Chop up romaine lettuce and place on a large serving bowl. Slice strawberries, peel and split mandarins into segments, chop pineapple into chunks. Toast pecans if desired by simply putting them in a small pan over the stove on medium-high heat. Give them a toss to make sure they toast evenly for about 1-2 minutes Layer each fruit and pecans over romaine lettuce and set aside.
- Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and place in a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredient for chicken; olive oil, lemon juice, pink sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Pour marinade over chicken breasts and rub making sure all slices of breasts are well coated. Set chicken aside.
- Preheat grill on medium-high heat.
While grill preheats, in a small jar or bowl mix all of the ingredients for salad dressing; Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, pink sea salt, and poppy seeds. Whisk until the dressing is well combined. Set aside.
Place marinated chicken on preheated grill. Grill each slice of chicken breast for 7 minutes. Use tongs to flip chicken over and grill for another 7 minutes on the other side. Place chicken on a cutting board and cut into bite size slices.
Give salad a quick toss. Place sliced chicken over tossed salad. Drizzle dressing over salad and give it another toss. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
- Keep salad and salad dressing refrigerated preferably while chicken is grilling- This will keep romaine, fruit and salad dressing cool and fresh.
- No grill? No problem- Cook chicken on a cast iron skillet over stove top.
- Switch up your fruit- You can use other fruit if you prefer like kiwi, grapes, peaches, etc.
- Switch up pecans- Use walnuts, almonds, etc.
- Substitute for poppy seeds- You can use chia seeds or hemp hearts.
- Substitute for honey- Maple syrup is a good substitute.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
