In our last semester of law school, Bowl #2 and I started studying at Panera Bread from time to time and got hooked on their chicken salad sandwich.
(And it’s good, you should try it!) But we noticed that when either of us ordered it, it seemed like it was never enough just to tell the cashier that we wanted the “chicken salad sandwich.” Because every time we did, the inevitable response was a really pointed (and sometimes urgent) clarification, “Do you mean the Napa Almond Chicken Salad sandwich?”
And then we’d be kind of bemused, and we’d be like, “I guess,” and they’d say “Okay, one Napa-Almond-Chicken-Salad-sandwich.” And then when it was delivered to us, the busboy would inevitably say (again), “One Napa-Almond-Chicken-Salad-sandwich.”
Which was fine, except kind of confusing, because Panera doesn’t have another chicken salad sandwich. They only have the Napa-Almond-Chicken-Salad-sandwich. So what I want to know is, what if we said, no, just the chicken salad sandwich? What would happen?
“Oh, well, then you can’t have it. We don’t have chicken salad.”
Anyway, now that summer has really kicked in, chicken salad seemed like the perfect lunch option to try out at home, given that it’s so cool and fresh. What I liked best about Panera’s version was the sliced grape and, yes, the almonds, so I set out to find a recipe that included those. Unsurprisingly, the mythic Pioneer Woman had an elegantly simple recipe that included just that (well, with regular almonds) but with the ridiculously amazing addition of DILL, which is now my most favorite thing ever. Here is the recipe, with the very minor addition of diced apple. I also used Greek yogurt instead of regular, because that was what I had on hand.
Chicken Salad, adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
2-3 chicken breasts, boiled, then shredded or cubed (she recommends a whole chicken, but I am not so handy at the meats as she is, so I just use prepackaged breasts)
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
3 whole green onions, chopped
2 cups grapes, halved
1 small apple, diced
3-4 tbsp mayonnaise
2-3 tbsp Greek yogurt (or sour cream, regular unflavored yogurt, or buttermilk)
1/4 cup dill, minced
1/2 cup slivered almonds (they do not have to be Napa.)
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1. Boil chicken breasts for about 10 minutes or when cooked through. Let cool, shred into large shreds with a fork, and then chop into bite-sized pieces.
2. Chop celery, green onions, grapes, and apple, and combine in a bowl with the chicken and almonds.
3. Whisk together mayo, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dill. I like to add quite a bit of salt and pepper, because the chicken can be bland otherwise — probably about 1/2 tsp pepper and almost 1 tsp salt, but definitely taste as you go.
4. Pour over the chicken mixture and toss until coated.
5. Let chill for a few hours or even overnight.
6. Serve on toasted bread with lettuce and tomato (or, if you forgot to buy that like I did, on its own).
Thank you so much for reading!
kellie@foodtoglow
This reminds me of my Mum’s recipe. She sadly passed away before I could learn her secrets in the kitchen, but this recipe looks pretty close to what I remember. Thanks for sharing 😀
tworedbowls
What a touching comment, Kellie. I’m so sorry to hear of your mother’s passing, but would be so happy if this recipe came close to what she made. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I hope that you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
Dolly
*Water in mouth =)
Can I freeze this salad, you think?
Two Red Bowls
I actually have no idea! I’m so sorry, Dolly. This only makes enough for about four sandwiches, so we usually go through it in a day or two. My guess is that both mayo and yogurt will separate/change consistency if frozen, though, so I would lean against freezing. I hope you still decide to make it, though!
Deb
Yum! This is delicious! Thanks for sharing. Any idea of cals for this recipe?
tworedbowls
Hmm, I just punched it into a calorie counter and the chicken salad, with no bread, came out to about 400 calories per serving (and the full batch listed above, for four servings, would be about 1600 cals). For a lighter version, replace the mayo with all Greek yogurt — it will be more tart, but that cuts the calories down by a grand 90 per serving. Hope that helps!
Kimmy
Just made this today and it’s delicious! Omitted the almonds as some of my family members are allergic. Will probably add a few to mine separately 🙂
tworedbowls
I’m so so happy you liked it, Kimmy!! This made my day when I read it (though my comment is super belated…) Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Anonymous
This is awesome!!!
tworedbowls
Thank you so much! 🙂
Liz Berlin
How many will this serve. I’m making for a. Church tea about 80 people
tworedbowls
Hi Liz! This makes about 4-6 servings.
Anonymous
I used to work at panera and they have another chicken salad sandwhich. It’s the chicken Caesar salad sandwhich. That’s why they clarify.
Anonymous
Just realized my post sounded spotty! Sorry I’m sleepy! About to make this. 🙂
tworedbowls
Hahaha! Glad that you solved the mystery for us 🙂 I hope you like this if you try it (especially since you’ll know better than anyone whether it matches up to the real thing!) Thanks for commenting!
Maybel
I wanted to eat the Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich tonight,but Panera was closed when I arrived there. I was drooling while reading this! Will have to make this sometime this week! Thank you for sharing!
tworedbowls
Thank you so much for stopping by!! 🙂
Felishia
Would there be any other good substitute for the mayonnaise??
tworedbowls
Hi Felishia, you could try all Greek yogurt or regular unflavored yogurt in place of the mayo, although it would make the chicken salad considerably more tart and less creamy. Maybe skyr or a creamier yogurt? I also recently had a potato salad my aunt made with Vegenaise, which was surprisingly good. If you try a substitute, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
emma
My batch is chilling as we speak. I’m a Panera Bread fiend, and this is very reminiscent of there’s. I got some cranberry walnut bread to pair with the salad and I can’t wait to taste it all together. Soo yummy 🙂 Thanks a bunch!
Samantha
Love this article! I’m a huge fan of panera’s napa almond chicken salad and I looked online for a copycat recipe and found this! I’m so excited to make it. Also, not sure if you are an avocado fan personally, but if someone wants a healthy replacement to the mayo, avocado works great! I’ve used it a few times to make chicken salad! 🙂
Anonymous
This was great! I roasted bone-in chicken breasts in the oven with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh, ground pepper on 400 degrees until cooked through. I let it cool and then cubed it. I find that bone-in chicken has more of a chicken flavor than boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and the chicken is more moist. Thanks for the recipe! Fantastic!
Anonymous
Great Post and Great Recipe!!!! I worked at Panera for 5 years and this Recipe you have here is amazing. The cashier knew what you wanted when you said “Chicken Salad Sandwich”, because there isn’t a Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich, it is a Chicken Caesar Sandwich. So feel free to make the comment you stated above, I thought it was good. Thanks again for the recipe!
SONDRA
OMG THIS IS BETTER THAN PANERAS HOWEVER HAVING TO BUY IN BULK, I DECIDED TO DOUBLE IT AND HAVE ENOUGH FOR AN ARMY. CAN I FREEZE ANY LEFTOVER, WHICH IS A TON????
Chase
This recipe is very good. However to clarify they ask that at Panera because customers daily come in ,will say chicken salad sandwhich, then get upset for one of two reasons. It is not a basic chicken salad recipe , or because they wanted a chicken ceasar sandwhich or a salad i General. Everyday I kid you not. Thats why they say it all out like that. It still happens even if you do….. You have to understand that minor inconvenience of hearing a full name of a menu item, is less than the inconvenience of having to hear a complaining customer and remaking an item and wasting another…..
Northern California Girl
It’s so cute that you thought the Napa part of the salad is the almonds…haha! The recipe for a chicken salad with grapes and other fruits and nuts is from a restaurant in Napa, California. There is no such thing as a “Napa Almond!”
Anonymous
Oh Northern California Girl… you’re so cultured and aware. Not like the rest of us. Our shortcomings are cute though.
Anonymous
Made with plain Greek yogurt .This was delicious !
Anna Coy
Hello! Can anyone please tell me, is this sweet like panera’s??? Thank you!!
tworedbowls
Hi Anna! Yes, it’s pretty sweet! But you could always add more brown sugar or more grapes/apple if you find it needs more sweetness. I hope that helps!
Anonymous
Panera doesn’t use apples Dill or onions nor brown sugar
Gretchen
Thanks for posting the recipe. I’m going to have to give it a try. I love going to Bread Co. and ordering this sandwich. (I live in St. Louis, MO where Panera is actually St. Louis Bread Co. Everyone here just calls it Bread Co.). Also worth noting that years ago they had a different chicken salad sandwich recipe that was also VERY good. When they changed the recipe, it became the Napa…Chicken Salad.
Anonymous
How long will this last in the fridge?
tworedbowls
It should be fine for a few days, though we’ve always finished it in a day!
Anonymous
My DIL made a knock-off on her own, which was fab, and I wanted to make sure I had everything on hand she used. Instead of the yogurt/mayo she used Miracle Whip, and based on her copy cat experiment, I used lite miracle whip. YUM! She didn’t incorporate lemon juice, but I followed your recipe and hers… kinda/sorta. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this and for your narrative; I would refuse to say “Whaler” for a fish sandwich, back in the day. If a name is too goofy or wordy, I shorthand it, too.
Anonymous
That was so helpfully . Thank you a lot.
Anonymous
There’s no such thing as a Napa almond, lol. It’s named Napa as a catch phrase/Buzz word for advertising. I had this for lunch today and there were definitely no grapes or apples in it and most definitely no brown sugar. Panera actually has the recipe posted online. Amusing that you went on for so many paragraphs about having to order it by the actual name that’s listed on the menu. Lol. Just order the damned sandwich and shut up.
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/recipes/chicken-salad-sandwiches.html
Anon
Yeah…there’s definitely a Napa Almond sandwich at Panera. It does have fruit in it. Maybe know what you’re talking about before you’re anonymously rude to someone?
Donna
This recipe is not of their napa almond chicken salad. So before you made a rude comment, you may ACTUALLY want to be correct. Have a nice day 🙂
Anonymous
This recipe is turned out really good! I used yogurt and is so delicious!
Anonymous
The reason we ask “Napa almond chicken salad sandwich?” Is because we have a chicken Cesar salad sandwich! 🙂
Anonymous
OMG this was amazing!!! Even better than Panera! Thank you for creating/sharing!!! I used dry dill and it was GREAT!!!!!
tworedbowls
That makes my whole day!! Thank you so much!
Ashley
I just made this. I didn’t have celery or almonds, but it was still absolutely fantastic. I’d say it’s ever better than Panera. Thank you for sharing, you made my day with this!
tworedbowls
Oh my gosh, you made my day with your wonderful comment! I’m so, so thrilled you liked it. Thank you so much, Ashley!
Anonymous
I was looking for a chicken salad recipe with lots of good stuff in it that wasn’t drowning in mayo and I came across this. Its delicious! I didn’t have grapes on hand, so used giant raisins from Trader Joes. Since my herb garden is plentiful right now, I used dill, tarragon, and basil. Yum!
tworedbowls
That makes me so happy, thank you!!! Tarragon and basil sound like amazing additions. Hurray!
Cricket Walton
If I could give you a star rating, it would definitely be 5 out of 5! Very good! Had a friend over and he took some home!
Donna
Just wanted to say that I tried this recipe last night and brought it to work and EVERYONE loved it ! Even thought it tasted better than Panera’s version! Only slight changes I made was not as much green onion and less greek yogurt and more mayo (I like mine a little bit creamier that’s why) but even the way you have It would be amazing! Love the dill addition as well! Thanks so much for posting this 🙂
Melissa
This recipe is amazing. I’ve made it for several summer gatherings and everyone loves it! THANK YOU FOR SHARING! And, if you haven’t tried it, take the chance. You won’t be disappointed!
Michelle
I’ve made this recipe sooooo many times and it always gets great reviews! I’ve used it for baby showers, birthdays, and sadly, at my mom’s funeral. I have now saved it in my phone because I panicked when I couldn’t find it. There are a lot of copycat recipes and this one doesn’t come up in the top 5 when doing a Google search. I don’t care if it is exactly like Panera (I can’t stand that place) all I care about is that this recipe is delicious. This may sound weird: but it’s really good on banana bread. Thankfully, I remembered the funny story and added “law school student” to my search and voilá! Here it is! Thanks again for a great recipe!