Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken is an exact replica of the Panera salad, which is no longer available. You can even make this low carb, with juicy chicken, vibrant vegetables, and a delicious Thai peanut dressing!
Panera Thai Chicken Salad
I never even had to glance at the menu when I used to visit Panera. I was very clear about what I wanted—the grilled chicken and spicy Thai salad! Amazing crisp peppers, tender edamame, romaine and red cabbage combined... Served with a tasty peanut sauce on top? Chef kisses
Now that it's been discontinued, I'm so glad I figured out how to make it at home! Now that you can make the Thai Peanut Dressing yourself (even low carb), you can also create the delectable grilled chicken and this salad.
If you want a lot of heat in your cuisine, you might wish to increase the amount of chili garlic sauce or siracha in your dressing. As is, it has the ideal sweetness to spice ratio, but you can easily change it to suit your tastes!
Ingredients in Panera Spicy Thai Salad
- 1 Thai Grilled Chicken breast, sliced (recipe linked below)
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- ¼ cup purple cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cup carrot, shredded
- ¼ cup red pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup cooked edamame
- 1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- Top with: peanuts and Thai Chili Vinaigrette (recipe link below)
How to make Panera Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken
The star of this presentation is the peanut sauce! With its combination of sweet and spiciness, this dressing really ties the salad together. Peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime (or lemon) juice, chili garlic sauce, minced garlic, fresh ginger, and water to thin it out are all combined to form the sauce. Stir everything together thoroughly.
I prefer a base of crisp and crunchy romaine lettuce for the remainder of the salad. If you don't like cilantro, try parsley, and add some shredded purple cabbage, carrots, red pepper, cilantro, and roasted edamame on top of that. This flavor combination can't be beat!
On their salad, Panera also includes wonton strips and almonds, but I omitted both of those and instead chose to top mine with chopped peanuts. This goes wonderfully with the outfit and is probably already in your home!
Can I make Thai Peanut Sauce low carb?
Yes, you can! To achieve the traditional sweet-and-spicy flavor, a sweetener is necessary, but you may easily use a no-sugar sweetener! Use golden monkfruit, brown sugar Swerve, or Lakanto's sugar-free maple syrup in place of honey. As a result, the net carbohydrates are reduced from over 8 with honey to under 3 with a sugar-free alternative.
Check your peanut butter as well. To further reduce those carbs, choose a recipe that doesn't have a lot of sugar! Although we don't use a ton of edamame in the salad, it's not exactly low-carb. If you omit that, the carbohydrates would also be reduced.
This Easy Chopped Thai Chicken Salad is a great option if you LOVE this flavor but need a keto-friendly variation. It tastes fantastic in lettuce cups and only contains 3.1 net carbohydrates per serving.
Salad Meal Prep Tips
For meal planning, try this Thai chicken salad! It's more affordable than eating out and is quite full and savory. For convenience and freshness, you may store this salad in a 32-ounce Mason jar.
The stacking is the key to successfully preserving salads in mason jars. You'll put some dressing in the Mason jar's bottom, then put the chicken and peanuts on top of it. Your vegetable toppings (cabbage, carrots, edamame, and bell pepper) will then be added.
The romaine lettuce will then be placed on top of the jar. The chicken will absorb some of the dressing for added flavor and to keep the lettuce from getting soggy. Your salad will be in perfect order when you pour it into a bowl.
How to store this Spicy Thai Salad
To store, put in an airtight glass or plastic container and keep in the refrigerator. For four days, this salad will remain fresh. To prevent the lettuce from becoming too soggy, I prefer to refrigerate my chicken and vegetables separately. To keep everything crisp, I do suggest storing without the dressing on top.
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