I love a good salad, and Panera’s Thai Chicken Salad with Thai chili vinaigrette has been one of my absolute favorites for years. I often go out of my way to get it when eating out and love it so much that I decided to make my own version at home.

Featured Comment: “OMG this salad is so yummy….love the dressing. Tastes even better than the Panera version!!!” – Andrea

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Spicy Panera Thai Chicken Salad

Of course, I had to put my own spin on my version, and I’m happy to say it turned out even better than the original dish. Easy to make, it’s crisp, refreshing, sweet, savory, and spicy all at once.

Plus, you can easily mix and match the ingredients to use up what you have on hand and suit your flavor preferences. Try it for yourself, I guarantee you’ll never go back to the restaurant option again!

Don’t just take my word for it, though. With a five-star rating, it’s safe to say readers love it as much as I do! Take a look at what they’re saying:

“Made this for dinner tonight 🙌 amazing. This will be a staple in my house from now on. Thank you!” – Taylor B

“Excellent!!! I doubled the recipe to serve my whole family. It was great to find another meal everyone loved!! Thank you!” – Claudine

close up side view panera spicy thai chicken salad

Thai Chicken Salad Recipe Ingredients

This salad is all about the Thai chili vinaigrette! It’s a super flavorful vinaigrette that pulls all the ingredients together. If you want less spicy, definitely cut back on red pepper flakes. See my notes in the recipe card.

You’ll need: peanut butter, red pepper flakes, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice, ginger, and garlic.

The rest of the salad ingredients are simple!

  • Chickenrotisserie chicken works great! Or make your own. See easy how to below.
  • Romaine lettuceabout 1-2 heads or 6 cups chopped
  • Carrots
  • Edamamefrozen and shelled
  • Roasted red peppersjarred from the store (no need to make your own)
  • Cilantro
  • Roasted cashews 
  • Variations or add ins: basil, mint, cucumbers, peanuts, mango 
Ingredients for panera thai salad

Easy Chicken Breast for Salads

If you’re skipping rotisserie chicken and making your own chicken for the salad, here’s my go-to recipe. I love using it in many salad recipes where it calls for cooked chicken, including strawberry spinach chicken salad. It’s a foolproof recipe that relies on bone-in, skin-on, chicken breast.

Why bones and skin? Because it protects the chicken from drying out in the oven. So the chicken breast is always juicy, moist, and tender. Here’s how I do it:

  • Prep: lightly pat dry the chicken breast with few sheets of paper towels. 
  • Season: drizzle with olive oil and rub all over to coat. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper all over. 
  • Cook: roast in a 425 F oven for 45ish minutes or until cooked through. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken breast. I would start checking for doneness around 35-40 minutes.
  • Chop: cool slightly and then pull the chicken off the bones. Chicken should easily separate from the bones. Discard the skin and either shred the chicken with your hands or dice into bite-size pieces.
cooked chicken for panera thai chicken salad recipe

How to Make Thai Chicken Salad With Peanut Dressing

There are only a few steps to making this Thai salad. You can prep ahead by making the vinaigrette and keeping it refrigerated until ready to serve. Same with the rest of the salad: prep all the veggies, chicken, and keep separate until ready to serve.

  • Step 1: Cook carrots and edamame in little oil over medium-high heat until lightly charred and smoky. I love a cast-iron skillet for this step.
cooked veggies in cast iron skillet
  • Step 2: While the veggies are cooking, make the Thai chili vinaigrette by whisking all of the ingredients together. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper. 
thai chili vinaigrette in a bowl
  • Step 3: In a large salad bowl, combine the rest of the salad ingredients, including the carrots and edamame with the vinaigrette. Toss around to combine. Taste for salt before serving.
chopped up spicy thai salad in white bowl

Thai Chicken Salad Recipe Variations

You can easily mix and match different ingredients to make this copycat Thai chicken salad recipe your own. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Chicken: Replace the chicken with cooked shrimp, fish, or ground turkey. You can also omit it completely, or use tempeh or tofu to keep this recipe vegetarian.
  • Produce: Add to or swap out fruit and veggies with options like cucumber, mushrooms, onions, peas, or mango.
  • Herbs: Include fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or mint for a refreshing pop of flavor.
  • Carbs: Toss cooked rice noodles, white rice, or pasta in with the salad to make it even more filling.
  • Romaine: Use baby spinach, arugula, or mixed greens in place of the Romaine lettuce.
  • Dressing: Replace the peanut chili vinaigrette with any store-bought or homemade option you like best.
  • Toppings: Add extra flavor and texture with toppings and mix-ins such as peanuts, almonds, fried onions, or pickled onions.
  • Spice: Omit the red pepper flakes for a milder recipe. Alternatively, you can include even more, or add a dash of hot sauce or red chili sauce to amp up the heat.

What to Serve with Thai Chicken Salad

You can easily enjoy this salad on its own as a light meal. However, I love to pair it with options like roasted tomato basil soup, hummus veggie sandwich, and broccoli potato soup to make it even more filling.

Or, it’s also great with small-bite options such as 4-ingredient easy potstickers, chili garlic edamame, or vegetable rice paper rolls.

How to Store Thai Chicken Salad With Peanut Dressing

So what about the leftovers? Or maybe you want to prep this salad ahead of time to enjoy throughout the week? Well, salad is best served right away after it’s been tossed with the vinaigrette. I mean if you make it for lunch and have leftovers for dinner – it should be okay too.

Ideally, you want to store leftover salad, chicken, and vinaigrette separate, otherwise, it will turn soggy. You can, however, make the vinaigrette ahead of time and keep refrigerated for a few days. 

overhead close up spicy thai salad with chicken

If you try our Thai chicken salad, please leave a star rating and a comment letting us know how you liked the recipe.

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overhead panera thai chicken salad

Panera Thai Chicken Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 13 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Chop
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Panera’s Thai chicken salad with edamame, roasted peppers, cashews, cilantro and peanut chili vinaigrette. It’s one of best salads to order at Panera and now you can make it at home!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Salad

  • 2 small carrots, chopped, 1 cup
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 8 oz. cooked chicken, diced, 1 1/2 cups
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/3 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
  • Olive oil

Peanut-Chili Vinaigrette

  • 2 tsp. creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 2 tsp. rice vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp. minced ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

Instructions

Salad

  1. Cook carrots and edamame in little olive oil over medium-high heat until slightly charred, about 5-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  2. In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, chicken, roasted carrots, edamame, roasted peppers, cilantro, and cashews with the vinaigrette. Toss until fully coated. Taste for salt and pepper before serving.

Peanut-Chili Vinaigrette

  1. Whisk all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

  • Chicken: pulled rotisserie chicken works great. You can also make your own chicken at home: simply pat dry two bone-in, skin on, chicken breasts, and rub with olive oil all over. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Roast 425 F for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Cool and pull the chicken meat off the bones. Either shred or dice the meat.
  • Spiciness: salad definitely has a spicy kick to it. If you want less spicy, use 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
  • Variations/Add Ins: basil or mint would be a great addition to the cilantro. Also cucumbers for added crunch and mango for sweetness. Don’t like cashews? Swap them out for peanuts.
  • Servings: this recipe makes 2 big meal salads or 4 smaller salads to enjoy with a cup of soup or a sandwich.
  • Leftovers/Make Ahead: after the salad been tossed with the vinaigrette, it’s best served right away.  For best results, keep the leftover salad and vinaigrette separate until ready to serve. You can also make the vinaigrette ahead of time and keep refrigerated.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 298
  • Sugar: 9.2 g
  • Sodium: 576.6 mg
  • Fat: 16 g
  • Carbohydrates: 19.8 g
  • Protein: 22.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 41.4 mg

Originally published August 2014, updated August 2019 with new photos and rewritten post.