This copycat recipe for Panera Green Goddess Salad with lean chicken breast and crispy bacon and topped with Panera’s signature pickled onions and famous green goddess salad dressing is the most delicious cobb salad ever. It’s a low carb, high protein, perfect for meal prep, lunch or dinner that you can make right at home!
As far as salads go, I’m not typically a cobb girl, but all of that changed the first time I had Panera’s cobb salad. My thirteen year old and I love to go to Panera, especially when we are on the road for volleyball tournaments since we don’t have one super close in my town (rude!). On one particularly long day of Volleyball games, I deviated from my typical order (Greek salad) because I was starving and a heartier salad was definitely in order.
Guys. One taste of that dreamy, creamy, green goddess dressing and I was hooked. I may even have licked the too-tiny condiment container. And when I discovered that Panera had the actual recipe for this delicious dressing right on their site, I knew it was time to recreate this salad at home!
Love Panera? Try this Chicken Quinoa Mediterranean Bowl – also a Panera Copycat Recipe!
The Ultimate Meal Prep Salad
This salad is perfect to meal prep in advance. All of the salad components can be made ahead of time and stored separately for a week’s worth of easy lunches. Just assemble when you are ready to eat!
- You could make regular bacon or turkey bacon in the oven and bake the chicken breast at the same time. Or make grilled chicken breast and air fryer bacon at the same time.
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs or Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs are already on my weekly meal prep list and are easy to do on a Sunday for the week.
- The creamy dressing and pickled onions can be prepped in advance and stored in the refrigerator. I love using the extra onions for taco night!
- Not much chopping needs to happen for this easy recipe – just some romaine and tomatoes – gotta love that!
Ingredients
For full ingredients and exact amounts, be sure to check out the printable recipe card below!
Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients:
- A blend of plain Greek yogurt and mayonnaise
- fresh basil leaves
- minced shallots
- basil pesto – store bought or homemade
- white wine vinegar
- honey or sugar – Panera uses agave, so that is another option
- dijon mustard – you can leave this out in a pinch
- pinch of salt + black pepper
Quick Pickled Red Onions:
- red onion, cut into thin slices – I use my chef knife, but this is a great chance to break out that mandoline
- honey, maple syrup, or raw sugar – whatever you have on hand
- apple cider vinegar – you could use white vinegar, but I prefer apple cider for picked veggies
- water and salt
Panera Cobb Salad Ingredients:
- chopped romaine lettuce and spring mix – You could use all romaine for this, but Panera uses a salad blend of Arugula, romaine, kale, red leaf lettuce in their cobb.
- cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – halve for an easier bite on your fork
- sliced avocado
- hard-boiled eggs, cut into slices – I love to meal prep these in my Instant Pot or Air Fryer.
- homemade bacon or turkey bacon bits – just make some nitrate free bacon and crumble for this salad. FYI for 21 Day Fix Readers, turkey bacon is on the list, but regular bacon is not.
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cooked and cut into bite sized pieces. I also love this salad with leftover Air Fryer Chicken Thighs.
- blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese – or sub your favorite – feta cheese is really good, too!
- picked red onions – or sub chopped red onions, but Panera specifically uses the pickled kind and it just makes this salad totally extra.
Substitutions and Variations
- This salad has a lot of added protein. If you are on a budget or want to streamline ingredients, you can use just 1-2 protein options.
- For added plant based protein, try chickpeas or roasted tofu.
- For dairy free, omit cheese and use dairy free yogurt or sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt.
- If you are not a fan of the Greek Goddess Dressing, you could sub in your favorite dressing or try my Greek Yogurt Ranch.
Step by Step Instructions
The full recipe is in the recipe card below – and it’s printable!
- Start with the quick pickled red onions. In a small pot, heat honey, apple cider vinegar, water, and salt, bringing to a boil. Place onions in a jar or other airtight container with a lid. Remove pot from heat, and pour hot vinegar mixture over onions. Cover and let them sit for 15-30 minutes before adding to the salad.
2. Next, make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until very smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary. Pour dressing into a jar or other air tight container until you are ready to serve the salad.
3. Assemble the salad. Mix greens with tomatoes, bacon, eggs, chicken, cheese, and avocado.
4. Add pickled red onions and drizzle with dressing just before serving.
Meal Prep Storage
- Prep ingredients for salad, dressing, and pickled onions up to 4 days in advance. Store everything in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Store leftover salad ingredients in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- If combined with the dressing, the salad will start to wilt after 12 hours or so, so it’s best to add the dressing and the onions just before eating.
- Pickled red onions will last in the refrigerator for up 2 weeks. Store in a jar or other airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
As always, this depends on your particular health goals and definition of healthy. But this salad is very high in protein and low in carbs. Making it at home also allows you to control the sodium levels and additives that sneak into restaurant food. Here’s the nutritional information for the Green Goddess Salad from the Panera site.
This creamy dressing tastes like a combination of ranch and pesto…very bright, fresh, and herby!
More Homemade Salad Recipes
Panera Green Goddess Salad
Ingredients
For the Green Goddess Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 Tbsp shallot minced
- 1 Tbsp basil pesto
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey or sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard can omit if you don't have it
- pinch of salt + black pepper
Quick Pickled Red Onions
- 1 red onion cut into thin slices
- 2 Tbsp honey maple syrup, or raw sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For The Salad
- 6 cups chopped romaine
- 2 cups mixed greens or sub more romaine
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 4 hard boiled eggs cut into slices
- 8 strips bacon or turkey bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 pound chicken breast cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/3 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola or sub your favorite cheese
- ½ avocado diced
- pickled red onions or sub minced onions
Instructions
- Start with the quick pickled red onions. In a small pot, heat honey, apple cider vinegar, water, and salt, bringing to a boil. Place onions in a jar or other airtight container with a lid. Remove pot from heat, and pour hot vinegar mixture over onions. Cover and let them sit for 15-30 minutes before adding to the salad.
- Next, make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until very smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary. Pour dressing into a jar or other air tight container until you are ready to serve the salad.
- Finally, assemble the salad. Mix greens with tomatoes, bacon, eggs, chicken, cheese, and avocado. Add pickled red onions and drizzle with dressing just before serving.
Mary says
Awesome
Can the dressing be frozen ?
Nancylynn says
Mayo doesn’t freeze very well, so I wouldn’t!
Pooja says
Oh my gosh! This was so good! And so filing. Love everything that went into the salad, and THAT dressing. So incredible! Thank you for coming up with another delicious dish!
Nancylynn says
It’s so delicious, right? Thank you for this comment!