Imitation as flattery: Copycat Fuji apple chicken salad
Which came first? The Fuji apple salad or the Panera Fuji apple salad?
I guess it doesn’t matter, because even if you think you “invented” a recipe, most likely someone has done the same thing — unless you attempted to use grape Kool-Aid in your frosting recipe rather than powdered sugar as my brother, Robert, has done. Now that was an interesting cake.
I fell in love with the Fuji apple chicken salad at Panera Bread. I found it fairly simple to re-create; and when I compared my version to those online, they were pretty similar. Nailed it!
WHAT YOU NEED:
*Note: Salad is in the eye of the beholder. You know how “much” of an item you like, so we’ll let you choose how many onions, tomatoes and apple chips.
- A bag of mixed greens. Don’t forget to prewash.
- Apple chips. Some like the crunchy; I prefer slightly soft.
- 2 large, baked chicken breasts, sliced, diced or shredded.
- Candied pecans or walnuts.
- I love the tasty little flavor-bomb tomatoes available at my local grocery store. Just slice them in half.
- 1 cup of Gorgonzola cheese in crumbles. You can substitute blue cheese if you’re not a Gorgonzola fan.
- Red onion sliced very thin.
- You can go with a white balsamic vinaigrette, a traditional balsamic vinegar or buy the Panera Fuji apple salad dressing.
WHAT TO DO:
Simply mix your salad and drizzle dressing to taste. A dash of black pepper is always welcome on my salad. Enjoy.
What restaurant favorite would you like to make at home? Let me know by sending an email to mary@m3group.biz.
