I went to Panera Bread with a friend a little while ago for her birthday lunch. I don’t go to Panera a lot, but she chose it. I’m happy she did because I found my new favorite salad: the green goddess chicken cobb salad.

copycat panera bread green goddess chicken cobb salad

The salad was so fresh and flavorful that I started making it at home with air fryer boneless chicken thighs. Making the salad is simple and it takes less than 30 minutes. It’s my current favorite spring salad.

Panera’s website lists the salad ingredients – chicken, mixed greens, romaine lettuce, red tomatoes, avocado, pickled red onions, a hard-boiled egg, chopped bacon, and green goddess dressing. In addition, you have the option to add cheese (feta or gorgonzola) to the salad.

I used that as a starting point and customized the salad to fit my family’s taste. You can add or remove any ingredients you want. I use air fryer chicken, mixed greens, red tomatoes (sometimes), avocado, pickled red onions (or regular red onions), a hard-boiled egg, chopped bacon, crumbled blue cheese and green goddess dressing.

The mix of blue cheese, pickled red onions and avocado is what I love the most in this salad. I simply prepare the ingredients and shake them all together in a large container with a cover. I grind a little freshly ground pepper on top of the salad and that’s it!

Single Serve Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad

Ingredients

2 oz mixed greens
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped

2 oz pickled red onions (or regular red onions, sliced)
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 hard-boiled egg, cubed

2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1 air fryer chicken thigh (or breast)

2 oz green goddess dressing
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large container, add the mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, avocado, eggs, cheese and bacon. Top with the sliced air fryer chicken.

Drizzle the green goddess dressing over the salad.
Cover the container and shake everything together well.
(Optional) Sprinkle a little freshly ground pepper on top of the salad before serving.

Recipe Tips:

Sometimes people complicate things like boiling eggs. I simply put the eggs in a small saucepan. Then I pour in enough water to cover the eggs and cook them over medium heat for 15 minutes. (It’s really that simple. My sons have been cooking boiled eggs for themselves since they were little boys.)
There are multiple ways to cook bacon including air fryer bacon. Since I like the bacon for this green goddess chicken cobb salad to be crispy so that I can crumble it, I cook it in the microwave. Just follow the instructions on the bacon package. (Most of the time you microwave the bacon between paper towels for 1 minute per slice.)
This salad is great with regular red onions but it’s even better with pickled red onions. So far lloyd Pickled Red Onions is my favorite brand.

I have tried a few green goddess salad dressings also. Annie’s Organic Green Goddess Salad Dressing is noteworthy. When I want to change flavors up a bit, I like Trader Joe’s Goddess Dressing the best.
(You can make your own pickled red onions and green goddess salad dressing. There are plenty of recipes online. I just prefer not to.)

This copycat Panera Bread green goddess chicken cobb salad is my favorite lunch and occasional dinner. Even the guys in my home love it so sometimes I multiply the recipe ingredient amounts to make four salad servings. I hope that your family enjoys it as well!

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