DIY Panera Bread Inspired || Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken

Happy Monday, friends! 

 I hope y'all are up for a yummy, healthy recipe after all mayyyybbbbbe indulging in all that Super Bowl junk food!

I have never been a good cook.  I really want to be, but with my husband working off since we got married...I have just never seen the point in wasting so much food to cook a meal for one person.  Fastforward eight years & two kids later + the convenience of online grocery pick-up, I feel like I'm finally at a point in my life where I can hone my skills in the kitchen.  

Aside from the not so good in the kitchen history, I have to admit that I feel I've especially always had a hard time creating a good salad.  My attempt at creating a salad I love in the past just doesn't seem to taste the same as they do in the restaurant and it k i l l s me!  There is nothing I love more than a good salad.  I recently tried Panera Bread's Asian Sesame Salad and was in love.  The hefty $8+ a pop just wasn't something I can afford often, so I was so excited to see that they had listed the ingredients on their menu.   

 I added all those ingredients to my grocery cart and decided to give it a whirl.  What could it hurt?  Plus, instead of paying 8.00 a salad, I bought all the ingredients for a week of salads for around $20.00!

The salad turned out absolutely d e l i c i o u s & has turned into my easy go to lunch after school started back after Christmas.  This salad has all the things I need to feel satisfied...protein, crunch, and a little spice!  I loved it so much that I thought I would share it here with you (& for myself should I ever forget how to make it! ) just in case you are looking for a little different take on the everyday salad.

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

Cilantro

Sliced Almonds

Wonton strips

Shredded grilled chicken

Sesame Seeds

Asian Sesame Dressing

I don't have exact measurements, I just kind of eye the mixture in my bowl.  It's kind of something you just experiment with.

In the future, I hope to figure out a cleaner recipe for the dressing.  But for now, the dressing pictured works and is a lite option!  I seasoned my chicken with the spices below & it seems to work perfect with the salad:

Enjoy!