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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Orchard Harvest Salad (Panera Copycat)

Fall Flavors· salad· Summertime Favorites
October 9, 2017

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Orchard Harvest Salad (Panera Copycat) – Chopped romaine lettuce tossed with sliced pears, dried cherries, pecans, gorgonzola cheese, diced chicken and homemade cherry balsamic vinaigrette. Copycat recipe of the seasonal Orchard Harvest salad from Panera Bread. 

Pouring dressing on the Orchard Harvest Salad I don’t post about salads often because, well honestly, the focus of this blog is usually on the indulgent side of the food spectrum.

But I actually love salads. Especially chunky salads full of various flavors and textures that keep you excited about eating it until the last bite.

So every once in a while, I like to surprise you guys with a killer salad recipe – not because it’s healthy, but because it’s incredible. The last one I shared with you guys was this Avocado & Charred Corn Salad which was perfect for summer. Now, I have one made for the fall.

Today, I share with you my Orchard Harvest Salad with Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette!

Orchard Harvest Salad ingredients before being mixed togetherHomemade cherry balsamic vinaigrette Slices of pears on the saladOrchard Harvest Salad in a bowl with a fork

This salad is a copycat recipe from my favorite salad from Panera Bread. It used to be on their seasonal menu in the fall, but they no longer offer it. Sad face.

When my cravings began to kick-in for this salad, I decided to try to recreate it – including the killer cherry balsamic vinaigrette.

And man…I think I got it exactly right!

So what’s exactly in this salad?? Let’s break down all the ingredients:

  • Fresh sliced bartlett pear – so juicy and tender and perfectly in season this time of year. The pear is my favorite part of this salad. I really need to incorporate more pear into my recipes!
  • Crumbled gorgonzola cheese – soft and bold cheese that pairs incredibly well with pears and cherries
  • Dried cherries – the cherries help bring out the flavor in the vinaigrette. Plus, I love the chewiness of the dried cherries
  • Pecan halves – the pecans add the perfect crunch to this salad and just a hint of saltiness
  • Diced chicken – Since this is an entree salad, I wanted protein to help fill me up. I decided to use cooked rotisserie chicken for this recipe to save time but feel free to grill up a chicken breast instead

Yellow PearWalnuts on lettuce

Another component of this salad is the cherry balsamic dressing. It’s suuuuuper easy to make but here are a couple tips to help you out, in case you have any issues:

  1. Oil and vinegar are tough to mix together. You can whisk them but I love to shake them together in a mason jar since (1) it’s so much easier to mix them and (2) I can end up using the jar for storage.
  2. If you want a smooth dressing, simply strain the dressing after mixing ingredients together and that will help eliminate the chunks of cherry from the preserves.
  3. You only use 1/4 cup of cherry preserves for the dressing so you’ll have a good amount left over. If you need ideas on how to use it, these Glazed Cherry Hand Pies are perfect! You can easily make a half-batch recipe with the leftover preserves.

This salad is gonna seriously rock your world. And this is coming from a girl who has high standards for salads, too. Maybe I’ll hit you guys with another recipe after the holidays…Any requests?? Let me know in the comments!

Here are all the kitchen tools and serveware that I used in today’s recipe. For each item sold below, I make a small commission. I only recommend items that I own and love so you can trust that each recommendation is tried and true. Thank you for supporting CPA!

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Orchard Harvest Salad ingredients before being mixed together

Print Recipe

Orchard Harvest Salad (Panera Copycat)

Chopped romaine lettuce tossed with sliced pears, dried cherries, pecans, gorgonzola cheese, diced chicken and homemade cherry balsamic vinaigrette. Copycat recipe of the seasonal Orchard Harvest salad from Panera Bread.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time20 mins
Servings: 1 large entree salad

Ingredients

For the cherry balsamic vinaigrette:
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup cherry preserves
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • pinch salt and pepper
For the orchard harvest salad:
  • 6 ounces romaine lettuce chopped
  • 1/2 pear sliced (or 1/3 cup diced pears)
  • 1/4 cup gorgonzola
  • 1/4 cup pecans roasted and salted
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 chicken breast cooked and diced
  • 2-3 tablespoons cherry balsamic vinaigrette

Instructions

  • I recommend starting this salad by making the dressing first. Place balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk until sugar has dissolved. Then, continue to cook until vinegar has reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
  • Add cherry preserves to vinegar mixture and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and place into a medium bowl to help it cool down. While it's cooling down, prepare the salad by adding all the salad ingredients (except for the dressing, of course) in a large bowl.
  • Add canola oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to the cherry mixture and whisk vigorously until the oil and vinegar combine. I strained my dressing to remove the cherry chunks, but that's no necessary if you don't want to. Add a couple tablespoons to salad mixture and toss together. Give the salad a taste and add more dressing, if needed. Serve immediately.

Pin for later:

Orchard Harvest Salad  photo collage

More recipes that you’ll love:

Avocado & Charred Corn Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Bowl of Avocado & Charred Corn Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Fresh Broccoli Salad with Crispy Bacon

Bowl of Fresh Broccoli Salad with Crispy Bacon

Chicken & Couscous Stuffed Peppers with Goat Cheese

Red pepper stuffed with chicken and couscous

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29 Comments

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Comments

  1. KJ says

    April 11, 2022 at 11:54 am

    I used to love this salad at Panera and was also sad face when they switched it out for the Fuji Apple one, so I started making it at home. I could never find cherry balsamic so had to make due with berry and it wasn’t the same. Can’t wait to try yours! Also, I can’t remember if it was on the original or if it is just my twist, but I add apple chips/freeze dried apples, for added crunch and to continue the orchard theme. So good!

    Reply
  2. Hillary says

    November 11, 2018 at 10:46 am

    Has anyone else made this salad and loved it? I want to make it, but I am afraid I am going to buy all of the ingredients and not like it. I love this salad at Panera, so if it really is a copy cat it would be worth making!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      November 19, 2018 at 10:47 am

      As an avid lover of the version at Panera, I think it’s pretty darn close to the original!

      Reply
  3. Lauren says

    October 10, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    This looks like the perfect autumn salad! Thanks for sharing!

    Lauren

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:20 am

      Thanks Lauren!

      Reply
  4. Jacque says

    October 10, 2017 at 8:48 am

    This is one of my favorite fall salads! I will be saving this for later 🙂

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:20 am

      Glad you like it!

      Reply
  5. Lauren @ Delicious Little Bites says

    October 10, 2017 at 8:07 am

    These are some of my favorite salad ingredients! I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:19 am

      Mine too!

      Reply
  6. D at Be you and thrive says

    October 10, 2017 at 7:12 am

    Ooo! This has all the sweet and savory that I crave + protein!
    Love it and it’s Fall theme! Thanks for sharing! xo~ D #beyouandthrive

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:19 am

      Love the sweet and savory combo too!

      Reply
  7. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says

    October 9, 2017 at 11:35 pm

    I adore the pears in this salad — great idea! And the dressing? Divine! Great recipe!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:19 am

      Me too! Thanks Patricia!

      Reply
  8. Rachel says

    October 9, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    This salad is GORGEOUS and combines all of my favorite things! I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  9. Anna says

    October 9, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    This salad looks so delicious and healthy , this is my kind of salad . Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:18 am

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  10. Evi says

    October 9, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    This salad is beautiful! Perfect for fall!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:18 am

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
  11. Logan Can says

    October 9, 2017 at 5:25 pm

    I love this salad at Panera! I will have to try your copy cat recipe! Looks so yummy!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:18 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  12. Sarah Althouse says

    October 9, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    Not a big gorgonzola fan but other than that this looks amazing!! Going to try with goat cheese.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:18 am

      That’s a great substitute!

      Reply
  13. Brittany Poulson says

    October 9, 2017 at 4:06 pm

    This salad looks so hearty and full of flavor! I just want to stick a fork in and take a big ole bite!

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:17 am

      Right?! So glad you like it!

      Reply
  14. Jordan | Read. Eat. Repeat. says

    October 9, 2017 at 2:35 pm

    This salad looks so pretty and delicious! Especially the homemade cherry vinegrette.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:16 am

      Aw thank you! Love that vinaigrette too!

      Reply
  15. Mary says

    October 9, 2017 at 11:35 am

    This salad looks and sounds amazing, all the flavors I love! I have not had it at Panara, but now there is no need to. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Sharon says

      October 11, 2017 at 5:15 am

      Thanks so much!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken - Julie's Eats & Treats ® says:
    November 14, 2019 at 10:16 pm

    […] about a handful of healthy recipes, including these Chicken & Couscous Stuffed Peppers and the Orchard Harvest Salad, which are two of my favorite recipes in the world, but also happen to be better for you. Well […]

    Reply

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