Refresh the page or contact the site owner to request access. Troubleshooting information Copy and paste the Ray ID when you contact the site owner. Let’s face it: We all succumb to a Panera bread bowl Bread craving at one point or another.
But wouldn’t it be nice to easily recreate one of the chain’s most popular entrees at home? With the cost of ingredients spread out over multiple meals, a home re-creation is more affordable. The Baja Bowl with chicken, as re-created by recipe developer Kristen Carli, is the perfect way to satisfy your appetite for a signature warm bowl. Before you can begin crafting the perfect copycat Panera Bread Baja Bowl, you’ll need to gather your ingredients. You’ll also need grape tomatoes, an avocado, a can of black beans, a can of corn, some salsa verde, feta cheese crumbles, and Greek yogurt for topping.
The longer your chicken gets to marinate while you prep your other ingredients, the better. That’s why Carli recommends preparing the chicken first and using a pre-made lemon-pepper marinade to simplify the process. Bottled marinade is inexpensive and already contains the right balance of acid and oil to properly soften your chicken. Carli also recommends marinating the raw chicken in a large Ziploc bag for at least two hours. This should help keep the meat soft and moist while it’s cooking. Wondering if you should rinse your raw chicken before marinating it? The USDA strongly advises against it.
Doing so sprays harmful bacteria in and around your sink. While your chicken rests in the fridge, start cooking your brown rice and quinoa. Now, this might sound like the most tedious step, especially since quinoa and brown rice typically take a while to cook. Fortunately, Carli has a great tip. I love cooking quinoa and rice in my Instant Pot,” she says. Quinoa goes in for only one minute, while brown rice should go in for more like 20 minutes. Pro tip: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, make your brown rice and quinoa in a big batch ahead of time!
That way, you’ll have healthy carbs prepared for the rest of the week, and your Baja Bowl will come together much more quickly when you decide to make it. Wondering how Panera Bread concocts the perfect salsa verde? According to Carli, “a homemade salsa verde should be made from tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, and plenty of lime juice. Don’t worry too much about perfect ratios when you toss these ingredients into your blender. Taste the mixture after you’ve mixed it, and add more ingredients as you see fit. After all, your salsa should be customized to your taste.