Panera's Fuji Apple Chicken Salad

     A few weeks ago my husband and I stopped at Panera Bread for lunch.  I was shocked when my husband ordered a salad.  As we were sitting there eating, we started to talk about how much we like Panera, but we couldn't afford to eat there everyday for lunch, as it appeared that's what many of the people who were on their lunch hour were doing.  He mentioned how much he liked the salad, but that he wasn't willing to pay over $8 for it on a regular basis.  I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly, did he just say he liked the salad?!  It is near impossible to get him on board when I make only a salad for dinner, so my brain drifted from our conversation to me wondering how I could re-create the salad at home.  He mentioned that he really liked the white balsamic vinaigrette (OK, so those weren't the words he used!) dressing that was on the salad.  When I got home I of course searched for a recipe for the dressing, but what I found was one better.  You can actually buy the dressing for this and several other Panera salads at Super Target!  So I headed over to Super Target and picked up a bottle.  Since then we have had the salad several nights for dinner.  And, when I was at Super Target last week, the dressing was on sale, so it looks like we will be having this for dinner several more times!

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped (or spring mix)
½ lb. chicken breasts, cooked and sliced thin
1/8 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
1 oz. pecans, chopped (about 20 halves)
apple chips or fresh sliced apples (my husband uses the chips, I like fresh apples)
¼ cup Panera Fuji Apple salad dressing (available at Super Target)
tomatoes and onions, chopped (optional)

     Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss with dressing.  Enjoy!

Nutritional information per serving: 400 calories, 25 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 29 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber.