Panera Southwest Chicken Melt
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The new Panera Southwest Chicken Melt Sandwich is a delicious sandwich – but it’s even better when you make it at home!! Shredded chicken, smoked gouda, red onion, cilantro and chipotle aioli on thick slices of toasted sourdough.
What You Will ❤️ About Southwest Chicken Melt
- Easy to Make – making a melt sandwich is easy and I’ve got a few tricks of the trade to help you make it Instagram-worthy even!
- Better than Panera – I always try new menu items from Panera before I make them so I can make sure my version is EVEN BETTER!
- Chipotle Aioli – it’s so easy to make but it adds so much more flavor than just plain old mayonnaise!
Southwest Chicken Melt Ingredients
Panera Bread sandwiches always have simple ingredients! They have two new sourdough melts on the menu (Feb ’24) for a limited time. We have this Southwest Chicken Melt and a Bacon Avocado Melt. Here’s what you need for the Chicken sandwich:
- Sourdough bread – spend the extra and get a loaf of real sourdough! I went for La Brea and it was delicious – it toasts up perfectly under the broiler.
- Pulled chicken – You can use rotisserie chicken but I chose Tyson Frozen Pulled Chicken. I heated it up in the microwave for 1 minute before putting on the sandwich. I would advise that whichever you use it is slightly warmed before putting on the sandwich.
- Smoked gouda cheese – smoked is the best but regular sliced gouda is fine too
- Cilantro – fresh cilantro really adds flavor – skip it if you’re not a fan
- Red onion – sliced & separated red onion adds bite – pickled red onion would be good as well
- Chipotle aioli sauce – I make my own by mixing chipotle in adobo or Chipotle Pepper seasoning and Duke’s Mayonnaise
- Tip: If you open the little can of Chipotle in Adobo but you only need 1 tbsp – put the rest in the freezer and press it flat. Then when you need some for a recipe – you can break it off – rather than buy another can!
Recipe Variations
For the copycat recipe – I make it just like Panera (but way bigger) – but sometimes I gotta add my faves – like avocado or tomatoes! Here are some easy swaps:
- Cheese – gouda is a mild cheese – swap with sharp cheddar cheese for a stronger flavor
- Protein – swap out pulled chicken with pulled pork or even use deli sliced chicken
- Avocado or Tomatoes – using avocado on the other Panera melt I realized the avocado is great to cool down the spice of the chipotle aioli – tomatoes would as well!
- Roasted Red Peppers – these would add another texture and a delicious southwest flavor burst
- Different Kind of Bread – I love these with toasted country sourdough but you could use focaccia, ciabatta bread or Italian bread
Their other sandwich is a Bacon Avocado Melt which is coming soon here on the Food Hussy! It has Applewood-smoked bacon, fresh avocado, smoked gouda, everything bagel seasoning blend and chipotle aioli on our toasted sourdough.
How to make Panera Southwest Chicken Melt
You might think – I know how to make a sandwich! But do you know how to make a melt? You don’t want your red onion to be cooked because that crunch is what’s so great about it! Here’s how to make the new sandwiches:
- In a small bowl, mix together chipotle in adobo & mayonnaise and set aside.
- Preheat broiler on low
- Lightly butter one side of each slice of sourdough bread, place them side down on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Spread 1 tbsp chipotle mayo on each slice of bread
- Two of the slices will now be the base for your sandwich. Layer on chopped cilantro, then 1/2 cup pulled chicken and 2 slices of gouda to each of the slices of bread.
- Broil open faced sandwiches on low for 5 min until cheese is bubbly and melted
- Remove baking sheet from oven and turn broiler to HIGH
- Place red onion on top of cheese and add more chipotle aioli. Top with other slices of bread to make sandwich.
- Place closed sandwiches back in broiler on HIGH for 2 min until bread is golden brown.
- Remove baking sheet and cut sandwiches in half and serve with a bag of chips and apple slices
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Wrap leftover sandwiches in parchment and aluminum foil and store in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the air fryer for 4-5 minutes. Here’s a whole post on reheating sandwiches in the air fryer!
In February 2024, Panera added the Southwest Chicken Melt & Bacon Avocado Melt. Here’s what’s on them:
Southwest Chicken – Smoked, pulled chicken raised without antibiotics, smoked gouda, red onion, cilantro and chipotle aioli on our toasted Country Rustic Sourdough.
Bacon Avocado Melt – Applewood-smoked bacon, fresh avocado, smoked gouda, everything bagel seasoning and chipotle aioli on our toasted Country Rustic Sourdough
Get Heather’s NEW cookbook – Air Fryer Cooking for One today!
More Panera Sandwich Recipes
Panera You Pick Two Recipe Pairings
You can always grab a cup of their creamy tomato soup from the store – or make your own homemade You Pick Two:
More Ways to Use Rotisserie Chicken
Panera Southwest Chicken Melt
Ingredients
- 4 slices Sourdough bread
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup pulled chicken
- 4 Slices smoked gouda
- 1/4 cup Cilantro
- 2 slices Red onion separated
Chipotle Aioli
- 1 tsp chipotle in adobo or 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper seasoning
- 4 tbsp dukes mayonnaise
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together chipotle in adobo & mayonnaise and set aside.1 tsp chipotle in adobo or 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper seasoning, 4 tbsp dukes mayonnaise
- Preheat broiler on low
- Lightly butter one side of each slice of sourdough bread, place them side down on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper4 slices Sourdough bread, 1 tbsp butter
- Spread 1 tbsp chipotle mayo on each slice of bread
- Two of the slices will now be the base for your sandwich. Layer on chopped cilantro, then 1/2 cup pulled chicken and 2 slices of gouda to each of the slices of bread.1 cup pulled chicken, 4 Slices smoked gouda, 1/4 cup Cilantro
- Broil open faced sandwiches on low for 5 min until cheese is bubbly and melted
- Remove baking sheet from oven and turn broiler to HIGH
- Place red onion on top of cheese and add more chipotle aioli. Top with other slices of bread to make sandwich.2 slices Red onion
- Place closed sandwiches back in broiler on HIGH for 2 min until bread is golden brown.
- Remove baking sheet and cut sandwiches in half and serve with a bag of chips and apple slices
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