Panera Bread has announced two new menu items curated by Panera’s chefs: Thai Chicken Soup and Citrus Asian Crunch Salad with chicken. Both items are part of the bakery-café chain’s bold, globally-inspired, authentic flavors that begin rolling out this year.
The Thai Chicken Soup and Citrus Asian Crunch Salad can be enjoyed alone or as part of the You Pick 2. Panera’s You Pick 2 combination entrees allow guests to mix and match into 465 combinations.
The new Thai Chicken Soup is the first of more than 10 new flavor-packed Panera soups in the brand’s pipeline, all inspired by bold and authentic flavors from around the world. It features chicken, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, red bell peppers and edamame all simmered in a rich, Thai yellow coconut curry broth with lemongrass, ginger, galangal and Thai lime for a gently spicy soup.
Throughout the next couple of years, Panera plans to add more new soup options to the menu, including a sweet and spicy Mexican Street Corn Chowder this summer, and other creations such as Cajun Shrimp & Andouille Sausage, Greek Lemon Chicken & Farro and Cuban Black Bean & Poblano.
The new Citrus Asian Crunch Salad with chicken features fresh romaine and a blend of chopped broccoli, green cabbage, carrots and kale tossed with edamame, pickled red onions and fresh cilantro in tangerine soy ginger dressing. It’s then topped with warm seared chicken thigh meat, crispy carrots and a teriyaki drizzle.
“Our chefs have been meticulously obsessing over every ingredient in our test kitchens, creating new menu items with a focus on taking familiar flavors and adding a unique Panera twist, turning them into bold, amazing dishes our guests will love,” says Claes Petersson, head chef and chief food innovation officer at Panera Bread. “From classic Panera favorites to new, enticingly bold flavors, we hope to satisfy any craving and provide more adventurous flavors for our customers.”