Fresh, crisp, and packed with vibrant flavors, this green goddess salad recipe brings together everything you love about a hearty and wholesome salad. Featuring tender greens, creamy avocado, juicy chicken, and crispy bacon all drizzled with a zesty homemade dressing, this dish is as satisfying as it is simple to make. Perfect for lunches, light dinners, or sharing with friends, it’s easy to see why this has become one of the most popular salad recipes around. Once you try it, you’ll want to add this to your regular meal rotation.
This colorful and satisfying green goddess is loaded with greens, creamy avocado, juicy corn, and crispy bacon, every bite is a delicious balance of textures and flavors. The homemade green goddess dressing ties it all together with fresh herbs, creamy yogurt, and a touch of lemon. Enjoy this vibrant salad for lunch or dinner—it’s easy to customize with your favorite greens like romaine, spinach, or arugula. If you enjoy variety, this dish fits right in with other flavorful meals. Try swapping in grilled steak or shrimp for the chicken to create your own twist on this classic. No matter how you serve it, this is one of those green goddess salad recipes that you’ll come back to often. For another variation, turn it into a heartier meal by following the steps to make a green goddess chicken salad, perfect for meal prep or easy weeknight dinners.
If you love our green goddess salad recipes, then you will definitely enjoy our broccoli and raisin salad!
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Why We Love Green Goddess Salad Recipes
- Less expensive to make at home.
This copycat version of Panera Bread’s famous salad is easy and more cost-efficient to make at home with ingredients bought from the grocery store. - It’s light and refreshing.
Even with the creamy dressing! It’s just what we crave in the last, sweltering days of summer. - It’s quick!
Just 10 minutes from start to finish!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Kale: We use Lacinato kale because it’s thinner, more tender, and a bit sweeter than regular kale. It also boasts a gorgeous, dark green color that knocks the presentation of this recipe out of the park! Another great recipe using kale is our Greek kale salad.
- Romaine: This type of lettuce adds crunch, and has more nutrients than iceberg.
- Corn: Either fresh or frozen works! If using frozen kernels, just let them thaw first.
- Bacon: We usually cook a few strips of bacon or turkey bacon in the oven. If you want to avoid the extra dishes, you can buy pre-cooked slices, or even use bacon bits instead.
Dressing Ingredients
- Parsley: Of all the herbs we’re using, parsley is the most abundant — you’ll need ½ cup! Alternatively, you could use 2 tablespoons of dried tarragon. However, it will not taste as fresh and bright.
- Mayonnaise: We like to use avocado oil mayonnaise. It’s a healthier alternative and it also works to tie the green goddess salad dressing flavors together.
- Coconut cream: Acceptable substitutes are Greek yogurt and sour cream. However, with either substitute, your bobb salad will no longer be dairy-free.
Recipe Variation
- Add more fresh produce for extra color and crunch: Mix in cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, thinly sliced apples, or green onions for added texture and sweetness. Each bite becomes even more exciting with the fresh flavors these additions bring to your green goddess salad recipe.
- Try different proteins to change it up: Swap the chicken with grilled salmon, roasted turkey, or crispy tofu for new takes on this dish. For a bold twist, blackened shrimp adds amazing flavor. You can also use Instant Pot chicken breast shredded, ready to go, to create an easy version of green goddess chicken salad.
- Boost the dressing with herbs and extras: Blend fresh basil leaves, flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, or even roasted cashews or walnuts into the dressing for added flavor and creaminess. Add a splash of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar along with olive oil, salt, garlic, and a little minced shallot to bring out the herbal notes in the dressing.
- Top with extra crunch and flavor: Alongside the creamy dressing, sprinkle crispy toppings like crispy bacon, toasted nuts, or seeds. They pair perfectly with the greens and balance the salad beautifully when tossed in a large bowl right before serving.
Equipment Used in Our Recipe
- Mixing bowl
- Blender
How To Make Green Goddess Chicken Salad
- Soften and tenderize the kale leaves with a nice massage.
All you have to do is gently rub the kale with your hands! This simple motion “bruises” the surface and makes it much softer.
- Slice the chicken for a more beautiful presentation.
Take the time to learn how to cut chicken breasts to place the finishing touches on your green goddess salad! Knowing how to cut chicken properly is a pro skill in the kitchen, helping you prepare everything from lemon panko chicken or chicken breast in cast iron skillet to copycat recipe for Chick Fil A grilled nuggets!
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Add pickled red onions and hard-boiled eggs to make this an actual copycat of Panera’s salad.
How to Remove the Pit and Flesh from an Avocado
- Place the avocado down on a cutting board.
- Gently slide the knife down through the skin and flesh until you hit the pit.
- Cut lengthwise, moving the avocado rather than the knife, in a single motion to cut around the pit.
- Twist the two halves of the fruit apart.
- Set down the half containing the avocado pit and gently but firmly, tap the pit with the blade of a sharp knife until it embeds itself in the pit. It should then easily lift out as you remove the knife.
From there, you can easily dice the avocado flesh while it’s still in the skin. Use a knife to cube the flesh, slicing lengthwise and then widthwise, to create a sort of grid. Scoop the cubes out with a spoon and repeat with the other half.
🎯 TFN Food Facts – Avocado
Did you know?
Avocados are spectacularly good for you and add a satisfying creaminess and fatty flavor that coats the mouth and complements other vegetables and herbs!
Sometimes we’ll even schmear it in a Taco Bell crunchwrap
Serving Suggestions
This salad is delicious on its own but can be paired as a side dish to make it a complete meal. Serve it alongside grilled chicken breast or steak for a protein-packed option. If you’re craving something heartier, enjoy it with a side of warm crusty bread with blue cheese or a bowl of tomato soup.
For a lighter meal, pair it with a refreshing fruit salad, or keep things low-carb with honey-roasted veggies on the side. If you’re having a guest, consider serving it as part of a larger salad bar with extra toppings like avocado, bacon, grape tomatoes, or nuts. A glass of chilled white wine or sparkling water complements the crisp flavors perfectly!
Recipe FAQs
The herb-based dressing is very creamy, with a fresh, bright flavor. The main flavors come from peppery parsley, vibrant lemon juice, and mayonnaise. There’s an onion-like flavor from the chives as well.
Chef salad contains plain lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some sort of protein like turkey or ham. In comparison, Cobb salads typically contain a mix of greens, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs.
This only lasts one or two days in the fridge. To help it last longer, store it without the dressing.
If you’d like to prepare green goddess chicken salad well ahead of time, prepare the components without any dressing. The dressing lasts for up to 5 days, so you could easily make a week’s worth of ingredients to toss with green goddess dressing as desired. Store the salad ingredients separately in the refrigerator and assemble just before serving for the freshest taste.
Absolutely! You can use steak, shrimp, or grilled tofu instead of chicken for a different twist.
More Refreshing Recipes to Love…
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Green Goddess Salad Recipe
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 3 cups lacinato kale stems and tough ribs removed
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 avocado pitted, and diced
- 1 cup corn kernels fresh, canned, or thawed from frozen
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast diced or shredded
- 4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
Green Goddess Dressing
- ½ cup fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives or 1 tsp dried
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (approx 1/2 large lemon)
- ½ cup mayonnaise we use avocado oil mayo
- ¼ cup coconut cream or sour cream or Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Prepare the green goddess dressing. Add dressing ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth.
- Massage the kale leaves (see notes below), then toss the kale and romaine with 1/3 cup of the dressing, until lightly coated. Add to salad bowl, pressing the greens towards the sides of the bowl.
- Add chicken to the center of the bowl. Spread out the avocado cubes on top. Put the corn on one side of the salad. Add the bacon to the other side.
- Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the salad before serving.
Notes
- What does green goddess dressing taste like? The herb-based dressing is very creamy, with a fresh, bright flavor. The main flavors come from peppery parsley, vibrant lemon juice, and mayonnaise. There’s an onion-like flavor from the chives as well.
- How is Cobb Salad different from Chef Salad? Chef salad contains plain lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some sort of protein like turkey or ham. In comparison, Cobb salads typically contain a mix of greens, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs.
- Can I swap the protein? Absolutely! You can use steak, shrimp, or grilled tofu instead of chicken for a different twist.
-
- Add more fresh produce for extra color and crunch: Mix in cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, thinly sliced apples, or green onions for added texture and sweetness. Each bite becomes even more exciting with the fresh flavors these additions bring to your green goddess salad recipe.
-
- Try different proteins to change it up: Swap the chicken with grilled salmon, roasted turkey, or crispy tofu for new takes on this dish. For a bold twist, blackened shrimp adds amazing flavor. You can also use Instant Pot chicken breast shredded, ready to go, to create an easy version of green goddess chicken salad.
-
- Boost the dressing with herbs and extras: Blend fresh basil leaves, flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, or even roasted cashews or walnuts into the dressing for added flavor and creaminess. Add a splash of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar along with olive oil, salt, garlic, and a little minced shallot to bring out the herbal notes in the dressing.
- Top with extra crunch and flavor: Alongside the creamy dressing, sprinkle crispy toppings like crispy bacon, toasted nuts, or seeds. They pair perfectly with the greens and balance the salad beautifully when tossed in a large bowl right before serving.
- If you’d like to prepare green goddess chicken salad well ahead of time, prepare the components without any dressing. The dressing lasts for up to 5 days, so you could easily make a week’s worth of ingredients to toss with green goddess dressing as desired.
- This only lasts one or two days in the fridge. To help it last longer, store it without the dressing.
Nutrition
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Carrie Robinson says
This is my absolute favorite salad to get from Panera! 🙂 I will have to try this at-home version soon.
Heather says
Delicious Green Goddess Salad and so much better than Panera’s! Bright and fresh flavors, and it was so easy to prep too! Thanks!
Harriet Young says
Delicious salad recipe! That dressing, packed full of herbs, is absolutely divine. Thank you!
Ieva says
Delicious – just had this salad for lunch! Great dressing, I can definitely see using it on many other salads!