Chicken Panzanella is made with toasted bread cubes, fresh tomatoes, red onion, basil, and fresh mozzarella tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This salad is full of flavor and makes a great dinner with minimal prep time for any night you need an easy meal!
I made this “salad” a couple of months ago and the family loved it. I threw it together one night after we’d eaten some Caprese paninis a few nights before. It had bread, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, and I tossed it in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
It was SO good! We ate it so fast that I didn’t take pictures or even write the recipe down. Or if I did, I have no idea where it disappeared to.
So, last night I did my best to recreate it. It was delicious and aside from the prep work of cutting those little tomatoes in half, it was pretty easy to put together!
SAVE THIS CHICKEN PANZANELLA SALAD RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
A Taste of Italy
I thought I was being clever, coming up with this recipe on my own. Then I watched an old episode of Chopped and one of the contestants was making a bread salad with tomatoes and referred to it as Panzanella, and I realized I had just made my own version of a classic Italian dish!
Panzanella Toscana salad is a Tuscan dish. The name comes from a combination of “pane”, which is Italian for “bread”, and “zanella”, a name for the deep dish the salad is served in.
Traditional Panzanella is made from stale bread, onions, and ripe tomatoes, dressed in olive oil and vinegar. Sometimes cucumbers and basil are added, and of course, modern chefs like to add other ingredients to put their own spin on the recipe.
Ingredients for Chicken Panzanella
Here’s what you need to make this summer salad:
- Italian Bread, preferably stale and cut into 1-inch cubes
- Seasoned, cooked chicken
- Red and yellow cherry tomatoes
- Fresh mozzarella balls, cut into bite-size pieces
- Olive oil
- Fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Red onion, minced
- Capers
Balsamic Dressing
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic, minced
The exact amount of each ingredient is included in the recipe card below!
Recipe Notes
- I used one 8-ounce loaf of crusty bread and cut it up into 1-inch cubes.
- You can use leftover grilled chicken breasts and cut them into pieces, chicken thighs, or even rotisserie chicken to make it easy! I seasoned my chicken before I cooked it with a tablespoon of McCormick’s Montreal Chicken Seasoning, but you could use anything you prefer to season your chicken.
How to make Panzanella Salad
This chicken tomato salad is so quick and easy to make! Here’s how:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut your bread into cubes with a sharp knife. I prefer to use slightly stale bread rather than fresh bread for this recipe.
- In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with 1/4 cup olive oil. Combine well and then toss with another 1/4 cup olive oil.
- Spread the bread cubes onto a rimmed sheet pan in a single layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the bread is lightly golden brown.
- Slice your tomatoes in half. Then, in a large bowl, combine chicken, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, basil, red onion, mozzarella, and capers. Mix in the toasted bread.
- Pour the balsamic vinegar into the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the salt, pepper, and minced garlic, and mix really well.
- Pour over the salad and toss well.
I do believe this is one of my favorite meals I’ve made so far. What’s not to love? Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, bread, basil, the dressing, the chicken–I want more! And it’s super easy to make, too!
This will definitely be a regular on our summertime menu.
How to Store Leftover Salad
Store leftovers covered with aluminum foil or in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat within 24 hours, as the bread will become soggy.
What else can I add to Panzanella?
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try adding one or more of the following ingredients to your salad:
- Lettuce
- Olives
- Anchovies
- Chopped celery or carrots
- Tuna (instead of chicken)
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Chopped bell peppers or snap peas
- Lemon juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Parmesan cheese
- Salami
- Prosciutto
More Chicken Recipes
There’s such a variety of ways to have chicken in a meal. Here are a few more that are a huge hit with the 365 family!
Salad Recipes You’ll Love
These quick and easy salad recipes are perfect for a light summer meal or a nice side dish:
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Couscous Chicken Salad
- Chicken Caesar Salad
- Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
- Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad
Which salad will you make next time?
Way back in the day, I used to rate everything I made on a scale of 1 -4 and this Chicken Panzanella earned 4 rolling pins!
WhoopdeeDO!!!
I think your family will love it just as much as mine does.
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Chicken Panzanella
Ingredients
- 6 cups Italian bread cut up into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ cup olive oil divided
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 24 ounces red and yellow cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls sliced in half depending on size
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoon capers
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with 1/4 cup olive oil. combine well and then toss with another 1/4 cup olive oil. Spread bread cubes onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until bread is lightly golden and/or crisp.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, red onion, and capers. Mix in the cubes of toasted bread.
- Pour the balsamic vinegar into the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and add the salt, pepper and garlic. Mix until fully incorporated. Pour into the bowl and toss to completely coat.
Notes
I seasoned the chicken before I cooked it with 1 tablespoon of McCormick’s Montreal Chicken Seasoning.
This post was originally published August 14, 2014. It has been updated in format and with pictures on August 14, 2024.
Comments & Reviews
Panzanella is bread salad, from the Tuscan region of Italy. They don’t waste food, so someone decided to combine stale bread with fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil and a sharp vinegar, usually balsamic. They don’t eat meat with every meal like we do, so this salad would be a light meal in itself. We had something similar in Puglia, and it was yummy!
Lynne, I love this so much! It looks incredible! I just shared, pinned and stumbled 🙂
This looks fabulous! I am definitely trying this out soon!
I watched a very short video last night on Facebook, one that showed a VERY quick way to halve cherry or grape tomatoes. Ready for this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXb-sRXadhA Easy peasy!
That is AWESOME, Renee! Thanks for sharing. Will have to try that next time!
I made this today and it was fabulous! I used 2 containers of heirloom cherry tomatoes for more color! Delicious and will be made over and over, especially on these hot Phoenix summer nights!
Sounds great, Sandy! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m looking forward to making it a lot this summer as well as we are now back in the Phoenix area ourselves.