Soba Noodle Broth Bowls: Panera Bread Copycat

These Soba Noodle Broth Bowls are a delicious Panera Bread Copycat – you'd be surprised how easy they are to make at home with kale slaw and chicken!  

Ingredients in Panera Bread broth bowls

These broth bowls are just like the ones at Panera Bread, and they are SO easy to make at home! Here's what you need on hand:

• soba noodles
• chicken breasts
• chili powder
• shelled edamame
• kale slaw or coleslaw mix
• alfalfa sprouts
• chicken broth
• soy sauce

How to make Panera Bread broth bowls

As you can see from the ingredient list, you don't have to run to the store or spend a whole bunch of time making these bowls. In fact, they should come together in about 30 minutes or so! You can cook the noodles and prepare the veggies while the chicken is baking in the oven.

Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then rub with olive oil and chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or so.
2. While chicken is cooking, boil soba noodles until just cooked.
3. Divide noodles among 4 deep bowls, then add kale slaw and edamame.
4. Pour 1 cup hot chicken broth overtop and add a bit of soy sauce to each bowl.
5. Top your bowls with sliced cooked chicken and raw alfafa sprouts. Serve and enjoy!

     

Ingredient substitutions

This recipe is fairly versatile, and you can make substitutions with the ingredients as need be. Here are some other ideas for customizing these broth bowls.

Chicken – You don't have to use chicken for these bowls! You can use tofu or lentils to make these bowls vegetarian, and cooked shrimp would make an amazing sub in. Really, any type of protein will work here.

Noodles – I love the nutty flavour soba noodles add to these bowls, but you can go ahead and use rice noodles. They will keep the dish gluten-free still, but the flavour will be a little more subtle.

Veggies – I used a store bought kale slaw mix for this recipe, along with alfalfa sprouts and frozen shelled edamame. You can also use regular coleslaw mix, or even defrost and add in frozen veggies. Because you're only using 1 cup of hot broth and relying on that to cook the veggies somewhat, you should use veggies that will heat up and slightly cook among the other hot ingredients, like greens.

Broth – You can use vegetable or beef broth to tweak the flavours – any type works!

Seasonings – I add a bit of soy sauce at the end to give this an Asian flavour, but you can also add in sriracha, lime juice, spices like chili powder or turmeric, or anything you think will give these bowls a little oomph.

Storing and reheating

You can store the leftovers up to 5 days in the fridge, though I'd recommend you enjoy these bowls fresh. The noodles may soak up some extra liquid so be prepared to add more broth as you reheat in the microwave. You can microwave for 2-3 minutes to revive these bowls – the leftovers do taste great!

Unfortunately, there's no easy way to freeze this recipe unless you have cooked the chicken ahead of time and frozen it.

More easy soup recipes

Here are some more easy soup recipes to get you warmed up during the cold winter months!

• Homemade Pho
• Chicken Wild Rice Soup
• Miso Soba Noodle Bowls with Tofu

Tools for this recipe

• Order some soba noodles here
• I also love these glass meal prep bowls for reheating this soup in individual portions

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