Bottom Line: The Chipotle Chicken, Scrambled Egg & Avocado Sandwich from Panera is not too hot and it is rather messy, but it has enough of a kick to warm you up for the day ahead.
When it comes to breakfast, there are not a lot of options out there that bring the heat. And while I am not usually looking for anything too spicy first thing in the morning, it is nice to have something that starts off the day with a bit of a kick. Panera Bread has long been a good place to grab a quick and tasty (and relatively healthy) breakfast, and now they are adding a little bit of heat to their menu with the Chipotle Chicken Breakfast Sandwich.
Here’s what is packed into the sandwich according to their website:
Smoked, pulled chicken raised without antibiotics, scrambled egg, smoked Gouda cheese, zesty sweet Peppadew™ peppers, fresh avocado and cilantro, salt and pepper, and chipotle aioli on Artisan Ciabatta.
This is not a chicken breast filet, it is pulled chicken, but that’s not a bad thing. I believe I have had this on other sandwiches there and it is quite tasty with just a hint of smokiness. The scrambled egg is always good and cooked to order, and the fresh avocado adds some nice creaminess. The sauce brings a bit more in the way of creaminess but also adds some tang. The Peppadew™ peppers add a bit of sweetness and a tart touch bringing that little something extra to kick the sandwich up to the next level. (Note the trademark for those. Panera is getting fancy with name brands!) This is a rather messy sandwich with quite a few ingredients stuffed inside, so I don’t recommend trying to eat this while you are driving!
The ciabatta bread is the way to go even though they give you the option to sub it out for other bread choices. (Including the chocolate chip bagel. Please don’t do that!) Remember that Panera Bread has bread in the name, and their ciabatta is first-rate. It has a nice chew to the crust with a pillowy texture inside and brings everything together. And the scrambled egg is my preference rather than the fried egg, otherwise you are going to have that yolk running down your hand and this sammie is messy enough as it is!
The heat comes from the chipotle sauce and it has a nice zing that builds up after a couple of bites. It does not get beyond the Mild heat level, but that is perfectly okay for breakfast. I want my coffee hot in the morning, and spicy food does not pair too well with a cup of joe. But this is the perfect sandwich to warm up your belly and get the day started.
Nutrition-wise, this comes in at 550 calories which is a bit more than I prefer for breakfast. But it is not going to burst your belt and it has some healthy stuff between the two pieces of bread, so you could do much worse. It does have 30g of fat, though, so I don’t know that it counts as diet-friendly. Price-wise, this is also a bit on the high side at over six bucks. But that is about the price point you expect from Panera, especially since they focus on all-natural, quality ingredients. This and a cup of coffee will set you back a few more bucks than the fast food joints, but it is worth splurging from time to time. (They make really good coffee as well.)
This is a new item from Panera and I have not seen any indication yet that it is fated to head back to Limited-Time-Only-Ville any time soon. I’m guessing that if it proves popular, it could become a permanent selection. But there is no guarantee on that yet, so I recommend trying it sooner rather than later. It doesn’t bring a lot of heat, but it is still a very tasty sandwich and will get your day off to a good start.
Tale of the Tape:
Calories: 550
Fat: 30g (10g Sat/0.5g Trans)
Protein: 27g
Carbs: 44g
Sodium: 910mg