Simple and easy to make, this classic Chicken Caesar salad is loved by everyone! Grilled chicken breast on a bed of lettuce with a homemade Caesar dressing and croutons. What’s not to love?!
Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
A chicken Caesar salad is a classic for a reason! Loaded with texture and flavor, it’s a light and refreshing meal that comes together easily and quickly.
Seasoned and grilled chicken breast, fresh crunchy romaine lettuce crunchy croutons and a creamy and salty homemade Caesar dressing. This is a simple salad, but oh so delicious!
For more salad recipes, be sure to try my Chicken Burrata Salad and Chinese Chicken Salad.
Why You’ll Love this Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe:
- Healthy: Made with fresh and delicious ingredients and high in protein. It’s a hearty and filling well balanced meal.
- Quick: Ready to serve in less than 30 minutes, this is a great option after a busy day at the office.
- Make ahead: Perfect for make ahead lunches to enjoy throughout the week.
How to make a chicken Caesar salad
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Bake the bread cubes with the seasonings and oil until crispy.
- Season the chicken breasts and cook on both sides until cooked through.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Add the romaine to a bowl, toss with the dressing.
- Divide the lettuce between the plates, add the sliced chicken, croutons and grated parmesan.
Can you make it ahead of time?
The elements of this salad can be made ahead of time, so it’s a great option for meal prep.
- Chicken: The chicken can be cooked up to 4 days ahead of time and stored covered in the fridge.
- Dressing: The dressing can be made around 5 days ahead and stored in a bottle in the fridge.
- Croutons: These can be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
When you are ready to enjoy it, you just need to toss the lettuce in the dressing and grate some parmesan. Easy!
What’s the best cut of chicken to use?
I like to use chicken breasts for this recipe. You can use chicken thighs, if that’s what you have, just be aware that they will take a little longer to cook through. If you have rotisserie chicken or left over roast chicken, you can shred that up to use.
What else can you add?
This is a very tradition chicken Caesar salad, but you can easily add in some other ingredients to mix things up if you like. Other salad ingredients like cucumber and red bell pepper would work well, and avocado is a great addition. If you like, add some bacon pieces too.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- If you aren’t a fan of anchovies, substitute 1 tablespoon chopped capers. They will add a nice salty bite!
- If you don’t have a grill pan, you can also cook the chicken in a skillet.
More Chicken Salad Recipes
- Mexican Chicken Salad
- Oriental Chicken Salad
- Crispy Chicken Salad
- Napa Almond Chicken Salad
- Mango Chicken Salad
If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!
Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the croutons:
- 4 cups cubed French or Italian bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 anchovy fillets chopped and mashed into a paste
To assemble the salad:
- 2 Romain lettuce hearts cut into bite sized pieces
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the bread out on a sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and bake until crisp and golden, about 13-15 minutes.
- Grill the chicken: While the croutons are cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the chicken on a hot grill pan and cook on both sides until cooked through, about 5-7 per side. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest.
- Make the dressing: While the chicken is grilling, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Assemble the salad: Add the romaine to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Divide between four plates. Slice the chicken and top each salad evenly. Top with croutons and parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- If you aren’t a fan of anchovies, substitute 1 tablespoon chopped capers. They will add a nice salty bite!
- If you don’t have a grill pan, you can also cook the chicken in a skillet.
Leave a Review