Easy Classic Chicken Caesar Salad recipe with seasoned grilled chicken and homemade creamy dressing. Perfect for a light dinner or side!
A Chicken Caesar Salad is hands down one of the most classic Salad Recipes! It’s well loved for the tender chicken, crisp lettuce, loads of Parmesan cheese and of course that signature creamy, tangy dressing! For more favorite classic salads, try my Cobb Salad and Chinese Chicken Salad.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
Instead of picking up a bagged caesar salad from the store, you can easily make it at home! It’s one of those salad recipes that can be both a light but filling meal on its own or a fresh, delicious side dish. The combination of Parmesan cheese, herb croutons, and tangy dressing makes it a favorite accompaniment to classic Italian dishes. And the crisp lettuce and grilled chicken make it a perfect meal for a hot summer night.
My recipe walks you through making your own easy, tender, flavorful chicken for the salad. However, you can save some time and toss this salad together in a few minutes with leftover chicken. Make yourself a Chicken Caesar Salad the next time you have Roast Chicken or Rotisserie Chicken left in the fridge. It’s quick, easy, and a great way to take advantage of your leftovers.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast: Making fresh chicken for Chicken Caesar Salad is easy using boneless skinless chicken breast. Use a kitchen mallet to hammer the chicken into a consistent thickness. That way, it cooks evenly when added to the grill pan. You could also prepare the chicken on the outside grill if you prefer.
- Mayonnaise: ¾ cup mayonnaise works as the base for the homemade dressing. It has a mild tangy flavor and gives the whole recipe a richer taste and creamier consistency. If you want to make a low-calorie version, you can swap the mayo for light Greek yogurt.
- Garlic: Use 3 garlic cloves to add a bold, slightly spiced flavor to the dressing. You don’t have to mince the garlic cloves because they’ll puree into a smooth consistency in the blender. If you don’t have fresh garlic cloves, you could add garlic powder for a similar flavor.
- Anchovy Fillets: Classic Caesar dressing calls for anchovy fillets in the mixture. They add an incredible umami flavor to the entire recipe. But, it’s essential to prepare the dressing in a food processor or blender so that the fish breaks down into an anchovy paste and there aren’t any chunks in the dressing.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce to the dressing for a little bit of smoky flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese: Add 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese to the dressing for a sharp, nutty flavor. Then top the finished salad off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese as a finishing touch.
- Lettuce: For the base of the salad recipe, use 8 cups of romaine lettuce. You can rinse the lettuce under cold water to remove dirt and pesticides. Then cut the fresh lettuce into bite-size pieces for the salad recipe. Romaine has a fresh taste and crisp texture that’s perfect for this dish.
- Croutons: Finish Caesar Salad with crunchy croutons for a delicious, filling, and crispy topping. Take your salad to the next level with homemade croutons!
How to Make
- Prep the Chicken
Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Then coat the chicken pieces in virgin olive oil and season them with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cook the Chicken
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Then add the seasoned chicken to the hot pan and grill for 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from heat and let it rest while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Make the Dressing
Add garlic cloves, mayonnaise, anchovies, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse until the dressing reaches a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Assemble the Salad
Use a sharp knife to slice the chicken into strips. Add crisp lettuce, chicken strips, Caesar dressing, parmesan cheese, croutons, and black pepper to a large serving bowl. Toss to serve and enjoy your homemade Caesar Salad.
Prep the Chicken
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3 chicken breasts , boneless skinless
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Caesar Dressing:
- 3 cloves garlic , cut into quarters
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese , shredded
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Caesar Salad:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cups romaine lettuce , chopped
- 6 ounces parmesan cheese , shredded or shaved
- 1 cup croutons
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper , to finish
Instructions
Chicken:
- Pound chicken to an even thickness with a kitchen mallet.
- Coat chicken with olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat grill pan on medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side.
- Remove chicken and let rest.
Caesar Dressing:
- Add garlic, mayonnaise, anchovies, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a small food processor until smooth and creamy.
To make salad:
- Cut the chicken into strips.
- To a large serving bowl add the lettuce, chicken, dressing, parmesan cheese, croutons and black pepper.
Nutrition
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Can this be made ahead of time?
You can prepare Caesar Salad up to 5 days in advance. It’s a great recipe for meal prepping your lunches. To keep it as fresh as possible, keep the dressing, chicken, and other salad ingredients in three separate airtight containers in the fridge. Then combine the ingredients right before serving for a fresh, crisp, and flavorful salad recipe.
Nutritional Facts
What to Pair With Caesar Salad
Chicken Caesar Salad makes a delicious main or side. You can serve it on the side of your favorite Italian meals like Alfredo Pasta or Lemon Ricotta Pasta. You could enjoy a soup and salad combo along with a slice of Crusty Italian Bread for a light and satisfying combination.
How to Store
- Serve: Don’t leave homemade Caesar Salad sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To store leftover salad, cover the dish in plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container to store in the fridge. After combining all of the ingredients, this salad recipe can stay fresh in the fridge for about 2 days. But, if you wait to add the dressing, it will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Unfortunately, these fresh ingredients won’t maintain their texture when frozen, so freezing isn’t a viable storage option.
Frequent Questions
You could use either boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts for this recipe, depending on your preference. The chicken breasts called for in this recipe are a leaner meat option, and they turn out perfectly flavorful and crispy after seasoning and grilling. But if you prefer dark meat, you can absolutely swap it out for chicken thighs.
No. Although you could remove the chicken from the salad to make it vegetarian, the dressing still contains anchovy fillets. Scroll to the variations section to find a vegan Caesar dressing alternative.
Classic Caesar Salad contains romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, and creamy Caesar dressing. Although it’s not the healthiest salad, it’s still a fairly light and nutritious meal. Adding grilled chicken is a great way to bring lean protein into the recipe and make it more filling. It’s fairly healthy as is but is much healthier without dressing or with a lighter dressing option. If you’re trying to add more nutrients to your diet, you can also incorporate other vegetables and leafy greens to make the salad recipe healthier.
Variations
- Vegan Caesar dressing: A lot of ingredients in Caesar dressing, such as mayo, parmesan, and anchovies, don’t work for a vegan diet. To achieve a similar flavor and consistency, while using vegan ingredients, add ¼ cup tahini, 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon diced capers, 2 teaspoons caper brine, and 1 teaspoon dijon mustard to a mixing bowl. Whisk the vegan dressing ingredients and add 1-2 tablespoons of water to reach the right consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Vegetables: There are lots of fresh veggies that you could add to the salad mix, along with the crisp romaine lettuce. Try other greens like spinach, kale, and arugula. You could also add cherry tomatoes, carrots, red onions, and mushrooms to make delicious and healthy additions to the recipe.
- Add-ins: There are so many other add-ins that you could add to your salad bowl. Try topping the recipe with hard-boiled eggs, creamy avocados, bacon bits, chickpeas, seeds, and other types of cheese like cheddar or provolone.
- Dressing Alternatives: It isn’t really a Caesar Salad without Caesar dressing. However, if you want to try the salad base, it goes best with a vinaigrette or tangy salad dressing like lemon vinaigrette dressing, Ranch Dressing, Italian Dressing, or balsamic vinegar based dressing.
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