Say hello to my favorite Chicken Caesar Salad recipe! Seriously, this salad is so good. The chicken is tender, juicy and delicious, the croutons are crunchy, and the dressing is out of this world. You’ll want to make this one.
We love Caesar salad here and this chicken caesar salad recipe has quickly become a family favorite.It takes full advantage of the super flavorful and juicy marinated chicken, my favorite Caesar salad dressingand these easy homemade croutons.
This is an epic, lunch-worthy salad for sure. We’ve made it many times lately and I can’t wait for you to try it. For more salad recipessee this white bean salad with prosciuttoeasy Italian chopped saladand ours Balsamic Strawberry Salad.
Main ingredients:
- Chicken meat. Our Greek chicken marinade the chicken marinates in incredible flavor. It’s tangy, with a hint of garlic, making it perfect for a chicken caesar salad. Marinate for at least an hour or up to 8 hours for maximum flavor honey, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, dill, oregano, and Greek yogurt.
- Lettuce and cabbage. I like romaine lettuce for a Caesar salad (kale is great too.) You can tear the leaves or chop them. Romaine lettuce tends to brown around the cut edges over time, which is why I chop or simply tear the leaves right before serving.
- Onion. This addition was inspired by a local restaurant’s Chicken Caesar.They always add thinly sliced onions (almost shaved) to their salad and it’s so good. So if you want to try it, do your best to slice your onions as thinly as possible (a mandoline is amazing for this).
- Parmesan. I add parmesan cheese to my salad and my homemade dressing.
- My homemade dress. You can do mine Caesar dressing until a day ago. I usually make it by hand, but a blender or food processor works great too. My favorite recipe (linked below) uses raw egg yolks for that classic richness. If you prefer to avoid raw eggs, check this out the delicious Eggless Caesar dressing.
- Croutons. Buy your favorite croutons or make your own.We have two easy recipes for homemade croutons.I love them both. I recommend them in our video and recipe easy croutonsbut you can also try them garlic croutons.
How to make chicken caesar salad
To make my favorite chicken caesar, I like to marinate for an hour or longer (when I have time).
Once you’re happy with how long your chicken has sat in the marinade, you can start the rest of the salad. I bake my croutons at the same oven temperature as my chicken. Bake until golden and crisp.
Then, while the croutons are baking, I start cooking the chicken on the stove to get some color (I like to use a grill pan.) Once both sides have some color, I move the chicken to the oven to finish cooking in the middle.
While the chicken is finishing up in the oven, I make the salad. Chop and rinse the lettuce, chop or shave the parmesan cheese, and make the dressing. When it’s all out of the oven and ready to eat, I toss it all and: dig in. It’s so delicious.
The perfect chicken caesar salad
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PREP
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Cook
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TOTALLY
4 servings
You will need it
For the chicken
1 teaspoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of honey
1 ½ teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon of fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ pounds (680 g) chicken breasts or thighs
For the salad
2 hearts of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of cabbage
Half a medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese crumbs
1 batch Homemade Caesar dressing1/2 cup to 2/3 cup
4 cups wholemeal bread, torn or diced, about 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning, as desired
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Marinate the chicken
1:Combine the olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, dill, oregano, yogurt, salt, and pepper in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken.
2:Add the chicken, turning them in the marinade to coat well. Marinate covered in the refrigerator for 1 to 8 hours.
- Prepare the croutons and chicken
1:Heat the oven until 375°F (190°C) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, one for the croutons and the other for the chicken.
2:In a medium bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Add the dried herbs, if using, and toss well.
3:Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, until crisp and lightly golden around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.Set aside.
4:While the croutons are baking, heat a grill pan over medium heat, then place the chicken in the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until grill marks, but do not cook until cooked in the middle.Be careful not to set your heat too high during this step as the honey may burn.
5:00Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and spoon over the remaining marinade in the bowl.
6:00Bake until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken is.Rest 5 minutes and cut into salad-sized pieces.
- Prepare the salad
1:Cut the romaine lettuce into small pieces. Remove the leaves from the cabbage stems and chop or tear them. Wash the carrots and cabbage under cold water, then dry or spin them.
2:Toss the lettuce, cabbage and chopped onions with a few generous spoonfuls of the dressing. If the salad looks dry, add a little more dressing.
Advice from Adam and Joan
- Alternatives to cooking chicken. You can broil, bake, or cook the chicken in a pan or grill pan. My favorite is to brown the outside and finish it in the oven. Since the honey is in the marinade, watch for it to burn when you cook your chicken. : You can skip the grill pan and go straight to the oven. If you’re using an outdoor grill, use our grilled chicken recipe for advice.
- The nutrition facts below are estimates. We assumed chicken breast and 2 tablespoons of sauce per serving.
Nutrition per serving
Serving size
1/4 of the recipe
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Calories
624
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Total fat
34.5 g
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Saturated fats
5.3 g
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Cholesterol
168.8
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Sodium
1148 mg
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Carbohydrate
29.5 g
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Dietary fiber
2.5 g
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Total sugars
7.2 g
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Proteins
52.3 g
