Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad is a delicious recipe filled with crunchy lettuces, homemade crunchy croutons, juicy chicken, and homemade Caesar dressing.

This Caesar salad recipe is so tasty because it is made with homemade recipes from the croutons to the dressing allowing for extra flavor to unfold in the dish. 

This easy dinner recipe will still taste like you are eating a restaurant quality dinner, without having to leave home that the whole family can enjoy.

Recipe Ingredients:

Grilled Chicken:

• Chicken: use raw skinless chicken breasts
• Oil: simple extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil 
• Juice: for the best results use freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Seasoning: a combination of red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and ground black pepper

Homemade Croutons:

• Bread: use thick slices of bread of stale bread that has been cubed
• Oil: olive oil that you have in the pantry
• Seasoning: use garlic salt or whatever flavor you like

Fresh salad:

• Lettuce: use washed and roughly chopped fresh romaine lettuce from the produce section in the grocery store
• Cheese: using freshly grated parmesan cheese is best for an original caesar salad
• Seasoning: feel free to add a little salt and pepper for more flavor

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing:

• Sauce: for creamy dressing use Duke’s mayonnaise for the base
• Cheese: using freshly grated parmesan cheese will blend the best into the homemade dressing
• Milk: to the right texture add either milk or buttermilk
• Juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice is the best option but you can use lemon juice from the container for this dressing recipe
• Seasoning: use a combination of Dijon mustard and minced garlic for the best flavor in thiss chicken caesar salad recipe

How To Make Chicken Caesar Salad:

Prepare the chicken:

1. Marinate the chicken; In a large zip-lock bag, add the chicken, olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. 
2. Shake the bag well with the chicken inside. Refrigerate the chicken for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the croutons.

Prepare the croutons:

1. Cut the bread; cut the bread into 1/-inch cubes. Toss the bread with olive oil and garlic salt in a bowl. Set aside and preheat oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the bread cubes to a baking dish. Bake the croutons for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the croutons from the oven and set aside. 

Cook the chicken: 

1. Cook the chicken: heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken with marinade and cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until the inner temperature (at the thickest part) reaches 165F. Remove the chicken from the heat and allow it to cool down. Cut the chicken into cubes or slices. 

Prepare the dressing: 

1. Combine all: add all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Whisk well until smooth.

Assemble the salad: 

1. Add chopped romaine, croutons, and chicken into a large bowl. 
2. Pour the dressing over the salad and add parmesan on top. Toss gently to combine and serve. 

Expert Tips:

• Use store-bought croutons instead of homemade ones to save time.
• If you do not have romaine lettuce, use iceberg or whatever you may have. 
• Season chicken with Mediterranean herbs for a different flavor profile. 
• If you use buttermilk instead of milk in your dressing, you will have a thicker and tangier dressing.

Variations & Substitutions:

1. For another version of homemade caesar dressing add in 1 tsp of anchovy paste which is found by the canned tuna in the grocery store.
2. Instead of mayonnaise you could use plain greek yogurt in its place for a healthier and higher protein option.
3. Vegan mayo made with avocado oil is also a great substitution for the dressing recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions for Making Delicious Caesar Chicken Salad: 

Storing & Reheating Instructions:

Freezer: Pour the remaining dressing into an airtight container and the leftover chicken into another and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Enjoy More Delicious Green Salads

Want to add more veggies to your meals? Browse our comprehensive list of salad recipes.

• Antipasto Salad
• Broccoli Salad
• Cafe Rio Steak Salad
• California Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
• Caprese Salad
• Chicken Salad with Eggs
• Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Chicken Salad
• Greek Tossed Salad
• Green Garden Salad

Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad is a delicious recipe filled with crunchy lettuce, homemade croutons, chicken, and homemade Caesar dressing.

ServingServing: 4 Servings

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For the chicken:

• ▢ 2 medium chicken breast fillets
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ Salt and pepper, to taste

For the croutons:

• ▢ 2 1” inch thick slices of bread, cubed (use stale bread)*
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon garlic salt

For the salad:

• ▢ 2 hearts romaine lettuce, washed and roughly chopped
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
• ▢ Salt and pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

• ▢ 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
• ▢ 1 ½ Tablespoons milk or buttermilk
• ▢ ¾ Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon minced garlic

Equipment

• Ziploc Bag (Gallon)
• Mixing Bowl
• Baking Dish (9 x 13)
• Skillet
• Mixing Bowl (Small)
• Serving Bowl

Instructions

Prepare the chicken:

1. Marinate the chicken; In a large zip-lock bag, add the chicken, olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Shake the bag well with the chicken inside. Refrigerate the chicken for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the croutons.

Prepare the croutons:

1. Cut the bread; cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss the bread with olive oil and garlic salt in a bowl. Set aside and preheat oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Add the bread cubes to a baking dish. Bake the croutons for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove the croutons from the oven and set aside.

Cook the chicken:

1. Cook the chicken: heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken with marinade and cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until the inner temperature (at the thickest part) reaches 165℉. Remove the chicken from the heat and allow it to cool down. Cut the chicken into cubes or slices.

Prepare the dressing:

1. Combine all: add all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Whisk well until smooth.

Assemble the salad:

1. Add chopped romaine, croutons, and chicken into a large bowl.
2. Pour the dressing over the salad and add parmesan on top. Toss gently to combine and serve.

Notes

• Use store-bought croutons instead of homemade ones to save time.
• If you do not have romaine lettuce, use iceberg or whatever you may have.

Nutrition

Calories: 257 kcal · Carbohydrates: 10 g · Protein: 16 g · Fat: 17 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g · Trans Fat: 0.02 g · Cholesterol: 44 mg · Sodium: 427 mg · Potassium: 303 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 1346 IU · Vitamin C: 5 mg · Calcium: 90 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Cuisine: American

Cost: $10

Author: Steph Loaiza

Course: Salad

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