Perfect Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
Say hello to my favorite chicken Caesar salad recipe! Seriously, this salad is SO good. The chicken is tender, juicy, and flavorful, the croutons are crunchy, and the dressing is out of this world. You’re going to want to make this one on repeat!
We love Caesar salad around here, and this chicken Caesar salad recipe has quickly turned into a family favorite! It takes full advantage of super flavorful and juicy marinated chicken, my favorite Caesar salad dressing, and these easy homemade croutons.
This is an epic, dinner-worthy salad, for sure! We’ve made it so many times lately, and I cannot wait until you give it a try. For more favorite salad recipes, see this white bean salad with prosciutto, easy Italian chopped salad, and our balsamic strawberry salad.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: Our Greek chicken marinade infuses the chicken with incredible flavor. It’s tangy, herby, and a little garlicky, making it perfect for chicken Caesar salad! Use chicken breast or chicken thighs, and marinate for at least an hour, or up to 8 hours for maximum flavor. The marinade combines honey, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, dill, oregano, and Greek yogurt.
- Lettuce and Kale: I love romaine lettuce for Caesar salad (kale is excellent, too). You can tear the leaves or chop them. Romaine lettuce tends to brown around the cut edges over time. It’s because of this that I chop right before serving or simply tear the leaves.
- 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 onion as thin as you can (a mandoline is amazing for this).
- Parmesan: I add parmesan cheese to my salad and my homemade dressing.
- My homemade dressing: You can make my Caesar dressing up to a day in advance. I usually make it by hand with a whisk, but a blender or food processor works great, too. My favorite recipe (linked in the recipe below) uses raw egg yolk for that classic richness. If you prefer to avoid raw eggs, check out this delicious eggless Caesar dressing.
- Croutons: Buy your favorite croutons or make your own. We have two easy recipes for homemade croutons. I love both. In our video and recipe, I recommend these easy croutons, but you can also try these garlic croutons.
How to Make Chicken Caesar Salad
To make my favorite chicken Caesar, I start with the chicken. I like marinating for an hour or longer (when I have the time). You’ll combine the marinade ingredients, add your chicken, and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to cook the chicken.
When you are happy with how long your chicken has sat in the marinade, you can get started on the rest of the salad elements. I bake my croutons at the same oven temperature as my chicken. I toss cubed bread with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs, then bake until golden and crisp.
Then, as the croutons are baking, I start cooking my chicken on the stove to get a little color (I love using a grill pan). When both sides have some color, I transfer the chicken to the oven to finish cooking in the middle.
While the chicken finishes up in the oven, I prepare the salad. Chop and rinse the lettuce and kale, slice half an onion, shred or shave some parmesan cheese, and make the dressing. When everything is out of the oven and ready to eat, I toss it all together and dig in. It’s so flavorful!
Perfect Chicken Caesar Salad
-
PREP
-
COOK
-
TOTAL
4 Servings
You Will Need
For the Chicken
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 ½ teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 ½ pounds (680g) chicken breast or thighs
For the Salad
2 hearts romaine lettuce
1 bunch of kale
Half medium sweet onion, sliced thin
Parmesan cheese shavings
1 batch of homemade Caesar dressing, 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup
4 cups torn or cubed day-old bread, about 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning, optional
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- Marinate the Chicken
1Combine the olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, dill, oregano, yogurt, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl that is large enough to hold the chicken.
2Add the chicken, turning them around in the marinade so they are well coated. Marinate covered in the fridge for 1 to 8 hours.
- Make the Croutons and Chicken
1Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, one for the croutons and the other for the chicken.
2Toss the bread with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. Add dried herbs, if using, and toss well.
3Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, until crisp and lightly golden around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
4While the croutons bake, heat a grill pan over medium heat. Lightly oil, and then place the chicken into the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until grill marks, but do not cook until cooked in the middle. Watch that your heat is not too high during this step, as the honey can burn.
5Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and spoon over any remaining marinade from the bowl.
6Bake until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F, about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken is. Rest for 5 minutes, and chop into bite-size pieces ready for the salad.
- Make the Salad
1Chop the romaine lettuce. Strip the leaves from hearty kale stems and chop or tear them apart. Rinse the lettuce and kale under cool water, then pat or spin them dry.
2Toss lettuce, kale, and sliced onions with a few generous spoonfuls of the dressing. If the salad looks dry, add a bit more dressing. Scatter over a few handfuls of the croutons and finish with parmesan cheese shavings and chopped chicken.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Alternatives for cooking the chicken: You can grill, bake, or cook the chicken in a skillet or grill pan. My favorite option is to sear the outside for color and finish in the oven. Since honey is in the marinade, it will darken quite a bit so watch for burning when you sear your chicken. You can skip the grill pan and go directly to the oven. You will still get a little color. If you use an outdoor grill, use our grilled chicken recipe for tips.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed chicken breasts and 2 tablespoons of dressing per serving.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 of the recipe
/
Calories
624
/
Total Fat
34.5g
/
Saturated Fat
5.3g
/
Cholesterol
168.8
/
Sodium
1148mg
/
Carbohydrate
29.5g
/
Dietary Fiber
2.5g
/
Total Sugars
7.2g
/
Protein
52.3g
