Easy chicken Caesar salad is a crunchy, colorful and refreshing salad with an easy homemade Caesar dressing, perfect for lunch or a light dinner! You’ll love the bright, fresh flavors and creamy Parmesan in every bite!

This post originally appeared on Real Housemoms, where I am a contributor.

I can just about taste the weekend...

This short week has seemed anything but and I'm ready for Friday to roll in. You too?

We've got J's first soccer game for his little 5-year-olds league and I have a feeling it's going to be very entertaining!

My husband and I also are headed to the season opener of the Carolina Panthers football game, which will be a fun little afternoon date! Just gotta finish out this week and some work first... so let's get onto it!

This easy chicken Caesar salad is just the fresh, crunchy, delicious kind of lunch I’m craving these days - especially because it comes together so quickly and doesn’t involve the oven.

The dreamy Caesar dressing is loaded with fresh Parmesan and is just so creamy and addictive - you’ll want to go back for forkful after forkful!

And it's such a cinch to make.

Spoiler alert: It’s a cheater’s version of Caesar dressing that I also use in my seared romaine with cheater Caesar’s dressing.

It’s really easy and doesn’t require anchovies, which I never have on hand. (Of course, you could also substitute a store-bought Caesar dressing if you prefer - I won’t tell!)

And if you’re wondering what’s in a traditional Caesar salad, the usual ingredients are romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and Caesar salad dressing.

We’re jazzing that up just a little bit with this recipe!

Notes on this easy chicken Caesar salad:

• Romaine lettuce is traditional for a Caesar salad, but butter lettuce or mixed greens also work great.
• I usually grill my chicken for this salad — on a grill pan indoors more often than not — but you can also do a baked chicken Caesar salad and cook the chicken in the oven. I’ve included notes for that in the recipe card as well.
• You could also substitute a rotisserie chicken in a pinch.
• Feel free to add some cooked, crumbled bacon to the top of this salad, as well as other veggies. (I like sliced red onions and cucumber in addition to the tomatoes I included here.)

This chicken Caesar salad would also make a great mason jar lunch!

You could prep everything ahead, then layer it in your mason jar, with the dressing on the bottom, followed by the chicken and veggies, with the lettuce on top. You’ll probably want to pack the croutons separately though so they stay crunchy.

Or you can grab a whole wheat tortilla and make a chicken Caesar salad wrap from this recipe for lunch.

I hope you give this easy Caesar salad with chicken recipe a try and I hope you have a great weekend! It's almost here...

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Looking for more salad goodness? Check these out:

• Healthy basil chicken salad with walnuts (Family Food on the Table)
• Mediterranean quinoa salad (Family Food on the Table)
• Asian ginger chicken salad (Taste and Tell)
• Chicken satay noodle salad (Taste and See)
• Southwestern mason jar salad (Family Food on the Table)

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Yield: 4 servings

Easy chicken Caesar salad

Print

This crunchy, colorful and refreshing salad with an easy homemade Caesar dressing is perfect for lunch or a light dinner!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

For the salad:

• 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup croutons
• Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

For the Caesar dressing:

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 4-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper. Grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. (Alternatively, you can roast the chicken in the oven at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until it’s cooked through to an internal temperature of 165.)
2. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice.
3. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a large jar then cover and shake well to combine.
4. To assemble the salad, divide the lettuce, tomatoes and grilled chicken onto four plates or bowls for serving. Top with the croutons and shaved Parmesan and drizzle with the Caesar dressing.

Notes

Romaine lettuce is traditional for a Caesar salad, but butter lettuce or mixed greens also work great.

You could substitute a rotisserie chicken in a pinch.

Feel free to add some cooked, crumbled bacon to the top of this salad, as well as other veggies. (I like sliced red onions and cucumber with this as well.)

You can also serve this in a wrap if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 653Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 172mgSodium: 1216mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 65g