Easy chicken Caesar salad

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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)

Easy chicken Caesar salad

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Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Total Time 25 minutes

Serves 4     adjust servings

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

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 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

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 4-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

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.)

Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a large jar then cover and shake well to combine.

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.

Recipe 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 Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 462kcal Calories from fat 228
% Daily Value
Total Fat 25g	38%
Saturated Fat 5g	25%
Transfat 0g
Cholesterol 129mg	43%
Sodium 600mg	25%
Carbohydrate 15g	5%
Dietary Fiber 4g	16%
Sugars 4g
Protein 44g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g