Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
When Homemade IS worth the Effort!
There are a few things in life that are worth the extra time and effort to make from scratch, and a grilled chicken Caesar salad is one of them!
Caesar salad tastes SO much better when you make it from scratch, from the flavorful grilled chicken and homemade Caesar salad dressing to the crunchy croutons and fresh Parmesan cheese. It just cannot compare!
For more refreshing salad recipes, try my Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad or Avocado Shrimp Salad.
Step#1: Making the Chicken Marinade
My classic chicken marinade for Caesar salad includes lemon, garlic, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, and Italian herbs.
For the most flavorful chicken, I highly recommend marinating your chicken for at least 30 minutes. This marinade makes the chicken so tender and juicy!
I like to slice the chicken into diagonal strips because I think it looks prettier on the plate than when cut into cubes. And the slicing really shows off its juiciness!
Step#2: Grill the Chicken
The secret to making this “off-season” is having a great indoor grill pan, and I cannot say enough good things about them.
They are totally worth the investment and cheaper than a real BBQ!
But sometimes a grill pan makes lovely grill marks but doesn’t totally cook the chicken through, because you can’t close the top as you do on a real grill to finish the cooking.
So once the chicken is beautifully grilled on both sides, I pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes while I’m preparing the dressing to ensure it’s cooked through.
Step#3: Make the Homemade Dressing
A homemade Caesar salad dressing will taste 100x better than anything you will buy in the store, no matter how fancy the bottle may be! (sigh…yes, I’m a sucker for nice packaging too, but don’t be fooled!) This will taste so much better!
The classic combination includes mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, anchovies or anchovy paste, a little olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. It’s as easy as it gets!
Another option is to choose a variation of this dressing and serve the salad with my Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing instead, which has a nice kick!
Anchovies vs. Anchovy Paste?
Even if you’re cringing at the mention of fish in tins, don’t skip the anchovy paste!
While traditional Caesar salad dressing is made with real anchovies, I like the cheat of the paste. Especially if you are skittish about using anchovies, the paste is a nice foil for what lies behind it!
It’s also just as flavorful. It won’t taste “fishy” but rather a bit salty, and it will give your dressing a nice depth of flavor.
Without the anchovy paste, your dressing will lack depth of flavor, and you will feel like something is missing! And it will be the anchovies!
Step#4: Make the Croutons
Another key component of a homemade Caesar salad is the croutons! These croutons steal the show with their garlicky flavor that is so much better than store-bought.
I think the best bread to use is a hearty country loaf or ciabatta bread.
The nooks and crannies in these breads soak up the salad dressing perfectly, as it settles into the crevices of the croutons.
These breads are also hearty enough not to get soggy under the weight of the dressing.
You can also freeze the croutons after they cool and reheat them in the oven to crisp them back up when you’re ready to serve.
Try them also on top of my Tomato and Pepper Soup, or my Leek and Potato Soup.
Step#5: Assemble + Serve
To give your salad a sophisticated presentation, use whole romaine lettuce leaves and do not chop them.
It makes for a prettier presentation and allows your guests the ability to cut the lettuce into bite-sized pieces as they enjoy it.
Or you can use Baby Romaine lettuce for smaller, more manageable leaves.
Then slice the chicken breasts slightly diagonally for a prettier slice, and fan the chicken on top.
Then add the croutons, toasted pine nuts, some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and freshly cracked pepper!
Serve with my scrumptious Garlic Knots or Parmesan Tuiles on the side.
Kick things off with my Cream of Corn Soup
And for dessert try my easy Panna Cottas with Fruits Rouges or Lemon Ricotta Cake.
Wonderful recipe I’m headed to store to pickup ingredients I don’t have at home. I would like to recommend to those who haven’t tried the baby lettuce, please do they have so much flavor and I was surprised to see that the “gem lettuce” baby romaine was 30 cents less than the regular romaine same brand and you get more too. I shop Kroger/Frys here in 🌵. If you’re a smaller household this baby romaine holds so well Perfect recipe for a day that’s headed to 110, I will use my air fryer to cook the chicken.
Beth, I sure miss your videos. Cooking and getting to see France and other places you have taken us. I would love to subscribe to your paid content, but just not wanting to have to use a credit card to subscribe. Enjoy your day!!!