Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
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By Alyssa Rivers
on May 20, 2024 |
Fresh and delicious Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad is a crowd-pleasing hearty salad with tender grilled chicken, crisp romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, shredded parmesan cheese, and crunchy croutons!
Satisfying and flavorful salads like this one never go out of style. They make the perfect lunch or light dinner! Try out this greek broccoli pasta salad, this delicious honey mustard chicken salad, and this amazing Portillo’s chopped salad.
Reasons to Make This Salad
- It’s so filling: This chicken Caesar salad includes vegetables, lean protein, and many essential vitamins and minerals. It’s one of those salads that will fuel you for hours.
- So delicious: The combination of crisp romaine, juicy tomatoes, flavorful chicken, delicious parmesan cheese, and crunchy croutons creates a mouthwatering flavor profile that’s a hit with almost everyone.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
This grilled chicken Caesar salad is my favorite refreshing meal when the weather starts to warm up! I’ve always been a huge fan of a good classic Caesar salad, but this one with juicy, flavor-packed grilled chicken and juicy tomatoes is on a whole new level.
It’s actually pretty easy to make, too! Let the chicken marinate in Caesar dressing to add plenty of that delicious Caesar flavor. Then, once the chicken is grilled, everything comes together in minutes. Serve it alone or with some crusty buttered sourdough bread on the side.
Ingredients in Chicken Caesar Salad
This grilled chicken salad recipe is the absolute best! The ingredients are simple and come together with very little effort. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
Chicken
- Caesar Dressing: You can use store-bought dressing, but we highly recommend this homemade Caesar Dressing. It’s perfectly creamy with incredible flavor!
- Olive Oil: Smooths out the marinade and adds some necessary fat for juicy grilled chicken.
- Lemon Juice: All good marinades have just enough acidity to tenderize the meat.
- Salt & Pepper: Brings out all of the delicious flavor.
- Chicken Breasts: These will marinate in the dressing for at least 1 hour making them tender, juicy and full of flavor.
Salad
- Romaine: Chopped romaine adds bright green color and makes the salad fresh and crisp.
- Cherry Tomatoes: For juicy bursts of sweetness.
- Croutons: I love using my homemade croutons to add plenty of crunchy texture.
- Parmesan Cheese: Add shredded or shaved parmesan cheese for a bit of nutty sharpness that enhances the flavor of the dressing.
- Caesar Dressing: You can’t have a Caesar salad without Caesar Dressing! It adds the most wonderful briny, tangy and rich taste.
- Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper is the perfect finishing touch!
How to Make a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Just five simple steps and you’re well on your way to the best salad of your life! This is one of those salads that even the kids will love. It’s that good! Here’s the easy process of how everything comes together:
For the chicken
- Make the Marinade: In a large sealable bag or container, mix together the Caesar dressing, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
- Marinate the Chicken: Add the chicken breasts to the bag or container and coat each breast evenly. Place the chicken in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Grill: Heat a grill up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the chicken is ready, remove it from the marinade and grill for about 6-8 minutes on each side. Discard the marinade.
For the salad.
- Slice Chicken: Once the chicken is grilled, let it rest at least 5 minutes before slicing into ½ inch strips.
- Assemble and Toss Salad: To a large bowl add the chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, croutons, parmesan cheese, sliced chicken and caesar dressing, top with freshly cracked black pepper and toss.
Tips and Variations
With a joining of fresh ingredients and a flavorful, creamy salad dressing, this is definitely my new favorite salad recipe! Here are some helpful tips and ways to make it your own!
- Using Homemade Dressing: I like to use my homemade dressing, but a store-bought dressing works just as well! The same goes for the croutons.
- Marinating the Chicken: Your chicken can marinate for up to 4 hours, but 1 hour is sufficient. If you’re in a hurry, even 30 minutes will be okay, but not quite as good.
- Salad Greens: Romaine is classic in Caesar salads; however, any favorite greens will work. You can even use a combination of several varieties.
- Precooked Chicken: You can totally use pre-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken for this recipe, but what makes it special is the marinated grilled chicken.
Make Ahead & Storing Leftovers
- Make Ahead: Get a head start by making the dressing and grilling the chicken a day or two ahead, and store each separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. You can also chop the lettuce and tomatoes beforehand. Then, when it comes time to serve, pull everything out of the fridge, assemble, and enjoy!
- Leftovers: Once the salad is tossed, it’s best enjoyed the day it’s made, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s best to store the dressing separately from the salad.
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For the chicken
In a large sealable bag or container, mix together the Caesar dressing, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
Add the chicken breasts to the bag or container and coat each breast evenly. Place the chicken in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Heat a grill up to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Once the chicken is ready, remove it from the marinade and grill for about 6-8 minutes on each side. Discard the marinade.
For the salad
Once the chicken is grilled, let it rest at least 5 minutes before slicing into ½ inch strips.
To a large bowl add the chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, croutons, parmesan cheese, sliced chicken and caesar dressing, top with freshly cracked black pepper and toss.
Calories: 373kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 21gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 659mgPotassium: 504mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3611IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 140mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.