Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
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Truly THE BEST ever. With crispy, seasoned croutons, grilled chicken and an easy dressing!
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This crisp, fresh caesar salad with homemade crispy croutons and perfectly juicy grilled chicken (hello, Spring!) has been getting me through these past few weeks. For starters, it’s finally starting to warm up to use a grill. But when it snows in the middle of April in Chicago, I’ll throw these chicken breasts on a grill pan.
Store-bought croutons or dressing can of course be used here but we all know that the store-bought version just does not compare. Nope, nothing compares to those freshly baked, slightly garlicky seasoned croutons, and the homemade dressing is just right – not too rich, not too creamy. It really is just right.
I will also point out that there are no egg yolks or anchovies in this (although you can certainly add those in to your liking if you wish). As for the chicken, if white meat is not your thing, thighs can easily be substituted. And you can prep everything in advance, making this a very quick weeknight meal on those super busy, hectic nights.
tips and tricks for success
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Homemade croutons goes a long way. Store-bought croutons are great in a pinch but it’s all about the homemade croutons! Crispy, crunchy and perfectly seasoned.
- Swap out the protein. Swap out the chicken for sauteed shrimp or any other protein to your liking.
- Add the dressing just before serving. No one likes a soggy, wilted salad. To maintain crispness and freshness, toss the dressing right before serving.
what to serve with caesar salad
Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons: Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe will work with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (and even tenderloins), but please be mindful of cooking time. Thighs and tenderloins will require less time to cook through.
Yes! The dressing can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) and placed in the fridge, letting it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes and shaking well before using.
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out!
Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
for the croutons
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups ciabatta bread cubes
for the chicken
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
for the dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the salad
- 2 heads romaine, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Equipment
Instructions
for the croutons
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, parsley and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Stir in olive oil mixture and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 13-15 minutes; set aside.
for the chicken
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and olive oil mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat.
- Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
for the dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
for the salad
- To assemble the salad, place romaine in a large bowl; top with chicken and croutons. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine. Top with Parmesan.
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good recipe
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes! I have been enjoying your recipes for a while and this recipe is delicious!
Made this tonight, but couldn’t be bothered with the croutons so just grilled some bread roll and diced it up. Still turned out really nice!! especially the dressing so good thank you!!!
Totally the best caesar salad made from scratch I’ve ever tasted! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Love this recipe
It is the best! Loved the chicken flavor, I didn’t have time to marinade but used the seasonings and it was still very flavorful. I made sure to take the chicken off the grill as soon as it reached 165 to maintain the juiciness.
I have made the dressing several times and we absolutely LOVE it! I have not made the croutons but we love the grilled chicken on our salad with this dressing. Only modifications to the dressing I made was half and half instead of buttermilk (it’s what I had on hand). And instead of Dijon we used stone ground mustard (we do not like Dijon because of the horseradish). Thank you so much for sharing!
it is really THE best salad
everybody loved it
I have made a couple of modifiactions:
I substituted fish sauce for worchestershire sauce (because that’s what I had in my fridge)
I added cherry tomatoes and crumbled bacon
thanks 🙂
I made the chicken and it was great! And the croutons I made similar, but I added butter because they just taste better with butter:). I made this for a party that I catered last night. I have a professional catering company. 🙂
I followed this exactly as instructed (minus the grill). We used a cast iron skillet instead because we live in an apartment. We loved this and ate almost all of it. So yummy and will definitely make again. I don’t think I’ve had a bad recipe of yours ever. They’re all on point and I’m grateful! Thank you Chunga!❤️
One cup is how many grams?
This Cesar salad is incredible! I could DRINK the dressing. And the chicken is so tender and flavorful. I’ve been making/eating Cesar salad for decades. This is The Best! Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum!
I love the simplicity of a Caesar salad! Your version was delicious! I loved the dressing. I actually forgot buttermilk and was thinking about just picking up ready made dressing. So glad I didn’t!
Do you have nutrition info per serving?
Excited to try this recipe. Easy and nice u noted your omission of egg and anchovies. Oh and I’m a Chicago suburban gal. Grill pan!
Delicious! Nice and fresh dressing made the salad. Easy to make too.
Came out great! Thanks!
I can’t believe I made such a delicious Caesar salad – and on my first attempt.
The croutons were so easy and added so much flavor. It’s inexpensive, but tastes fancy, with no need for preservatives.
The recipe scales down and up easily. Thank you for another home run, Chungah.
Truly an amazing dish! One of the “Best” per husband. Thank you. Nice to feel good after a meal.
This salad was so incredibly delicious! It will definitely be part of the rotation here are our house. I just hope I can have a little more will power with the croutons next time. But wait, they don’t count if they are on a salad right?!!