To me, there is nothing better than a bold and crunchy caesar salad on a warm summer afternoon. Thick ribbons of romaine lettuce, shreds of parmesan and croutons dressed with a bold, creamy caesar dressing. Just talking about it makes me happy!
A great way to transform your caesar salad into a filling meal is by adding some chicken and today, we are not adding just any chicken… we are adding a thinly pounded, super crispy piece of chicken that could not pair any better with caesar dressing. Its so good!
Let’s get started…
Croutons are very important to me, so let’s start with them. Any thick, soft textured bread can become a beautiful crouton, so you can use what you have or bake up a loaf of my favorite French Bread and use that (it makes really good croutons!). In addition to the bread, you will need some extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
Cut the bread into cubes. I like to remove the crust, but this is optional. Place the cubes into a large bowl and toss in a few tablespoons of olive oil, a generous pinch of onion powder, garlic powder and salt. You want the bread cubes to be lightly, but entirely coated with oil so that all sides can get crispy.
Transfer your seasoned bread cubes onto a wide skillet or a flat griddle and place it over medium heat. Occasionally flip one over to check out how they are crisping up and once they start to brown, toss the pan around or use a spatula to flip the croutons over so that all of their sides have a chance to brown. Once they have reached your desired level of crispy goodness, transfer them into a small bowl and set them aside.
Croutons done. Now for the chicken…
I like to use thinly sliced chicken breasts, but if you can’t find them, cut a standard boneless skinless chicken breast in half so you have two thin cutlets. Place them onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper, cover with a second sheet and pound them out to about 1/4 inch thickness. You can use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin.
To bread the chicken, add 1/2 cup of all purpose flour into a shallow dish (season with salt and pepper). Add 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan into a second shallow dish and then whisk together 2 eggs (seasoned with salt and pepper) in a third shallow dish.
Season the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Dip the seasoned chicken into the flour and be sure that the entire surface is coated lightly. Next, dip the flour coated chicken into the eggs. Make sure that the entire surface has been dipped into the egg. Next, transfer the egg dipped chicken into the panko breadcrumbs and parmesan mixture and make sure that the entire surface is fully coated.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a wide skillet and place it over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and combined with the olive oil, place the coated chicken breasts in the skillet. Leave them alone until the bottom is brown and crispy. Moving the chicken around during this phase can prevent a crispy crust from forming, so let it do its thing for a few minutes before checking on it. Once the bottom is browned, flip the chicken over to brown the other side. My cutlets took about 4 minutes on the first side and about 2 minutes on the second side to finish, but this depends on how thick your chicken is. Once both sides are brown and crispy, transfer the chicken onto a paper towel lined plate and set them aside.
Chicken done. Now for the dressing…
This creamy caesar dressing is my all time official favorite dressing. This recipe makes a nice big batch, which I highly suggest making. It stores well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about a week and if you are interested in other ways to use this dressing, I would love to point you towards both my caesar baked chicken and these crispy chicken caesar wraps.
You will need crushed cloves of garlic, finely shredded parmesan. This recipe can easily be cut in half, if preferred.
Add everything into a bowl and whisk vigorously until the anchovies have been dissolved and are fully incorporated.
Dressing done. Now we assemble…
Chop up some romaine lettuce and place it into a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Add some shredded parmesan. Place a few slices of that crispy chicken over the top and a big handful of croutons and voila!
You now have a beautiful caesar salad exploding with flavor, plus the satisfaction of making it all from scratch. I love knowing every ingredient in the dish, because I put it there. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes the quicker method is necessary, but on a day where you have a little time and want to craft a masterpiece, you can build yourself a beautiful caesar salad from scratch.
The combination of crisp fresh romaine, that rich caesar dressing and salty parmesan is everything. Then when you top it off with thinly pounded, buttery and extra crispy chicken and those croutons… I mean, there is nothing better.
If you are bored with average, boring salads then you need to give this creamy caesar salad with crispy chicken a try. You are going to fall in love with it… guaranteed.
Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken
Ingredients
Croutons
- 8 inch portion of french bread, cubed
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Crispy Pan Seared Chicken
- 2 boneless, thin sliced chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup of parmesan, grated
- 2 eggs
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Creamy Caesar Dressing
- 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 anchovy filets
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
- a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2/3 cup of parmesan, grated
Assembly
- 1 medium head of romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup pamesan, shredded
Instructions
Croutons
- Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place the cubes into a large bowl
- Toss with olive oil and seasoning until all of the cubes are coated evenly
- Toast the bread on a wide skillet or flat griddle over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until they reach your desired level of crispness
- Transfer into a small bowl and set aside
Crispy Pan Seared Chicken
- Season two thinly sliced chicken breasts with garlic powder and onion powder
- To prepare the breading, add 1/2 cup of all purpose flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and black pepper, whisk the eggs in a second shallow dish and season with salt and black pepper and then combine 1/2 cup or panko breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan in a third shallow bowl and season with salt and black pepper
- Lightly coat each chicken breast in the seasoned flour
- Dip the flour coated chicken into the eggs and allow excess to drip off
- Transfer the egg dipped chicken into the panko/parmesan mixture and ensure that the entire surface is coated
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil into the skillet
- Once the butter has melted, place the coated chicken into the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown
- Flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through
- Transfer the chicken onto a paper towel lined plate until ready to use
Caesar Dressing
- Add 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, 3 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 anchovy fillets, a pinch of salt and black pepper and 2/3 cup of finely shredded parmesan into a large bowl
- Whisk vigorously until the anchovies have dissolved and have been fully incorporated
Assembly
- Chop 1 medium head of romaine lettuce and place into a large bowl
- Toss with enough dressing to lightly coat the romaine
- Add shredded parmesan and toss to combine
- Cut chicken into 1/2 inch strips and place over the salad
- Top with croutons
