This restaurant-quality Chicken Caesar Salad is made with juicy marinated chicken, crisp romaine, Parmesan, and the BEST homemade Caesar dressing. Add my easy homemade croutons and grill or sear the chicken for an incredible salad that’s loaded with flavor and texture!
Be sure to try my Greek Salad and Mango Salad recipes next!
BEST Chicken Caesar Salad
This Chicken Caesar Salad recipe is my new favorite recipe to come out this entire year! I am so picky about Chicken Caesar Salad at restaurants. I’m not a fan of jiggly, mayo-based dressings, sometimes the chicken can be dry and tough, they tend to skimp on the cheese, the croutons can be stale, and sometimes the lettuce is old. 🥴 There’s a lot that can go wrong. 😂
For years I’ve wanted to make my ideal, perfect version at home, including a tangy dressing with classic Caesar flavor, with NO mayo or even eggs. (Mission Accomplished!)
The chicken is marinated in some of the homemade dressing and it is SO tender and flavorful because of it. It’s grilled to perfection (I have stovetop instructions too), and left to rest before slicing into delicious, juicy strips.
I also have an optional recipe for homemade croutons, which elevates this even more! Be sure to check out my PRO TIPS below!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Marinate and grill the chicken. Let it rest, then cut into strips. Toss the lettuce with ½ cup of the homemade dressing, the grated parmesan, half of the shaved parmesan, and half of the croutons.
Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter. Top with grilled chicken strips and remaining croutons and shaved Parmesan. Finish with freshly cracked pepper and serve with the remaining dressing.
Make Ahead Method
- Prepare the dressing up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate, and shake/stir prior to using.
- The chicken can be grilled up to 1 day ahead. Cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container. Slice the chicken just before serving for juiciest results. The chicken can be served chilled, or it can sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before being added to the salad.
- Homemade croutons can be prepared up to 3-4 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
Storage
- Store leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
- Leftover dressing can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Note: If your leftover dressing solidifies during storage: Let it sit at room temperature until it liquifies, then shake to combine and serve. The dressing may also separate slightly during storage, just shake/mix prior to serving.
