The Best Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Table of Contents
There is just something about grilled chicken breasts, parmesan cheese, and caesar dressing – the flavor combination is out of this world and we can’t get enough! It is a regular weekend lunch at our house, plus it is so easy to grill up some extra chicken to have on hand for making salads for lunch all week long!
Looking for More Chicken Caesar Recipes?
If you love these flavors as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Chicken Caesar Smash Burger Taco!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – option to use grilled chicken thighs, if you prefer.
- chicken marinade – highly recommend making our simple chicken marinade, but a store-bought version would also work!
- romaine lettuce – love crisp romaine lettuce, but feel free to use an iceburg lettuce or a spring mix instead.
- croutons – choose your favorite and generously toss them on top. Love that crunch!
- shredded parmesan cheese – feel free to use dairy-free, if you want, but definitely don’t skip it.
- caesar dressing – love this Homemade Caesar Dressing (recipe included in recipe card below) or this Dairy-Free Caesar Dressing!
How To Make Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Begin by patting the chicken breasts dry with paper towel and then they can be seasoned with a chicken dry rub.
Or let them marinate in our chicken marinade. Now, place the chicken on a hot grill until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees, flipping half-way through.
Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.
Assemble the salads and enjoy!
Best Ways To Serve A Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
We kept it simple with grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, and caesar dressing but there are so many other items you could also add to the salad. A few options would be hard boiled eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes, or avocado!
Meal Prep Tips
This would be a great recipe for meal prep. If you are grilling chicken, toss on some extra to store in the fridge! Then store it separate from the salad so that you can heat it up before you eat. The lettuce can be cut up ahead of time and portioned out into lunch size containers with some parmesan cheese. Toss the croutons on right before eating, so they don’t get soggy. The dressing should also wait until last to prevent sogginess.
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Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Marinate Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
An easy Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad recipe with a flavor-packed chicken marinade and homemade Caesar dressing!
Ingredients
Caesar Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Chicken Marinade:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- pinch of kosher salt & ground black pepper
Caesar Salad:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4–6 cups romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- 2 cups croutons
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Make Dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or wide mouth mason jar with lid. Whisk to combine in the bowl or put the cover on your mason jar and shake to combine. Set aside.
- Marinate Chicken: Put all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl; mix to combine. Place chicken in a large baking dish, bowl or silicone bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Grill Chicken: Heat grill to medium heat (approximately 400 degrees F) and ensure the grill grates are clean & greased. Place chicken on direct heat (direct flame) and cook for 4-5 minutes per side. Move chicken away from the direct heat (direct flame), so that it is cooking on indirect heat (maintaining the same grill temp) and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes (you don’t need to flip during this point because the chicken will cook as if it is in an oven) or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reads 160 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
- Rest + Cut: Remove from grill and let rest at least 5 minutes (the chicken’s internal temperature will rise to 165 degrees F during this time). Then cut into large bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble Salads: Divide the romaine, croutons, parmesan cheese, and chicken between 4 large bowls.
- Serve: Enjoy with the homemade Caesar dressing on top!
Notes
- Dairy-Free: use a dairy-free alternative for the parmesan cheese and a dairy-free Caesar dressing!
- Storage: leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Just be sure to keep the croutons and dressing separate to prevent sogginess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 443
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 1093 mg
- Fat: 22.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.7 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 38.1 g
- Cholesterol: 123 mg
Other Recipes You Might Like
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Easy Shrimp Caesar Salad
Yesenia says
THE ABSOLUTE BEST!! My family and I love it.
Jennifer says
This is a new family favorite. The chicken is juicy and the homemade Caesar dressing really takes it over the top. I use homemade bread cubes fried up in olive oil for the croutons. I’ve made it several times now–it keeps finding its way back on the menu!
Erin says
Yay!! Love hearing that, Jennifer!
Alesha says
This salad is absolutely delicious!! I’m dairy-free, so I adjusted as needed, but we ate this for lunch and dinner two days in a row! Lol. My husband said it was the best caesar salad he’s ever had. Will definitely be making this again!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Alesha!! Thanks for coming back to leave a review!
Gerri says
I made the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad tonight and we throughly enjoyed it. I used the marinade and made the dressing and the croutons and they both were spectacular. Great recipe, Erin!
Erin says
So happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!