Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad ~ an easy homemade Caesar dressing is drizzled over tender grilled chicken and hearts of romaine lettuce, then topped with shaved Parmesan, plenty of fresh ground black pepper and toasted walnuts. This main dish salad is sure to please your salad loving family!
I’m on a Caesar kick lately and just can’t get enough of the lemony bite found in the simple homemade dressing. The crispy lettuce and salty Parmesan are a match made in heaven, but I bet you already know that! However you may not know how simple fresh Caesar dressing is to make at home!
There’re a bunch of Caesar dressing recipes out there in the world, so it can be hard to decide where to start when making it at home. Personally I like a combination of both vegetable and olive oil along with a small amount of Dijon mustard. Fresh lemon juice, anchovies and a clove of garlic are essential for a good Caesar dressing which is sometimes made tableside at better restaurants. I guess that puts my kitchen in the same category as a “better restaurant” because I was right next to the table when I made this!
Don’t skip the raw egg yolk if you can help it. The yolk gives this dressing it’s crazy good richness and creamy texture. (See note below about consuming raw eggs) Traditional Caesar salad is typically served with croutons but I chose to add a few walnuts instead (pooh on carbs). Feel free to change it up as you like! Toss all the components together in one large salad bowl or serve on individual plates like I’ve done here. Anyway you like it, I’m sure it will be terrific!
Don’t forget to PIN to your favorite salad board!
NOTE: A raw egg yolk was used in this recipe. However, consuming raw eggs is not recommended for infants, elderly, pregnant women and those battling serious illness. If you have concerns, please use a pasteurized egg which has been gently heated to the precise temperature needed to kill most food-borne bacteria like Salmonella.
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 (oil packed) anchovy fillets, drained
- 1 large egg yolk
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
- shaved Parmesan cheese
- 3-4 hearts of romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
- fresh ground black pepper
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Place the chicken breasts in a shallow dish and add the olive oil and lemon juice. Set aside while preparing the dressing.
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Place all the ingredients for the Caesar dressing into a tall measuring cup or bowl. Using an immersion or stick blender, process until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate while grilling the chicken.
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Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill. Remove the chicken from the oil and lemon juice and shake off the extra marinade. Place the chicken breasts on the hot grill/griddle and season with salt and pepper. Grill until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan and cut into strips for serving.
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Separate the clean lettuce leaves and plate them individually or cut into bite sized pieces and add to a large salad bowl. Add the chicken, shaved Parmesan, walnuts and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Drizzle with the Caesar dressing and serve immediately.
Recipe inspired from several recipes including Epicurious, Bon Appetit, and Williams Sonoma.
NOTE: A raw egg yolk was used in this recipe. However, consuming raw eggs is not recommended for infants, elderly, pregnant women and those battling serious illness. If you have concerns, please use a pasteurized egg which has been gently heated to the precise temperature needed to kill most food-borne bacteria like Salmonella.
Last weekend we went to Nashville to visit my husband’s sister-in-law, Rita. We drove and took our two dogs for a long weekend visit. We stopped at a rest area in southwestern Virginia and while walking the dogs, I found a colorful, painted rock in the grass. I picked it up and stuck it in my pocket then loaded the dogs back in the truck. When we arrived at Rita’s house in Nashville I gave her the rock for her beautiful garden. My husband noticed it had writing on the bottom, so he washed off the dirt and found: #kingsportrocks. Apparently kids, nursing home residents, and assorted other volunteers in communities around the country are painting rocks and placing them in various spots for people to find. Sort of like geocaching. How cool is that! Check them out on Twitter and Facebook. Now this beautiful rock has a nice new home in Rita’s garden.
Looking for more main course salad recipes?
- Grilled Chicken Taco Salad
- Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad with Creamy Cajun Dressing ~ from Cafe Delites
- Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad ~ from Jo Cooks
- Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad with Italian Dressing ~ from Cooking Classy
We love our Cuisinart immersion blender and the attachments (click on the photo for more information):
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Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a lovely weekend.
Tricia
One of my favorite salads and you’ve presented it so beautifully. Soon it will be spring and time for a Micoise.
Amalia
xo
Hi Amalia! How funny I was just thinking about you. Hope you are well and enjoying some amazing adventures! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Low carbs, high protein and not to mention it’s packed full of freshness and flavour…definitely a favourite!
Thanks Angie! I could eat one of these salads several times a week. Have a terrific weekend and thanks again!
My mouth is watering ~ I love nothing better than a hearty main course salad! Your chicken looks perfectly grilled :)))
Thank you Sue! You are the salad queen and I always think of you when I make one. I wish I could garnish the way you do 🙂 Thanks!
That and a Shrimp Caesar salad:)
How cool re the rock..I have found painted shells on the beach..lovely little seredipitous surprises.
Shrimp Caesar sounds lovely Monique! Painted shells on a beach – how cool! I love that!
Beautiful salad and just what I’m craving today! Looks like dinner to me 🙂
Yes indeed Jennifer! Dinner any day 🙂 Thank you – have a great weekend!
What a great looking salad. And I agree about that Caesar and that raw egg. It just wouldn’t be the same with it.
Hi Lea Ann! Great to hear from you. Hope you’re having a mild winter like us 🙂
You have hooked me up, girl!! PERFECT for our eating “plan”. 😉 LOVE a good Caesar’s salad and I know yours will be better than any I’ve had! THANK YOU!!
Fun weekend trip! Love the rock idea. Hmmm… you know we could do those with our grands. Always good to have “projects”. LOL!
Thanks again for this recipe, Tricia. I’m trying. blessings and hugs ~ tanna
Haha thats great Tanna! Hope you enjoy it too 🙂 Happy Friday!
Beautiful salad Tricia, and yes to the egg yolk, that is a must. We are enjoying at least one salad a day right now, will add this one to the list. Love the rock idea, what a great find.
A salad a day is a great plan Cheri. Hope you have an amazing weekend!
Wow, I think I could live off this incredible chicken caesar! So yummy!
Thanks Liz! It is a favorite. Have a lovely weekend.
It’s easy to be on a Caesar salad kick and your dressing sounds very good. I love the way you have presented it – never saw it this way before.
Thank you Larry! Have a wonderful spring weekend in Tennessee 🙂
I wnt that rock! What a cool idea. And this salad. There is nothing like a fresh Caesar dressing and you’ve nailed it. Love the photos, too!
Thank you so much Abbe! Have a wonderful weekend.
I am craving the wonderful lemon of caesar dressing these days too, Tricia. Love this combo – garlic is so fabulous with lemon! I love the walnuts too – great idea.
I have two parties to go to this weekend and I’m taking shrimp to one. I think I’ll take your caesar dressing to the other one. Thanks!
Love these bold flavors Robyn – hope you have a fun weekend. Two parties – how wonderful!
This looks amazing, exactly what I’m craving right now. Wish it was dinner tonight but I think if definitely will be on the men soon!
Thanks Chris! Have a happy weekend 🙂
Thanks for preserving the historic accuracy of this dressing with egg yolk/ anchovies. Crucial to the taste. Love the idea of walnuts too! Would also be good with grilled flank steak when one is tired of chicken, as can happen!
Thanks Lizzie – you are so right! The walnuts were a nice touch in place of croutons – but I always love croutons!
Tricia , I think your salad is going to be dinner tonight. It looks so good. I made a similar German version of this salad a couple a weeks ago using celery root and shrimp. Those rocks are lovely. My girlfriend used to decorate rocks with nice pictures of flowers and other things. I took a couple of them with me last year and now they are very dear to me because she died in a car accident .
Oh that is so sad very Gerlinde. I am very sorry about your friend and I know those rocks will always be special in your heart. Funny how the little things can be so special. Hope you enjoy the salad!
We enjoy grilled chicken Caesars often! My husband grills the chicken and I prepare the salad. I love the idea of adding walnuts. Hadn’t thought of that 😉 Also love the painted rocks. What a neat idea! You found a pretty one.
Thank you Susan! So nice that you share the dinner duties 🙂 My husband always gets home so late it’s hard to do it together. The rocks are so cool – I was very surprised!
Every now and then we enjoy a great grilled chicken caesar salad. What an interesting rock you found – so cool! Have a great weekend!