Homemade Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe – with Easy Dressing (No Anchovies)
Overview
Healthy and fresh caesar salad with chicken is one of the easiest salad recipes to treat yourself and your loved ones for a tasty lunch or dinner. In this recipe, we’ll make a very simple, but full of flavor caesar dressing without anchovies and fresh oven baked garlic croutons.
The recipe is low-calorie and high in protein, which is ideal for achieving nutrition and fitness goals. The chicken in the recipe can be replaced with shrimps or another protein of your choice or done without meat altogether.
Ingredients for Chicken Caesar Salad
- Romaine lettuce: I definitely recommend using romaine lettuce in a Caesar salad because it has a slightly stronger crunch and texture that is perfect for this recipe without turning too watery. Mini romaine lettuce, which is also quite popular, is also ideal to use.
- Chicken filet: Chicken filet is one of the most classic proteins to use in a caesar salad, but if desired, the meat can be completely left out from the salad or replaced with salmon, shrimp, crispy bacon, beef filet, sliced boiled egg or other preference. If you use chicken filet in the recipe, I recommend it fried or baked in the oven, lightly seasoned with pepper and salt.
- Cherry tomatoes: I recommend using any favorite cherry or plum tomato sort in a Caesar salad. Personally, I prefer cherry tomatoes because they are generally a little sweeter and have a higher water content, which makes the salad juicier.
- Bread: Any type of baked crusty bread like Ciabatta, Pane Toscano (Tuscan bread), Pagnotta or any other Italian-style rustic crusty bread is best for baking croutons. The crispy bread does not have to be baked the same day, but the middle part of the bread could still be a little soft so that the croutons do not become too crispy when baked in the oven. For a more convenient solution, you can alternatively use regular store bought toast.
- Parmesan cheese: The best cheese for this recipe is definitely freshly grated parmesan, but feel free to substitute any other hard aged cheese you prefer.
- Mayonnaise: I recommend using a light mayonnaise, which leaves the salad with a slightly lighter final result.
- Garlic: We use one freshly pressed clove of garlic in the sauce, which big garlic lovers can add a little more.
- Worcester sauce: Just a few drops of Worcester sauce is enough to take the taste of Caesar salad dressing to a whole other level. Worcester sauce can be found in almost any grocery store and can be used in many other dishes such as hamburgers, beef dishes and even in various cocktails such as Bloody Mary.
- Lime juice: Freshly squeezed juice from one whole lime makes the sauce extra fresh and gives it just the right amount of tartness. Lime can also be replaced with lemon, but personally I find that lime gives the sauce a slightly more bitter and special taste.
- Garlic powder: We use garlic powder to give a bit more flavor to the croutons.
- Salt and pepper: A pinch of salt and pepper according to your taste preference when cooking croutons and mixing the caesar sauce.
How to Make the Best Caesar Salad?
- Cut the romaine lettuce into slightly smaller pieces and halve the cherry tomatoes: Remove the lower root end of the romaine lettuce and cut the lettuce leaves into slightly smaller pieces according to your preference. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Bake the croutons in the oven: Cut a few slices of ciabatta bread into cubes, place them in a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, a pinch of garlic powder and salt and toss lightly. Place the seasoned bread cubes on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake at 200 degrees for ~10 minutes or until the cubes have become crispy and golden brown. Take the croutons out of the oven and let them cool.
- Cut and fry the chicken filet: Cut the chicken filet into small cubes or slices, season with salt and pepper and fry in a pan on high heat with a bit of added olive oil for a few minutes on both sides or until the chicken has become slightly golden brown. Since the chicken is cut into quite small pieces, it cooks quickly and may lose its juiciness if fried for too long.
- Mix up the caesar dressing: Mix together the light mayonnaise, grated parmesan, a squeeze of lime, a pressed clove of garlic, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of cold water and season with salt and pepper.
- Mix all the ingredients of the caesar salad together: place the romaine lettuce, fried chicken filet, halved cherry tomatoe and, freshly baked croutons in a large salad bowl and mix everything gently with the dressing. If you want to serve the salad later, the croutons should be mixed into the salad just before serving so that they do not become too watery.
- Serve the salad and grate some Parmesan cheese on top. Bon Appetit!
Ingredients (2 servings)
- 250 g / 9 oz of chicken filet
- 200 g / 7 oz of romaine lettuce
- 100 g / 3.5 oz of cherry tomatoes
- 2 slices of ciabatta bread
- A pinch of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
- 20 g / 2 tbsp of grated parmesan
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 lime squeezed into juice
- A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil
Caesar Salad Nutrition Information (Per Serving)
Caesar salad nutrition information: Calories: 380 kcal, Proteins: 47g, Carbohydrates: 35g, Fats: 11.7g, Sugar: 3.5g, Fibers 3.7g
This chicken caesar salad recipe is an amazing low-carbs and high-protein dish for following your dietary and fitness goals without losing in tasty flavor!
Homemade Caesar Salad Recipe - with Caesar Salad Dressing (No Anchovies)
Ingredients
- 9 oz of chicken filet
- 7 oz of romaine lettuce
- 3.5 oz of cherry tomatoes
- 2 slices of ciabatta bread
- A pinch of garlic powder
- 2 tbsp of light mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp of grated parmesan
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 lime squeezed into juice
- A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp of water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Remove the harder root end of the romaine lettuce and cut the lettuce leaves into slightly smaller pieces according to your preference and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Cut the slices of ciabatta bread into smaller cubes, place them in a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, a pinch of garlic powder and salt and mix lightly.
- Place the seasoned bread cubes on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and bake at 200 degrees (392°F) for ~10 minutes or until the cubes have become crispy and golden brown. Take the croutons out of the oven and let them cool.
- Cut the chicken filet into small cubes, season with salt and pepper and fry in a pan with a little added olive oil on high heat for a few minutes on each side at the most, or until the chicken has turned slightly golden brown. Since the chicken is cut into quite small pieces, it cooks quickly and may lose its juiciness if fried for too long.
- Mix together light mayonnaise, grated parmesan, juice of one whole squeezed lime, a pressed clove of garlic, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of cold water and season with salt and pepper.
- Place romaine lettuce, fried chicken filet, halved cherry tomatoes, freshly baked croutons in a large salad bowl and mix everything gently with the dressing. If you want to serve the salad later, the croutons should be mixed into the salad just before serving so that they do not become too watery.
- Serve the caesar salad and optionally garnish with grated or thinly sliced parmesan.
Video
Nutrition (per serving)
Where Was Caesar Salad Invented?
Surprisingly enough, caesar salad does not originate from Italy. It actually is known to have been invented in Tijuana, Mexico by an Italian immigrant chef called Caesar Cardini, who made it first 4-th of July in 1924. The salad quickly became famous and is currently one of the most popular salads in America.
Why Is It Called Caesar Salad?
People might assume that the name comes from the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar, which is actually not true. The name Caesar Salad actually originates from its creator Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who invented the salad in Tijuana, Mexico.
Is Caesar Salad Healthy?
A homemade fresh Caesar salad containing vegetables, chicken, shrimp or other source of protein, is a low-calorie, low carbs dish with a high amount of protein, vitamins and minerals, which makes it a healthy option to consider in your menu.
Can You Make Caesar Salad With No Anchovies?
Yes, you can make caesar salad with no anchovies at all without losing any of the flavor. Try out our low-calorie caesar salad dressing recipe with no anchovies and you’ll realize that you’re not losing anything without adding anchovies to the sauce.
Can You Make Caesar Salad With Shrimp?
Absolutely! Caesar salad goes especially well with sauteed or fried shrimp, cured or cooked salmon, beef, sliced boiled eggs, chicken or any other preferred source of protein.
How Many Calories Are in a Caesar Salad?
Our chicken caesar salad recipe has 380 calories and 47 grams of protein per serving, making it a perfect option for following your dietary or fitness goals!
