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Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Yield: 4 servings
Prep: 2 hours 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 2 hours 30 minutes
Truly THE BEST ever. With crispy, seasoned croutons, grilled chicken and an easy dressing!
5 stars (36 ratings)

Ingredients

for the croutons

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups ciabatta bread cubes

for the chicken

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

for the dressing

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the salad

  • 2 heads romaine, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Equipment

Instructions

for the croutons

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, parsley and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Stir in olive oil mixture and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 13-15 minutes; set aside.

for the chicken

  • In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
  • In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and olive oil mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
  • Preheat grill to medium high heat.
  • Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.

for the dressing

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

for the salad

  • To assemble the salad, place romaine in a large bowl; top with chicken and croutons. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine. Top with Parmesan.