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chicken caesar salad served in a dish

Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad

4.94 from 16 votes
Created by Mariam Ezzeddine
Crispy Chicken Salad drizzled with a dreamy creamy Caesar salad dressing - utterly addictive! Juicy chicken tenders in a crispy breadcrumb coating on a bed of fresh romaine, with Parmesan and a mouthwatering homemade dressing. Easy and delicious!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dishes, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
servings

Ingredients

  • 1 head large romaine lettuce washed and dried
  • 1 cup croutons any kind
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese shaved

Creamy Caesar Dressing

  • ½ cup mayo
  • ½ cup plain yogurt full fat
  • 3 cloves garlic grated or finely minced
  • ½ tsps black pepper freshly ground
  • 3 tbsps lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt or more to taste
  • 2 tbsps olive oil
  • cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
  • 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Chicken Tenders

  • 8 strip chicken tenders remove filmy skin
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 large garlic clove minced
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Crust

  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • avocado oil spray

Instructions

Dressing

  • Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Store in the fridge until you finish the remainder of the salad.
  • Wash and clean the romaine lettuce well. Place on a rack or kitchen towel to dry while you prepare the chicken.

Crispy Chicken

  • To prepare the chicken, clean off all filmy skin from the chicken. In one bowl, whisk together the egg, garlic, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Place in the chicken strip and coat well.
  • In another bowl, mix together the crust ingredients. Dip in each strip seperately to coat very well and line them on a non-stick sheet pan (or use parchment paper).
  • Spray generously with avocado oil and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Flip over, spray and bake the other side for another 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let them cool before cutting them into smaller pieces.

Assembley

  • Cut the romaine lettuce and place in a bowl. Toss with half of the dressing.
  • In a large dish, place the romaine lettuce on the bottom. Then add the chicken and croutons. Pour over some extra dressing if needed and top with shaved parmesan cheese.
  • If you have leftover dressing, save in the fridge for later use. Can last up to 2-3 days.

Notes

  • Make sure to wash your romaine lettuce thoroughly and to make sure it's dried off, I use a rack or kitchen towel. You don't want lots of water in your salad.
  • Use a meat thermometer to take the out the guesswork. Tenders can vary slightly in thickness and therefore cooking times can change a little bit. You want to make sure your chicken tenders are thoroughly cooked a meat thermometer reading 165 degrees is the best way.
  • Spray away with some avocado oil! Don't skip on spritzing the tenders with avocado oil. As these are baked tenders and not fried they want that extra hit of oil to keep them crispy.
  • Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before slicing into strips. This allows the juices to distribute throughout the chicken and not spill out.
  • Invest in some tongs! If you don't have any kitchen tongs it's well worth a few buck. Tongs are much easier to flip the chicken with than spatulas, spoons or forks!

Nutrition

Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 1393mg | Potassium: 577mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 14193IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 386mg | Iron: 4mg
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