Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

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A delicious grilled chicken caesar salad made with the easiest, 1 minute dressing. This salad is loaded with flavour from char-grilled chicken breasts, croutons, lettuce, anchovies and shavings of parmesan cheese. Hands down one of my favourite simple salads!

An overhead shot of a grilled chicken caesar salad on a white plate.

This caesar salad has been a favourite of mine for a while now. When I think of a grilled chicken caesar salad this is exactly how I what it to be.

It’s got juicy char-grilled chicken, crunchy fresh lettuce and a creamy and tangy dressing all topped with shavings of parmesan cheese and croutons. Amaaaazing how could this not taste good!?

There’s one slightly unusual ingredient in this salad that I just love and it really takes this salad to another level. Marinated pickled white anchovies! They’re not fishy in the slightest nor salty, they’re pickly and delicious and honestly so delicious with this salad.

FYI: There are salted anchovy fillets in here too but don’t confuse them with the pickled ones (totally different).

Also, don’t hate on the iceberg! This lettuce gets such a bad rap but I love it especially in this recipe. It’s fresh and crunchy and is so great with the tangy dressing.

How To Make This Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad – Step By Step

Cut the sliced crusty bread into cubes and add to a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt then bake in the oven until lightly toasted (2-3 minutes) (photo 1).

Step by step photos for how to make a grilled chicken caesar salad

Grill the chicken breasts on a hot griddle pan until charred on both sides and cooked all the way through (don’t use any oil). Set aside to cool on a board (photo 2).

Tip: Let the chicken cool while you make the rest of the salad before cutting. That way all the flavour and juices stay inside the chicken. If you cut it too soon the juices will run out, it’ll dry out and not have as much flavour.

How To Make The Caesar Salad Homemade Dressing

Add the mayonnaise and sour cream to a bowl. Finely chop two salted anchovies and add it to the bowl with the minced garlic. Add a sprinkling of pepper and a tiny pinch of salt. Mix to combine.

Roughly chop the iceberg lettuce and add to a large mixing bowl with the croutons, marinated anchovies and capers (photo 4).

Slice the chicken into small strips and add to the rest of the salad with the dressing. Toss the salad until everything is thoroughly coated in the dressing. Serve in big bowls with shavings of parmesan and sprinkling of pepper (photo 5-6).

A side shot of a grilled chicken caesar salad on a white plate topped with shavings of parmesan cheese

Seee, so easy and so good! As you know I’m all about comfort food and this chicken caesar salad is totally that for me. Even if you can’t get your hands on the pickled anchovies (you should be able to find them in the deli section of your supermarket) that’s totally fine. It’s so delicious without too!

If you’ve tried this grilled chicken caesar salad or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

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Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

5 from 5 votes

By Emily

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
This salad is loaded with flavour from char-grilled chicken breasts, croutons, lettuce, anchovies and shavings of parmesan cheese
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Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 3 thick slices crusty bread
  • 1 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 heaped tbsp sour cream
  • 1 tsp capers
  • 2 salted anchovy fillets
  • 1.7 oz (50g) marinated pickled white anchovy fillets
  • 1/2 garlic clove, ,minced
  • 1 small-medium iceberg lettuce, , washed and dried
  • 1 tbsp (roughly) Parmesan cheese, ,for topping
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 180ยฐC/350ยฐF/gas mark 4.
  • Cut the sliced crusty bread into cubes and add to a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt then bake in the oven until lightly toasted (2-3 minutes).
  • Grill the chicken breasts on a hot griddle pan until charred on both sides and cooked all the way through. Set aside to cool on a board.
  • Add the mayonnaise and sour cream to a bowl. Finely chop two salted anchovies and add it to the bowl with the minced garlic. Add a sprinkling of pepper and a tiny pinch of salt. Mix to combine.
  • Roughly chop the iceberg lettuce and add to a large mixing bowl with the croutons, marinated anchovies and capers.
  • Slice the chicken into small strips and add to the rest of the salad with the dressing. Toss the salad until everything is thoroughly coated in the dressing. Serve in big bowls with shavings of parmesan and sprinkling of pepper.

Notes

  • Tip: Let the chicken cool while you make the rest of the salad before cutting. That way all theย flavourย and juices stay inside the chicken. If you cut it too soon the juices will run out.
  • You should be able to find marinated pickled white anchovy fillets in the deli section of your supermarket. If you don't just leave them out, this salad is still delicious without.

Helpful Info for All Recipes

  • I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
  • When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
  • All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
  • All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
  • Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
  • Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
  • You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 730IU | Vitamin C: 4.5mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 5 votes

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10 Comments

  1. Marlee says:

    Adding grilled chicken to a Caesar salad is my favorite part!5 stars

    1. Inside the rustic kitchen says:

      Mmm so yummy!

  2. Chrissy says:

    What a delicious salad! I’ve never tried making a homemade caesar dressing before because I always thought it would be too difficult, but this one seems so easy with only a few ingredients!5 stars

    1. Inside the rustic kitchen says:

      Thank you so much Chrissy, this is so easy!

  3. Meredith says:

    I love grilled chicken caesar salad for lunch or a light dinner! I am so excited to try your authentic recipe – thank you for the inspiration!5 stars

  4. Claudia Lamascolo says:

    Going to have to make this for my son its his all time favorite!

    1. Inside the rustic kitchen says:

      Hope he likes this one, it’s my favourite too!

  5. Claire says:

    YES!!!! I just love pickled white anchovies. I buy them at the farmers market and have a lunch of fresh baked bread, tomatoes and anchovies. SOOO GOOD.

    Loving that this salad has both types of anchovy. For an anchovy lover that makes salad heaven ๐Ÿ˜€5 stars

    1. Inside the rustic kitchen says:

      Yay!! I love them too, so yummy. That sounds so delicious and simple Claire, perfect lunch!

  6. Dannii says:

    This is my favourite kind of salad. Simple and delicious! Great photos too!5 stars