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Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
5 from 96 votes

Best Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

This Chicken Caesar Salad features grilled marinated chicken breast paired with crisp romaine and crunchy homemade ciabatta croutons tossed in a creamy dressing made from mayonnaise, buttermilk, Parmesan, and lemon. The salad delivers balanced savory flavors and varied textures for a satisfying meal.

Prep Time
2 hrs 20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, International

Ingredients

for the croutons
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons parsley chopped fresh leaves
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • salt to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
  • 4 cups ciabatta bread cubes
for the chicken
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • salt to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
  • 1 ½ pounds chicken breast boneless, skinless
for the dressing
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper to taste, Kosher salt and freshly ground
for the salad
  • 2 heads romaine lettuce roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated

Instructions

for the croutons
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, parsley and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. 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
  1. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
  2. 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.
  3. Preheat grill to medium high heat.
  4. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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.