This Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad is crunchy and refreshing with homemade garlic butter croutons, grilled chicken and bacon! It's one of my favorite protein packed salads and is super filling. A must try salad recipe.
I'm all about Salads for lunch, especially in the Spring and Summer. This Salad is packed with chicken, bacon, greens and tossed in my homemade Caesar Dressing without anchovies.
I could literally eat this salad for days! It takes a bit of prep work compared to some of my other salad recipes, but I promise it's worth it.
For more protein packed salads, try this Southwest Chicken Salad and Italian Grinder Salad.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Salad Recipe:
- Refreshing. This Caesar Salad is so crisp and creamy on a hot day. It's one of my favorite Summer Salads.
- Healthy. Packed with greens, which are full of vitamins and hydrating too.
- Full of Protein. Chicken breast is high in protein, which keeps you full longer and is essential for building muscle.
- Feeds the Whole Family. This recipe makes a big batch that feeds 4 people, or you can prep it ahead and save some for the week.
For more healthy lunch recipes, try these Baja Shrimp Tacos, Blackstone Chicken Fajitas, Turkey Roll Ups, and Spring Roll Salad.
Ingredients:
Not Pictured: Caesar Salad Dressing (Use store-bought or or my homemade Caesar dressing recipe).
Chicken Breast: Seasoned, then sliced into cutlets and sautéed in the bacon grease. I highly recommend the Smart Chicken brand. It's tender, juicy and comes super clean straight out of the package with minimal trimming required.
Lettuce: The proper lettuce is really important in a Caesar Salad. It's got to be Romaine Hearts for their crisp leaves.
Bacon: Chop into bite size pieces and pan fried for the best crunch. Use a traditional or original bacon for this recipe, no maple flavored or any of that. If you're using thick bacon, you might need to cook it longer to crisp it up.
Garlic Butter: Fresh garlic is roasted in butter to add a garlicky flavor for the croutons.
Bread: French, Italian or Sourdough is best for the croutons. A simple white bread doesn't have the right texture and just gets soaked from the garlic butter.
Parmesan Cheese: Nutty and delicious! Lots of parmesan cheese is used for that classic Caesar taste. I recommend Parmigiano Reggiano for it's superior flavor.
Red Onion: Thinly sliced and provides just the right tangy bite for this salad. Bacon and red onion are always a good match up.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations:
The red onions can be substituted with white or yellow onion.
Want Crispy Chicken? Try this Chicken Romano or Chicken Fritta.
If you leave out the bacon there won't be any grease, so make sure to add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to cook the chicken breast in the pan.
If you don't like Caesar Dressing, try this Creamy Balsamic Dressing or Spicy Honey Mustard.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad:
If you're making the homemade Caesar Dressing, start with that recipe or use store-bought Caesar dressing.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On the stovetop, heat a small skillet over medium low and melt the butter in the skillet. Toss in the garlic and cook for 60-90 seconds until fragrant, stirring half way through.
Step 2: Chop the bread into 1 inch cubes and place in large bowl. Pour over the garlic butter and toss to coat the croutons. Layer the croutons on a cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes until toasted. Transfer the croutons to a bowl, leaving the garlic on the cookie sheet. Note: The garlic gets bitter when baking and I prefer not to add it in with the croutons.
Step 3: Slice the chicken breasts down the center (width) to create two thinner chicken cutlets, four total. Pat dry, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides.
Step 4: In a large skillet over medium low heat, add in the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring every few minutes. This takes about 10 minutes, but can vary with different brands and sizes of bacon. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the skillet.
Step 5: Add the chicken breast into the skillet with the bacon grease and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Slice the chicken breast into strips or dice into cubes.
Step 7: In a large salad bowl, toss together lettuce, bacon, chicken, red onion, ¾ cup parmesan cheese and ¾ cup of Caesar Dressing. Top the salad with homemade croutons and additional ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
Step 8: Serve with additional Caesar dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- After baking the croutons, leave the roasted garlic in the pan and just transfer the croutons into a dish. The garlic gets bitter when it bakes on the cookie sheet.
- Allow the chicken and bacon to cool for 10-15 minutes before mixing into the salad. Caesar Salads are best served cold and we don't want any of the lettuce to wilt.
For more meal prep ideas, try this Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad, Pasta Salad with Balsamic Dressing, and Baked Chicken Kofta.
Recipe FAQs:
A Chicken Caesar Salad contains simple ingredients and starts with fresh romaine hearts with grilled or crispy chicken, onion, and homemade croutons with lots of parmesan cheese. Don't forget the Caesar Dressing!
Store the leftover salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you want it to stay fresh, wait to toss in the dressing until eating.
If you plan to meal prep this salad, store everything in individual containers and combine the ingredients before eating or the morning of. This will keep all the ingredients super fresh, but ready to assemble in just minutes. I love keeping my salad dressings in mason jars for quick and easy access.
More Salad Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 large salads 1x
Description
This Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad is crunchy and refreshing with homemade garlic butter croutons, grilled chicken and bacon! It's one of my favorite protein packed salads and is super filling. A must try salad recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 slices of sandwich size Italian bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 6 slices original bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb), trimmed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 romaine hearts (rinsed, dried, and chopped fine)
- ½ cup red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated from the block
- ¾ cup Caesar Dressing + additional for serving
Instructions
If you're making the homemade Caesar Dressing, start with that recipe or use store-bought Caesar dressing.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On the stovetop, heat a small skillet over medium low and melt the butter in the skillet. Toss in the garlic and cook for 60-90 seconds until fragrant, stirring half way through.
- Chop the bread into 1 inch cubes and place in large bowl. Pour over the garlic butter, tossing to combine. Layer the croutons on a cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes until toasted. Transfer the croutons to a bowl, leaving the garlic on the cookie sheet. Note: The garlic gets bitter when baking and I prefer not to add it in with the croutons.
- Slice the chicken breasts down the center (width) to create two thinner chicken cutlets, four total. Pat dry, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides.
- In a large skillet over medium low heat, add in the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring every few minutes. This takes about 10 minutes, but can vary with different brands and sizes of bacon. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the skillet.
- Add the chicken breast into the skillet with the bacon grease and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Slice the chicken breast into strips or dice into cubes.
- In a large salad bowl, toss together lettuce, bacon, chicken, red onion, ¾ cup parmesan cheese and ¾ cup of Caesar Dressing. Top the salad with homemade croutons and additional ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
- Serve with additional salad dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- After baking the croutons, leave the roasted garlic in the pan and just transfer the croutons into a dish. The garlic gets bitter when it bakes on the cookie sheet.
- Allow the chicken and bacon to cool for 10-15 minutes before mixing into the salad. Caesar Salads are best served cold and we don't want any of the lettuce to wilt.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: salad
- Method: stovetop and oven
- Cuisine: American
Robert
The salad of summer! Seriously so good and super filling too.
Tara Smithson
Thank you! I could eat the whole bowl!