This Chicken Caesar Sandwich features crispy chicken cutlets topped with fresh Caesar Salad piled high between two slices of bread. The perfect sandwich to make on hot Summer days, but so delicious that you'll crave it year round!
This Caesar Sandwich is one of my repeat recipes all Summer long. I love it because it tastes great with the chicken warm, or store the prepared ingredients in the fridge and eat them cold.
They are super refreshing with the Caesar salad topping. If you want to make these even yummier, whip up my homemade Caesar Salad Dressing without anchovies.
For more easy Summer Sandwich recipes, try this Chicken Pesto Sandwich, Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich, and Turkey Bacon Melt.
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Why You'll Love This Sandwich:
- So hearty. Don't worry about being hungry after this one. It's like a full meal in a sandwich.
- Easy to Make. Simple step by step instructions that are easy to follow. I know it might have a lot of steps, but I promise they are worth it.
- Quick. Ready to eat in under 45 minutes.
- A Summer Favorite. It doesn't get more refreshing than a Chicken Caesar Salad in Summer and it's even better between bread.
For more Summer meals, check out these Shrimp Pineapple Kabobs, Street Corn Chicken Bowls, Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing, and Rotisserie Chicken Wraps.
Ingredients:
Chicken: Chicken Breast is best for this recipe. We're slicing them in half into thinner width, then pounding them with the mallet for that perfect cutlet.
Panko: Gives us the best crunchy, golden exterior. You can use plain panko and add the seasonings like I did, or use Italian style Panko with the spices already in the container. I don't recommend Italian breadcrumbs, unless you do a 50/50 mix with the Panko Breadcrumbs.
Lettuce: It's crucial to use a crisp lettuce, preferably Romaine hearts for this recipe. Try to get all the water off after rinsing too.
Bread: A bakery or fresh French or Italian loaf is recommended for this recipe. I prefer this sandwich with the bread not toasted, so it needs to be really fresh from the same day or day before.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions:
- To save time and extra ingredients, feel free to use store-bought Caesar Dressing.
- For the Panko Breadcrumbs, you can buy them with Italian Seasoning already mixed in and skip the spices.
- When frying the chicken cutlets, instead of the olive oil and butter blend, you can use a ½ cup vegetable, canola oil, or avocado oil.
- If you want the bread toasted, add only the cutlet to the bread and add 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet over medium heat. Cook until one side is golden, then flip and do the other side. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then add the Caesar Salad topping and serve. Cooking it with the lettuce will result in a really wilted salad topping. I prefer this sandwich not toasted, but that's totally up to you.
- These would also be amazing as sub sandwiches piled onto French bread or sub rolls.
- Don't like Caesar Dressing, use this Greek Yogurt Ranch instead.
For a version without the bread, check out this Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad.
How to Make a Chicken Caesar Sandwich:
Step 1: Slice each chicken breast in half in width to create 4 thinner chicken breast. Cover them with plastic wrap and use a kitchen mallet, rolling pin, or the bottom of a skillet to pound them into even thickness. Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and season each side with salt and pepper.
Prepare 3 bowls for breading the cutlets. Bowl 1: Add Flour. Bowl 2: Whisk together Eggs. Bowl 3: Mix together Panko Breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, oregano and basil.
Dredge each cutlet in flour, coat in egg, then cover in panko breading.
Step 2: Add a large skillet to the stovetop over medium heat and pour in ¼ cup olive oil with 2 tablespoons of butter. Allow to heat up for a few minutes. You want a sizzle when adding the chicken so the oil doesn't soak in. Add 2-3 chicken cutlets to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chicken. *Cool and wipe out skillet and add 2 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup oil before adding next batch of chicken. Allow the chicken to cool for 10 minutes on the rack.
Step 3: While allowing the chicken to cool, prepare the Caesar Salad. Into a bowl, add in romaine hearts, parmesan cheese, red onion and pour over dressing. Toss to combine.
Step 4: To assemble the sandwiches, lay down a slice of bread. Add on one cutlet, then top with salad mixture. If you're big on dressing, pour a bit over the top of the salad too, then add on the top slice of bread.
Step 5: Cut the sandwich in half and I highly recommend using toothpicks through the tops to hold this sandwich together. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Try to pound all the chicken cutlets in pretty even thickness so it cooks in similar time in the skillet.
- Really coat the chicken cutlets in the egg so that the panko sticks to every surface.
- Make sure the oil is sizzling before adding in the chicken or it will soak the oil up and not taste as good. To test the oil, take a piece of panko breadcrumb and throw it in before adding the chicken. You want a sizzle and bubbling around the breadcrumb as soon as it hits the oil.
- ***Allow the chicken cutlets to cool for 10 minutes before assembling the sandwiches. We don't want the hot chicken to wilt our greens.
- Using toothpicks to hold the sandwich halves together is recommended for this one. They can get really messy.
For more recipes with Chicken Breast, try this Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, Greek Chicken Tzatziki Bowls, Air Fryer Chicken Bites, and Hot Honey Chicken Tenders.
Recipe FAQs:
You get a nice golden crust from the butter with delicious taste and the olive oil helps to increase the burning point of the butter, so it doesn't get burnt and bitter. You do need to wipe it out and start over between chicken batches for the best results.
The chicken needs to be cooked until 165 degrees internally. It should only need to cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes each side because of the thin cutlets. They cook quick!
More Summer Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Chicken Caesar Sandwich 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 Caesar Sandwich
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
Description
This Chicken Caesar Sandwich features crispy chicken cutlets topped with fresh Caesar Salad piled high between two slices of bread. The perfect sandwich to make on hot Summer days, but so delicious that you'll crave it year round!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), trimmed
- 1 teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper for seasoning the chicken
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 2 cups plain Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cups Romaine heart lettuce, washed and dried and chopped fine
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup thinly shaved Parmesan (with vegetable peeler or side of grater box)
- ½ cup Caesar Dressing (store bought or homemade caesar dressing) + (optional) additional ¼ cup for serving
- 8 sandwich size slices of French or Italian bread
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast in half in width to create 4 thinner chicken breast. Cover them with plastic wrap and use a kitchen mallet, rolling pin, or the bottom of a skillet to pound them into even thickness. Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and season each side with salt and pepper.
- Prepare 3 bowls for breading the cutlets. Bowl 1: Add Flour. Bowl 2: Whisk together Eggs. Bowl 3: Mix together Panko Breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, oregano and basil.
- Dredge each cutlet in flour, coat in egg, then cover in panko breading.
- Add a large skillet to the stovetop over medium heat and pour in ¼ cup olive oil with 2 tablespoons of butter. Allow to heat up for a few minutes. You want a sizzle when adding the chicken so the oil doesn't soak in. Add 2-3 chicken cutlets to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chicken. *Cool and wipe out skillet and add 2 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup oil before adding the next batch of chicken. Allow the chicken to cool for 10 minutes on the rack.
- While allowing the chicken to cool, prepare the Caesar Salad. Into a bowl, add in romaine hearts, parmesan cheese, red onion and pour over dressing. Toss to combine.
- To assemble the sandwiches, lay down a slice of bread. Add on one cutlet, then top with salad mixture. If you're big on dressing, pour a bit over the top of the salad too, then add on the top slice of bread.
- Cut the sandwich in half and I highly recommend using toothpicks through the tops to hold this sandwich together. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Try to pound all the chicken cutlets in pretty even thickness so it cooks in similar time in the skillet.
- Coat the chicken cutlets in the egg so that the panko sticks to every surface.
- Make sure the oil is really sizzling before adding in the chicken or it will soak the oil up and not taste as good. To test the oil, take a piece of breadcrumb and throw it in before adding the chicken. You want a sizzle and bubbling around the breadcrumb as soon as it hits the oil.
- ***Allow the chicken cutlets to cool for 10 minutes before assembling the sandwiches. We don't want the hot chicken to wilt our greens.
- Using toothpicks to hold the sandwich halves together is recommended for this one. They can get really messy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: lunch
- Method: skillet
- Cuisine: American
Jesseca says
We added fresh tomatoes and used the Olive garden brand Caesar dressing. This was so good. My teenager helped me make it and we both agree we should have doubled the recipe for leftovers.
Tara Smithson says
Thank you so much Jessica!! I'm so glad you all loved this one. Crispy Chicken with that Caesar topping is the BEST!