Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad
Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad combines salad greens, tender grilled chicken, crispy bacon, and the star of the show, some tangy Caesar dressing. Grilling the chicken takes this salad over the top and can be a main dish for the whole family!
Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad
I’m a huge salad lover and have never really gone for Caesar salads because I thought they were too heavy and caloric. However, once I made my own dressing and realized that this is a main dish salad, I regret not enjoying more of this flavorful and filling Caesar salad. Who knew?
We love using our Big Green Egg to grill chicken but you could cook yours inside on a grill pan or even use rotisserie chicken in a pinch. Make sure you try some of our other juicy grilled chicken recipes too, like Grilled Asian Chicken Skewers, Chicken BLT Salad, Chipotle Chicken Fajita Bowls, or Grilled Greek Chicken.
Make our Simple Caesar Salad as a side dish to any meal.
Why This Recipe Works:
- FRESH – A fresh, hearty salad is perfect for healthy eating. Crunchy romaine lettuce, ripe tomatoes, and tangy red onion.
- FULL OF FLAVOR – The stars of this salad include perfectly grilled delicious chicken plus crispy bacon slices plus homemade Caesar dressing.
- IMPRESSIVE FOR GUESTS – This Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe makes the perfect dish for guests. While you’re grilling the chicken, throw on some Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers or Small Potatoes on the Grill.
Ingredients needed to make the best Chicken Caesar Salad:
The following simple ingredients make a complete meal and one of our favorite salads ever.
- Salad Greens – Use a variety of salad greens, like romaine, fresh green or red lettuce, or whatever looks fresh in the grocery store.
- Red Onion – Slice up some red onions or try our Quick Pickled Red Onions for a flavor punch.
- Tomatoes – We used cherry tomatoes but any seasonal tomatoes will work just fine. The fresher, the better!
- Chicken – Use boneless, skinless, chicken breasts and add a delicious marinade (included in the recipe) for even more flavor.
- Bacon – I prefer using thick-cut bacon, but any will work (even the pre-cooked version).
- Croutons – For a shortcut, use store-bought croutons. Or if you’re feeling energetic, I recommend Homemade Sourdough Croutons.
- Caesar Dressing – The dressing is key to Caesar salads so make sure you make my homemade version.
- Parmesan – Top your salads with extra freshly shredded parmesan. So good!
How to make Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad:
Step 1
Make the dressing. Add the ingredients to a small food processor – the mayo, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire, olive oil, fresh parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Then drizzle in some water to thin the dressing according to the consistency you desire.
Store the dressing in a mason jar or a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 2
Prep the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag. Combine marinade ingredients (olive oil, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt, and pepper) and use a whisk to combine. Then pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3
Grill chicken. Light an outdoor grill to medium heat. When hot, add the marinated chicken and cook until done, flipping as needed.
NOTE: Chicken is considered done when the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer. I normally remove the chicken when it reads 160 degrees F and allow for carry-over cooking.
Step 4
Cook bacon. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack. Then arrange the bacon on top without overlap.
Cook bacon until bacon is crispy (or to your liking).
Step 5
Assemble salad. Arrange salad greens on a large platter if serving a large group. Or add greens to individual serving bowls. Then add cherry tomatoes, red onion, grilled and sliced chicken, cooked bacon, croutons, and freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
Step 6
Serve. Add the Caesar dressing to salads and some freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container. We prefer to keep ingredients separate.
Recipe FAQs:
A Caesar salad is a popular and classic salad that typically includes romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and a creamy dressing. Sometimes, additional ingredients like bacon, grilled chicken, or shrimp are added to the salad for extra flavor and protein.
It is named after its creator, Caesar Cardini, an Italian-American restaurateur. The salad was first made in the 1920s in Tijuana, Mexico.
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xoxo ~Sue
Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts – or about four large breasts
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil
- 6 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
Salad Ingredients:
- 12 cups lettuce greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – halved
- 1/4 cup red onion – sliced
- 4-6 slices bacon
- 1 cup croutons
- extra parmesan cheese – freshly shredded
Caesar Dressing:
- 3/4 cup mayo with olive oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice – freshly squeezed
- 3 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- water – to thin dressing
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Add the ingredients to a small food processor – the mayo, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire, olive oil, fresh parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Then drizzle in some water to thin the dressing according to the consistency you desire.
- Store the dressing in a mason jar or a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prep the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag. Combine marinade ingredients (olive oil, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt, and pepper) and use a whisk to combine. Then pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Grill chicken. Light an outdoor grill to medium heat. When hot, add the marinated chicken and cook until done, flipping as needed.
- Cook bacon. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack. Then arrange the bacon on top without overlap.Cook bacon until bacon is crispy (or to your liking).
- Assemble salad. Arrange salad greens on a large platter if serving a large group. Or add greens to individual serving bowls. Then add cherry tomatoes, red onion, grilled and sliced chicken, cooked bacon, croutons, and freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
- Serve. Add the Caesar dressing to salads and some freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Love the Parmesan dressed over the salad!
Chicken at 160 for the win! Love the addition of bacon!
Ohmygoodness!! This was soooo good! I had my doubts about whether it would be worthwhile to make the dressing since I already had a new bottle of dressing in the pantry. But so glad I tried it—definitely much tastier! I also appreciated that Hubs was happy to help out with the bacon and grilling the chicken so it came together quicker than most of the “meal salads” I usually have to make alone. 😉
I love hearing this, Ginger! 🙂