Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

The hit of fresh garlic, crunchy croutons, tender chicken and zesty lemon give so much flavour and texture in every bite of this Caesar salad. The homemade creamy salad dressing is made with Greek yogurt and capers instead of mayonnaise and anchovies for a healthy (and different) twist on a classic salad recipe. Save this to put on your weekly meal plan rotation.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• We swapped out mayonnaise for healthy Greek yogurt
• If you aren’t a fan of anchovies, typically in a Caesar dressing, you can try pickle juice, capers, fish sauce, or apple cider vinegar
• The croutons are made with sourdough instead of white bread, making them more nutritious and gut-friendly
• Homemade dressing eliminates preservatives, excess sodium, additives and sugar
• The extra fresh garlic is an immune-booster
• The whole salad is fresh, vibrant, protein-rich, and satiating

How to make Caesar salad dressing (no mayo)

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed up capers (or anchovy paste, pickle juice or apple cider vinegar)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (adjust to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing Instructions:

1. Combine Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, use a fork to crush up the capers (or pickle juice, vinegar, or anchovy paste), minced garlic, and olive oil
2. Mix Well: Whisk everything together until smooth and creamy. If the dressing is too thick, you can add a teaspoon of water or more lemon juice until you reach your desired consistency. To make it extra smooth and creamy, give it a quick whiz in a blender
3. Serve: Drizzle small amounts of the dressing at a time, tossing well, over the chopped greens. Add more dressing, as needed. Top with roasted chicken, garlic sourdough croutons, and Parmesan cheese. Bring the salad alive with a squeeze of fresh lemon before serving

Have leftover dressing: Store any leftover Caesar dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also use it as a dip for veggies or in sandwiches. If you have leftover lettuce and chicken, roll it up in a tortilla with some Caesar dressing for a delicious Chicken Caesar Wrap

How to make the chicken for the salad

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking dish or oven-safe dish with parchment paper. This step is optional, but saves on clean-up time

Place chicken in a bowl and drizzle 2 thawed, boneless and skinless chicken breasts with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Use your hands to coat the chicken well on both sides with the oil and seasonings. Place onto the baking dish

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes then slice it into thin strips. Distribute the strips onto a plate with Caesar salad that has been tossed with dressing. Top with croutons, Parmesan cheese and serve with a lemon wedge

How to make the sourdough croutons

These croutons will be going into the oven for the last 10 minutes that the chicken is cooking

Chop a small baguette or loaf of sourdough bread into small cubes and place in a mixing bowl

Prepare a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside

Drizzle with olive or avocado oil, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley

Transfer the croutons to the baking sheet and place in the oven while the chicken is baking, at the same temperature. I usually put them in the oven for the last 10 minutes that the chicken is cooking so that they come out at the same time

Let the croutons cool while the chicken is resting and while you finish plating the salad. Use them to garnish the salad

FAQ

What else can I add to a Caesar salad?

Feel free to add thinly sliced red onion, chopped cherry tomatoes, extra capers, or crispy bacon bits to the salad.

What kind of lettuce is best for a Caesar salad?

You will want to use a crispy lettuce, like Kale, Iceberg, Butter, or Romaine, as opposed to soft greens like Spinach. The crispy lettuces withhold their crunch when coated with the creamy Caesar dressing.

What kind of Parmesan cheese is best in a Caesar salad?

Freshly grated or thinly shaved Parmesan or Asiago cheese is best to top a Caesar salad with. Although still considered Parmesan cheese, the shaker version is not as pungent, nor does it have the same taste factor as the fresh cheese.

Print Recipe

Healthy

Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

Author: Jen Casey Courses: Menopause Salads Recipe Keys: Low Carb

Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 30 mins Total Time 35 mins

Cooking Temp: 400  F

Description

Homemade Caesar salad dressing with Greek yogurt drenches a crisp salad topped with grilled chicken and sourdough croutons

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

For the dressing

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed is best
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp capers or anchovy paste, pickle juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 cloves 1-2 garlic minced (adjust to taste)
• 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
• ¹⁄₄ tsp sea salt
• ¹⁄₄ tsp black pepper or to taste
• ¹⁄₄ cup grated Parmesan cheese garnish

For the croutons (optional)

• 1 cup sourdough bread cubed
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• ¹⁄₂ tsp garlic powder

For the chicken

• 2 chicken breast
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

For the salad

• 1 head lettuce
• ¹⁄₂ cup parmesan cheese
• ¹⁄₂ lemon sliced into sedges

Instructions

1. Pro prep tips

   Prep the chicken first. While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing, get the croutons ready to go into the oven for the last 10-12 minutes with the chicken, and chop the lettuce

2. Chicken instructions
3. Preheat oven to 400F
4. Prep a baking sheet or oven-safe dish with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil and Italian seasoning onto both sides of the chicken and rub in to coat well
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and slice up to add to the salad at the end

6. Dressing instructions
7. Combine Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, use a fork to crush up the capers (or pickle juice, vinegar, or anchovy paste), minced garlic, and olive oil
8. Whisk together until smooth and creamy. If the dressing is too thick, you can add a teaspoon of water or more lemon juice until you reach your desired consistency. To make it extra creamy and smooth, give it a quick whiz in a blender
9. Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning as necessary. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use when chicken is cooked

10. Crouton instructions
11. Chop the sourdough bread into cubes and place in the same salad or mixing bowl that you will use for tossing the lettuce with dressing
12. Drizzle with olive oil and garlic powder and mix really well to coat all sides of the bread. Add more olive oil, if needed
13. Transfer the bread to a small baking dish or 1/2 baking sheet and place in the oven with the chicken for the last 10-12 minutes of baking. You can do this step easier if you don't want serve the croutons warm.

14. Prep the salad for serving
15. Chop the lettuce up and place in the same salad or mixing bowl you used to toss croutons. A few minutes before the salad is ready to serve (chicken is cooked and sliced, dressing is made, croutons are crispy), add a small amount of the dressing to the lettuce and toss to coat
16. Divide the lettuce onto two plates, top with parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup each), sourdough croutons, and sliced chicken. Give each salad a squeeeze of lemon juice and serve with an additional wedge of lemon

Keywords: Caesar salad, no mayo