This recipe for flipped chicken Caesar salad is my new chicken salad crush, and here’s why. You know how when you order a chicken Caesar salad and it comes with tons of the salad on the bottom and strips of chicken on the top, with tons of dressing and great big croutons? I love the taste of all those things, but to that arrangement I say NOPE.
Nope to the big croutons, nope to the lots and lots of dressing, and nope to the lettuce being the star of the show. So…I flipped it. The chicken is now a lovely whole golden sautéed chicken breast and the lettuce is the garnish. There is just the right amount of dressing, and the croutons are crispy little breadcrumbs, all covered in delectable shavings of parmesan cheese. It just goes to show you what can happen when you turn things upside down…let’s make it!
Turn things deliciously upside down with this easy recipe for flipped chicken Caesar salad!Click To TweetAnd speaking of flipping, as part of my other wonderful job, this past weekend I got to spend some time with one of the few people on earth who has won some gold medals for her spectacular flips, as well as a whole lot of other things.
Not only is Laurie Hernandez an Olympic gold medalist and the winner of Dancing With The Stars, she is also one of the nicest people you ever want to meet. And, she is also the author of a fantastic new book called I GOT THIS, which is how I was lucky enough to hang out with her.
If you have a little one who loves gymnastics, or who would love to read about Laurie’s amazing journey, it’s one great book. They will flip for it! (See what I did there?)
And so going back to flipping my chicken Caesar, here’s the scoop. You start by putting all the dressing ingredients into a jar and shaking them up until they are all nice and mixed up. Next, whirl a couple of slices of bread into crumbs in your food processor and toast them up in a skillet until they are golden and crispy. Then you are going to sauté some floured chicken breasts until they are golden and crispy too. I have a golden and crispy theme going here.
After that, it is all about the assembly. I start by putting the chopped lettuce in a bowl and tossing it with a little of the dressing. Taste and if you want more dressing, add a little more and toss again. Toss and taste, toss and taste. You can always add more dressing but you can’t take it away, so this way you can get it just right.
Once the lettuce is dressed, put your golden and crispy chicken on a plate or platter, scatter the dressed lettuce on top, then top it with parmesan cheese. I like to take a hunk of parmesan (which I always have in my fridge thanks to my friend Alessandra who keeps me stocked in parmesan, and I love her forever for that) and run a vegetable peeler down the side of it to get nice curly strips. But you can also used grated parmesan and that will work just fine.
Last but not least, scatter those crispy breadcrumbs on top, and then serve it up!
I predict your lucky chicken Caesar salad eaters are going to flip!
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Juice from ½ lemon
- Pinch each of salt and pepper
- 2 slices bread
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to ½ inch thickness
- ½ cup flour
- Salt and pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small head romaine lettuce
- Parmesan cheese for garnish, either shaved slices or grated
- Place all dressing ingredients in a jar, close the lid tightly and shake until everything is well combined.
- Whirl the bread slices in a food processor until they are crumbs.
- Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large deep skillet. Add breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt and stir until they are golden and crispy. Pour the breadcrumbs into a small bowl.
- Put the flour in shallow bowl and stir in a pinch each of salt and pepper. Put the beaten egg in another bowl.
- Dip the chicken breasts into the flour, then the egg, then back into the flour.
- Put the canola oil and butter into the skillet and melt over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes per side.
- While the chicken is cooking, toss the chopped lettuce with the dressing, adding a little dressing to start and then increasing it to your taste.
- Place the chicken breasts on a platter or individual plates. Top with the lettuce, then the parmesan cheese, then a sprinkle of breadcrumbs.
I certainly do like your version of a chicken caesar salad flipped and letting the chicken be the star of the meal.
Thanks Karen! I do love flipping recipes around. 🙂
How lucky for you to spend time with Laurie Hernandez! This salad is lovely. Caesars are one of my favorites and I love that you’ve flipped it!
She’s just wonderful. 🙂
I cheated and used a salad kit but followed your directions for preparing the chicken. The whole meal was delicious. The recipe is a keeper.
I don’t call that cheating, I call it being very efficient! 🙂 Glad you liked it, Linda!
I love Caesar Salad but I eat way too seldom. This is such a delicious looking version and I like that you don’t use that much mayonnaise.
Thanks Adina! We love it at our house. 🙂
Wow, so awesome that you got to meet Laurie Hernandez! Her book looks amazing. 🙂 Speaking of amazing things… your salad looks like it’d be a huge winner around the dinner (and picnic) table! What a fun idea and name. 🙂