Easy Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

Craving a chicken Caesar salad that's anything but ordinary? Ditch the bottled dressing and prepare for a flavor explosion with this ridiculously easy recipe.

It all starts with a creamy, homemade dressing featuring a secret ingredient that will elevate your salad to legendary status.

Dressing and Croutons

First, let's whip up the dressing – it's so easy! Grab your food processor and toss in 1 cup of mayo, ½ tsp minced garlic, 2 anchovy fillets (or ¾ tsp paste!), 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon, 1 tsp Worcestershire, and ½ cup parmesan. Easy peasy! For a quick chicken salad alternative, you could always try using premade shredded chicken. Now, whizz it all together, adding milk, 3-4 tbsp, 'til it's just how you like it. Taste, tweak salt and pepper—done! Gotta let it sit, though, 20 minutes, so the flavors get to know each other.

Croutons next! Preheat your oven to 350°F. Toast 2-3 bread slices lightly and rub them with cut garlic – yum! Cut into cubes, drizzle with 1-2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle ¼ tsp salt, and bake till golden. They're basically crunchy flavor bombs!

Preparing the Chicken and Eggs

Alright, let's get cracking on the chicken and eggs! I like to make sure the chicken's cooked just right – no one wants dry chicken!

First, you'll want to either pound your chicken breast to about 1/2" thickness or slice them in half lengthwise – less cooking time, yay! Sprinkle both sides with a 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper; simple but effective. Chicken breasts need to be relatively thin for even cooking, much like preparing Chicken Kiev.

I like to use the bacon fat leftover in your skillet – why waste that flavor?! Cook the chicken on one side for about 5 minutes, then flip it and cook for 2 more.

For perfectly cooked eggs, place 'em in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer, then turn down to medium and cook for 3 minutes for soft yolks, 4 for firm, or 6 for hard-boiled. After cooking, cool them in cold water so they stop cooking. Now, peel!

Assembly Instructions

Now, I'm gonna let you in on the fun part – assembling this masterpiece; go ahead and place your lettuce in a bowl and gently toss it with about 1/2 of the dressing. Taste it and see if you would like more dressing, you can always add more, right?

Next, transfer it to your serving bowl. If you have some chicken and egg — or are using any of the ingredients — now is the time to toss those on top!

Finally, scatter bacon and croutons evenly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and you're set! Time to eat!

Be careful though. If you toss the salad in the dressing too far in advance, your croutons may become soft. I suggest adding topping right before serving. Keep it crunchy, yo!

** Don't over-dress the lettuce; start with less and add more as needed.

** Taste as you go, and adjust the dressing to your taste.

* Add toppings immediately before serving to maintain crunch.