Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad
Hi friends! I wanted to offer a Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad recipe for all of you that I have been loving! It’s a hearty and delicious offering of chopped romaine tossed in a creamy dressing with some crispy vegan chicken on top. This recipe is a great way to get your greens in while also unlocking some chain restaurant vibes (O’Charley’s fried chicken salad anyone?). Consider this a nice transitional recipe where we can can meet in the middle of a salad + comfort. Deal?
HOW TO MAKE THIS CRISPY CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD
Before you do anything, go ahead and pop some of your favorite vegan chicky nuggies in a preheated oven. While they bake and become crispy, you can whip up the dressing and prep the greens. By the time the lettuce is coated and transferred to a pretty platter, the chicken will be ready to slice and place on top. You can certainly skip the vegan chicken and just use croutons if you’d like a lighter salad, btw. Totally up to you. That’s what my assistant Kyler said she would do if she made this recipe at home although she GOBBLED up my version without hesitation so I am still skeptical about her statement. You could also sub the chicken for my Garden Herb Tempeh which would be delightful!
FOR THE DRESSING
This dressing couldn’t be easier as you probably already have everything in your kitchen and it comes together in one bowl. The usual suspects are vegan mayo, olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic powder, black pepper, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce. The only items you might need to pick up or order are some capers and kala namak (this is also known as ‘black salt’ which contains sulfur and therefore an eggy flavor. Because traditional caesar dressing uses egg yolks, this is the perfect vegan sub. You can omit if you’d like but the dressing won’t be quite as good.) To round out the flavor, I like to add a splash of lemon juice which offers the perfect amount of tang.
FOR THE GREENS
I like to use romaine hearts for this Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad. Simply chop the hearts into big bite-sized pieces and run them through a salad spinner. You can then use the salad spinner bowl to toss the greens with the dressing. Make sure to do this right before serving so they don’t get soggy which would make you look silly. Then transfer the greens to a pretty wooden bowl or platter and place the chicken on top!
FINISHING TOUCHES
To finish this salad, I love to add some additional black pepper (freshly cracked, of course), crispy shallots (you can find these at your local Asian market) or you could use crispy onions (you can find these by the store-bought croutons). Toasted sunflower seeds, almonds, or pecans are welcome, as well. Anything you have lying around that will provide some additional crunch. And that’s it folks, my Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad. This salad would be amazing served with some freshly baked Sourdough Focaccia. And lastly, this recipe is enough for 3 people but if I am involved, only 2. Enjoy!
RECIPES THAT PAIR WELL WITH THIS CRISPY CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD
I hope that you enjoy this recipe! Please let me know if you make it in the comments below. And, of course, I always love to see any pictures or videos on social media- so tag me please. Happy cooking, y’all!
–Timothy
Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz breaded vegan chicken nuggets or strips, baked & sliced
- 3 romaine hearts, chopped, rinsed, dried (about 1.5 pounds)
- 3 heaping tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 heaping tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 ½ tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 scant teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kala namak, optional but please don’t skip
- Sea salt, to taste
- Crispy shallots, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F and place desired vegan chicken nuggets on a baking sheet or in a large skillet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crispy, flipping halfway through. (Or according to package instructions!) Once baked, slice into bite-sized pieces.
- While the nuggets bake, get started on the dressing. In a medium bowl, add mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, soy sauce (or liquid aminos or tamari), drained capers, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, black pepper, and kala namak (if using). Mix together well with a whisk and set aside.
- In a large salad spinner, dry the chopped and rinsed romaine hearts. Remove the basket, rinse and wipe out the salad spinner bowl, add the lettuce back in and pour over the dressing. Toss well to coat the leaves evenly. Add sea salt to taste.
- Transfer to a large wooden bowl or serving platter and add the vegan chicken. Garnish with a hefty sprinkling of crispy shallots and freshly cracked black pepper. Add toasted nuts or seeds, if desired!
This recipe is hilarious! Make sure to do this right before serving so they don’t get soggy which would make you look silly. – say no more, Timothy! The dressing sounds incredible, though – clearly, youre the flavor whisperer. And the note about brands? Bless your heart, Timmy! Your enthusiasm is contagious. P.S. Crispy onions? Why not just call it a salad with questionable crunchy bits? Love it! 🤣vòng xoay
Haha, so happy you like the recipe!! I had fun writing it up. Thanks for being here and happy cooking!
This recipe is awesome. The dressing, especially with the India black salt which I’ve just purchased, was amazing and delicious. I used homemade croutons instead of vegan chicken because this was a side salad to a protein based soup.
Hi Diane! Thank you so much, I am thrilled to hear this! Happy cooking.
I’m late to the party on this recipe. I have loved your newsletters for a while now; I don’t know how I missed this one. It’s so simple—no blender, one bowl to clean up—and this is absolutely the very best Caesar Salad I’ve ever had. Thank you so much, Timothy.
That’s what I like to hear, Tanya! Thank you for letting me know! Happy cooking.
Made this yesterday for the first time. I have tried several vegan Caesar dressings over the years and either they don’t measure up to my memory of what a Caesar dressing should be or they were a pain to make. This dressing was perfect! Delicious and easy to put together. I have a feeling I’ll be making a batch every week.
Hi Jan, thank you so much for this lovely review. I very much appreciate it and I am thrilled to hear that you liked it!!
This is a crazy amazing Caesar salad dressing! It’s just as easy to pull together as it is delicious!
That’s what I like to hear! Thank you!
why are you the flavor whisperer??? the dressing is amazing (shh – didn’t have black salt)!! thanks for another winner!
Haha! I will definitely accept that title. Thanks for the sweet comment. Happy cooking!
Omg Timmy you saved me with this recipe! I’ve been vegan for thirteen years and only one caesar dressing has ever held my heart, in a restaurant in Nashville… until today! Moving to Berlin a few years ago meant saying goodbye to that caesar dressing (and let’s be honest, salads in general), but this recipe!!! It’s incredible! This tastes like heaven and everyone should make it. Thank you so much for creating and sharing this recipe.
To any non-vegans reading this recipe, don’t sleep on this dressing! If you’re worried it won’t hit the spot, I have it on a very not-easily-satisfied-with-vegan-food person’s opinion that this dressing hits all the right notes. And really, it’s easy-peasy to make.
Justine! This comment made my smile! So happy to hear you have a new go-to. That’s what makes me the happiest to hear. And the fact that I have a non-vegan approving of the dressing? Even better. Thank you for being here. Happy cooking!
Wow, this salad dressing is seriously life-changing! 😍 It’s incredibly easy to make and the taste is out of this world. Ever since I found this recipe on Instagram, I’ve been hooked! I literally crave it all day and it’s become a staple for all my salads. It’s like the perfect dressing for any salad out there. I can’t believe something so perfect exists! This is definitely the one! 🙌 Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Oh my, this is so awesome to read! I am very happy to hear you that like the dressing and are using it with other dishes. I have been making it for ages, so I am happy that it is out in the world. Thank you for being here and happy holidays!
This is the best Caesar dressing by far! I make this salad all the time and it’s a hit with everyone. You will not be disappointed:)
Now THAT’s what I like to hear!! Thank you for letting me know and for being here. So happy to read this.
Just made this last night for my husband and me. It was the perfect Friday night meal. Simple, quick, and so satisfying! I woke up today craving it. I’ll be using that dressing recipe on all the things! Thank you. Looking forward to your new cookbook!
Yayy, I am so happy to hear this! I love this recipe because it is quick and easy. So glad to hear y’all enjoyed it. Happy cooking!
I just made the Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad and it was amazing so I had to comment! I might even like this dressing better than a traditional Caesar dressing. It totally hit the spot for me, and I can’t wait to eat it again tomorrow. I was able to hunt down Kala Namak at a local South Asian grocery store and I can see how it adds some extra umami.
Thank you for this recipe!
So happy to hear this, Mary! Thank you for the sweet comment. Happy New Year!
@Mary Winslow, in a pinch, you might try to puree one sheet of seasoned seaweed (like the snack packs my kids love to eat) to get a similar taste to Kala Namak.
Merrill