Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad

A romaine based salad topped with bacon, chicken, toasted breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese.

Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad

This chicken caesar salad is chopped into small pieces for the ultimate crunchy, flavorful, and simple version of the restaurant classic. Perfect for lunch or supper!

Course Lunch, Main Course, Main Dishes, Salad

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 650

Author Dorothy Bigelow

Ingredients

2 romaine hearts finely chopped*
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
8 slices bacon cooked until crisp and chopped
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
8 tablespoons Caesar dressing (best quality or homemade)

Crushed crouton topping** (optional):

½ cup panko breadcrumbs (or gluten-free panko breadcrumbs)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Finely chop* the romaine lettuce and place it into a large bowl.
2 romaine hearts
Pour the Caesar dressing over the romaine, and toss well to coat it evenly in the dressing. It should be lightly dressed and evenly coated. Feel free to add a bit more dressing if that is your preferrence.
Add the chopped chicken, crispy bacon pieces, and parmesan cheese. Toss well to combine.
Add the breadcrumbs to a small bowl, along with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir well. Pour in the olive oil, and stir until all of the dry breadcrumbs are lightly coated. Optional: allow to “soak” for 5-10 minutes.
Place the crushed crouton topping into a medium skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring very often, until all of the breadcrumbs are toasted and lightly browned. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent them from burning.
Pour the toasted breadcrumbs on top of the salad and toss well until evenly distributed. Taste the salad and add more dressing (or other ingredients) if desired.

Notes

*How to chop romaine lettuce: Remove the outer leaves and trim the tops. Slice each romaine heart in half lengthwise, separating it into two equal butterflied halves. Make vertical cuts about ½” apart, then make horizontal cuts, slicing the lettuce into ½” squares. Wash, spin, and dry the lettuce before adding it to the salad.

**Using bagged croutons: If you prefer, you can crush bagged garlic croutons in a food processor and use those instead of the toasted breadcrumbs.

Storage: Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days.

Gluten-free: Use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. These are easy to find and work great! We tested a batch with gluten-free ingredients and had excellent results.

Nutrition