This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Step up your salad game with Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad. It’s the ultimate protein-rich dish that features Greek yogurt, fresh French bread, and lots of parmesan!
The best salad with healthy caesar dressing
When life hands you chicken, pair it with fresh French bread and Greek yogurt and create a healthy chicken caesar salad! From the chicken and dressing to the salad and croutons, we’re making it all from scratch – the healthy way!
This healthy chicken caesar salad recipe uses real, flavorful ingredients. It all comes together as a juicy, refreshing salad that’s equally as filling and satisfying as it is yummy! Between the carefully (and simply) seasoned chicken and the totally loaded dressing, we’re pulling out all the stops to make this dish.
It’s perfect as an appetizer, side, or main course!
Ingredients in healthy caesar salad
Since we’re making this dish from scratch in all areas, we’re working with four sections of ingredients: the chicken, croutons, dressing, and salad. We’ll prepare everything in that order.
Chicken
- Chicken breasts: First up, you’ll need 3 large chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half through the middle. This will amount to 6 thin pieces.
- Salt & pepper: A dash of salt and pepper goes a very long way!
- Avocado oil: 2 tbsp of avocado oil will be used to cook the chicken.
Croutons
- French bread: To make croutons, start with 1/2 a loaf of French bread, and cut it into cubes.
- Avocado oil: 2 tbsp of avocado oil will be drizzled over the bread pieces to help them bake to golden perfection.
- Garlic: Include 2 cloves of minced garlic for flavor.
- Salt & pepper: Last but not least, include a pinch of salt and pepper.
Dressing
- Greek yogurt: 1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt will serve as the base of our dressing.
- Mayonnaise: This will be followed by 1/3 cup of mayo, our other base ingredient.
- Parmesan: Next up, use 3 tbsp of parmesan cheese for flavor (and always appreciated cheesiness).
- Garlic: Include 2 cloves of minced garlic.
- Lemon juice: 1 tbsp of lemon juice will add zest. Though only 1 tbsp, this ingredient adds so much to the dish!
- Worcestershire sauce: Next, include 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce.
- Dijon mustard: 2 tsp of dijon mustard adds a tangy but slightly spicy taste.
- Anchovy paste: 2 tsp anchovy paste provides that classic caesar dressing flavor!
- Avocado oil: Include 1 tbsp of avocado oil for texture.
- Salt and Pepper: Last but not least, add 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper (each).
Salad
- Romaine: For the salad, start with 3 whole hearts of romaine, chopped into small pieces.
- Parmesan: Finish things off with 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese! You can never have too much of this ingredient.
Tools needed to make this dish
Standard tools are needed to create caesar salad, in addition to 4 measuring cups. I like to gather all of my tools beforehand so everything is right where I need it when I’m ready for it.
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cast iron skillet
- Spatula or tongs
You’ll need the following measuring cups to measure out your ingredients: 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, and 1/3 cup.
How to make healthy chicken caesar salad
Consisting of four parts, healthy caesar chicken salad comes together much easier than you may expect. We’ll start by cooking the chicken on the stove, followed by baking the croutons and mixing the dressing. Finally, we’ll assemble the salad!
First up is the chicken. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a cast iron skillet, heat 2 tbsp of avocado oil.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Cook the chicken in the skillet until completely cooked, flipping halfway. Remove from the heat when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
While the chicken is cooking, mix the bread cubes in a bowl with avocado oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Pour the tossed bread onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Toss halfway through.
Then, to make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust to your seasoning needs.
Prep the salad by adding the lettuce to a big bowl and tossing with 2/3 of the dressing.
Add the sliced chicken, croutons, parmesan cheese, and remaining dressing on top.
Recipe Tips
Here are some quick tips for making homemade chicken caesar salad.
Chicken temperature
Chicken should reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F before being removed from the heat.
Store bought caesar dressing
You can most definitely use your favorite store-bought dressing for this recipe if that’s easier for you! The dressing is a big part of the healthy twist that this recipe provides, but whatever you prefer totally works.
Skipping the anchovy paste
Not a fan of anchovies, or just prefer the dressing without? Skip the paste! This simple swap won’t alter the flavor too extremely. In fact, the lemon juice should hide the fact that it’s missing!
Healthy caesar salad benefits
To make this caesar salad healthier than what you’d find in a restaurant or grab-and-go container, I paid special attention to the dressing. The dressing in caesar salad is where you get the bulk of the calories (as is the case with most salads), so this was a main focus!
To achieve a healthier result, I went with a Greek yogurt and mayonnaise combo versus using solely mayo. This cut the mayo in half and snuck in extra protein at the same time! I stuck with the dijon, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce because you can never go wrong with too many flavorings.
In total, this salad provides a lot of benefits. Protein is a big one, with grams flowing in from the chicken, Greek yogurt, and even the parmesan! Other nutrients that this dish provides include calcium, fiber, and Vitamin C.
Storing leftover caesar salad
Have extras? You can keep them for about 2-4 days. I recommend storing all parts (chicken, salad, croutons, dressing) separately to prevent soggy croutons or dressing-drenched lettuce! If stored this way, your leftovers should stay crunchy.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Chicken recipes are great for filling bellies and providing lean, healthy protein. Here are some more of my chicken favorites, complete with a classic (but healthy) chicken parmesan and a creamy buffalo chicken soup!
- Cranberry Chicken Casserole
- Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Casserole
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!
Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa
Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad
Step up your salad game with Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad. It’s the ultimate protein-rich dish that features Greek yogurt, fresh French bread, and lots of parmesan!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 large chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half through the middle to make thinner and make 6 pieces.
- salt + pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
Croutons
- 1/2 loaf French bread, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt + pepper
Dressing
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Salad
- 3 whole hearts of romaine, chopped
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a cast iron skillet or skillet, heat 2 tbsp avocado oil.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Cook in skillet until completely cooked, flipping half way. Take off when internal temp reaches 165F.
- Meanwhile, mix bread cubes in bowl with avocado oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Pour onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown, tossing halfway through.
- Make dressing by whisking all of the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust to seasoning needs.
- Prep salad by adding lettuce to a big bowl and tossing with 2/3 of the dressing.
- Add sliced chicken, croutons, parmesan cheese and remaining dressing on top.
- Serve!
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂
Stacey E says
This caesar dressing is out of the world. Honestly the best homemade dressing I’ve ever made! It kept super well in the fridge and I used it for two weeks on salads and also mixed it with coleslaw for a buffalo chicken wrap. If you are a caesar dressing lover, make it ASAP, you won’t be disappointed.
Erin says
Hi Stacey, so glad you loved it!!
Kristen says
Made this dressing to have for salads throughout the week and I am in love! Accidentally used sour cream instead of mayo and it was still delicious. Excited to make it (correctly) again
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kristen, so glad you loved it even with the sub! 🙂
Elise says
Will not buy store bought dressing anymore. Obsessed with how easy and fresh this tastes. I could not find anchovy paste anywhere near me so instead substituted puréed kalamata olives. Still gave it that salty flavor.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Elise, so glad you loved it and made do!
Sarah says
I make this at least once a month for a weekly lunch. Delicious!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sarah, so glad you love it!
Linda says
Excellent! So happy I found you on the ‘interwebs’. Your Caesar dressing is so delicious and so easy. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Linda, so happy you liked it!!
Emily says
Sent this recipe for my mom to try and she says it’s better than any dressing she’s ever bought in a bottle!!! Will be a staple in our house for sure.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Emily, so glad she enjoyed it!
Meredith says
SOO good! Creamy and super flavorful but not heavy at all. Will be my go to caesar moving forward! (P.S. left out the anchovy paste and it was still great)
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Meredith, so glad you enjoyed it and made it your own!
Heather says
Loved this dressing. I had all the ingredients already except for the anchovies so I left it out. Despite anchovy paste being the signature ingredient in caesar salad dressing, I still loved it and didn’t notice much of a difference! Just made it for the second time this week and will become a go-to. I’m pretty conscious about food waste, so I love the portion size—I much prefer to whip this up when I’m craving it instead of buying a bottled dressing that sits in the fridge until expiry.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Heather, so glad you loved it and made it your own!
Caitlyn says
Holy moly this salad is an absolute 20/10!!! So so good!!! I made this for my family and served it as our meal and they loved it! I already can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Caitlyn, so glad you and your family loved it! 🙂
Amy G says
This. Dressing. Is. EVERYTHING. Please do yourself a favor and make this recipe a STAPLE in your life. So creamy, bright, and satisfying. LOVED this salad, already keeping the plain Greek yogurt stocked in the fridge to make this all summer long. 🙌❤
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Amy, I am so glad you loved the salad so much!!
Jill says
The whole family loved this! Your dressing was perfectly balanced. We ended up using Whisps as the croutons which was fine but I can’t wait to try with the bread.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jill, so glad you loved the salad and great idea!
Jodi says
Delicious! This dressing tops all store bought. My husband and kids all loved it, too! I did swap out the avocado oil for EVOO and the taste was great.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jodi, so glad everyone loved it and you made it your own! 🙂
Chloe says
this recipe was AMAZING!!!! the dressing was so impressive and I love that it was lightened up with greek yogurt (plus it added some protein)! this is a fantastic recipe and I can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Chloe, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Kim Herron says
We’re trying out a gluten-free week on the suggestion of my Dr and excited to make this although from what I understand french bread is not gf 😭 maybe change the categorization so it doesn’t inadvertantly trip someone up if they don’t know that!
Erin says
Hi Kim, thanks for letting me know! You can always omit the croutons or use GF bread too!
Casey Colodny says
One of my favorite salads for sure! It’s so light and fresh, makes eating vegetables easy!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Casey, I am so glad you loved it!!
Kayla says
Erin, you nailed it! The dressing is the best Caesar dressing I’ve ever had. My husband, who I’m pretty sure has never eaten a salad I’ve made, had the Caesar salad two nights in a row and commented on how delicious it was. This one went in my recipe binder!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kayla, I am so happy you both enjoyed it!!
Valerie says
This recipe is fire!! I subbed regular mayo for avocado mayo and used half the amount of avocado oil; making the texture a little off from traditional caesar dressing, but it was still delicious!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Valerie, I am so glad you liked it and made it your own!
Kristin says
I made this last night and it was so good! The dressing is delicious and I will definitely make it again! My husband loves a good chicken Caesar salad night. Next time I will have to do the croutons from scratch as well!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kristin, so glad you both enjoyed it and yes give them a try!!
amanda says
I’ve made this salad twice now and it’s slowly becoming a weekly staple in our house. so easy, delicious, and healthy. the dressing is SO GOOD and you’d never think there was greek yogurt in there! perfectly creamy, rich, and tasty.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Amanda, so glad you loved it so much! 🙂
Merry says
If you love Caesar, run don’t walk to make this salad!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Merry, so glad you enjoyed it!!