Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken

5 from 1 vote

Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken

Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken is both light and hearty with fresh crisp romaine lettuce topped with panko and parmesan crusted chicken.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 1028kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

Caesar Dressing

1 small clove garlic center stem removed, then minced
1 cup mayo
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Parmigiana Reggiano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Crispy Chicken

2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or Parmigiana Reggiano
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 lb chicken breast about 2 chicken breasts
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + more as needed

Salad

1 large head romaine lettuce 14oz
2 cups croutons

Instructions

Caesar Dressing

In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, mayo, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, grated parmesan, salt, and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the chicken.

Prepare Bread Crumb and Egg Mixture

In a medium flat dish (like a square baker), combine the panko bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, and salt.
In a separate medium dish or bowl, scramble the eggs.

Crispy Chicken

Prepare the Chicken: Cut the chicken in half horizontally, so that you have two thin, large cutlets. Then cut these two pieces in half so that you have four smaller cutlets. This size cutlet makes it easier to tenderize and pan-fry the chicken.
Tenderize the Chicken: Place the chicken pieces on a cutting board and cover with parchment paper. Use a meat hammer to tenderize the chicken so that each piece becomes 1 ½ times the size of the original size and even in thickness. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside the tenderized pieces on a plate.
If you don't have a meat hammer, use a rolling pin, or even the bottom of a large, hefty mug.
Set Up Your Work Station: Place the dishes in the following order near the stove: plate with prepped chicken, dish with scrambled eggs, dish with panko mixture. The dish with the panko should be closest to the stove, and the dish with the chicken should be the furthest away. The ordering is helpful when pan-frying.
To Pan Fry the Chicken: Bring a large sauté pan to just under medium heat (think #4 out of 10).
Drizzle the sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil so that it is nicely coated. Dip a piece of chicken in the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off back into the dish.
Then place the egg-coated chicken in the dish with the panko. Coat the chicken in the panko, picking up extra panko with your fingers and firmly pressing it into the chicken on both sides. This is important to get really well-coated crispy chicken.
Place the panko-coated chicken in the preheated sauté pan and cook undisturbed until golden brown and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for another 2-4 minutes until golden brown and the chicken is fully cooked. Set the chicken aside on a cookie drying rack with a set of paper towels underneath to catch any oil that drips off. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding additional olive oil as needed so that the bottom of the pan is always coated in olive oil.

Assemble the Salad

Wash the romaine lettuce and pat dry. Cut into pieces. Each piece should be manageable to get on a fork. Add the chopped romaine to a salad bowl, and toss with dressing to taste. Top with the crispy chicken (cut into slices if desired) and croutons.

Notes

Press the Panko: Press extra panko bread crumb mixture into both sides of the chicken. This makes it crispier.
Tenderize the Chicken: This makes such a difference in the taste and texture of the chicken.
Set up Your Workstation: To ensure success and low stress, set up a work station in the following order:
- Cut and tenderized chicken
- Egg mixture
- Panko mixture
- Stove and sauté pan
Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The panko soaks up and pan-fries in the oil. Using a good quality extra virgin olive oil goes a long way in adding flavor to the chicken.
Pan Temperature: On an electric stove, aim for a temperature that is roughly a "4" on a scale of "1-10". Anything higher than that and your bread-crumb coating is more likely to burn. It will also help to prevent the olive oil from smoking. If the olive oil is smoking, you know that the pan is too hot.
Don't Overcrowd the Pan: To ensure crispy chicken, don't overcrowd the pan, which creates a steaming rather than crisping effect.
Use a Cookie Drying Rack: You spent a lot of effort making crispy chicken. Don't let it get soggy by putting it on a plate or stacking the chicken on top of each other. This will soften the crispy bread crumbs. Place the chicken in a single layer on a cookie drying rack as you cook the rest of the chicken until serving.
Romaine: Ensure that the romaine lettuce has been washed and patted dry. Lettuce that is wet is hard to coat in dressing and wilts faster.
Dressing the Salad: Dress the salad right before serving to prevent the romaine lettuce from wilting or getting soggy.

Nutrition