Description

This BBQ Chicken Caesar Salad combines tender, grilled BBQ chicken with a classic creamy Caesar dressing, crisp homemade garlic croutons, fresh romaine lettuce, creamy avocado, and shaved Parmesan cheese. The marinade infuses the chicken with a sweet and savory flavor, making this salad a perfect balance of smoky, tangy, and fresh elements for a satisfying and easy-to-make meal.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Marinade

2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup (not packed) brown or demerara sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Croutons

1 tablespoon butter
2 slices bread, cut into desired crouton size
1 clove garlic, minced

Additional Ingredients

Your favorite BBQ sauce for basting
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, sliced
Parmesan cheese, shaved (to taste)

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Instructions

Prepare chicken cutlets: Butterfly the chicken breasts and cut them in half to create thinner cutlets for even grilling and faster cooking.
Marinate chicken: Combine the brown sugar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a large ZipLoc bag. Add the chicken cutlets and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes up to two hours to soak up the flavors.
Make dressing: Mix mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use for flavors to meld.
Prepare croutons: Slice bread into crouton-sized cubes. Fry them in butter over medium heat with minced garlic for about five minutes or until golden and crispy, then set aside.
Preheat the grill: Oil the grill grate and preheat your BBQ or grill to high heat, then reduce to medium-high just before cooking chicken.
Prepare salad ingredients: Tear the romaine lettuce, slice the avocado, and shave the Parmesan cheese with a vegetable peeler for a fresh garnish.
Grill chicken: Place marinated chicken on the grill and brush the top with BBQ sauce. Grill for about four minutes, then flip, brush the other side with BBQ sauce, and grill another four minutes or until fully cooked through.
Assemble salad: Toss romaine lettuce, croutons, avocado slices, and shaved Parmesan cheese with the prepared dressing. Slice the grilled chicken and place it on top of the salad before serving.

Notes

Marinating the chicken longer than 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, enhances the flavor and tenderness.
Use fresh garlic in both dressing and croutons for optimal flavor.
Adjust BBQ sauce quantity to taste when basting the chicken.
For a lighter dressing, reduce or omit mayonnaise and increase Greek yogurt proportion.
You can substitute bread for gluten-free bread for a gluten-free version.