Crispy Chicken Kale Caesar Salad

Published 1/29/2024 • Updated 8/6/2024 We’re here to change your minds about caesar salads not being veggie-packed! Our crispy chicken kale caesar salad features our super creamy homemade dressing, and a base of kale and radicchio tossed with roasted butternut squash. This hearty, nutrient dense salad is one that I love serving as a main dish. It’s super flavorful and can be partially prepped ahead of time — which is something I’m always looking for in recipes to make on weeknights as a busy mom of 2.

What You Need for Crispy Chicken Kale Caesar Salad

Kale and radicchio: chopped kale and radicchio makes for a hearty and flavorful base to this salad. Butternut squash: you’ll cube the squash and roast it before tossing in the salad. It adds a sweet and rich flavor. Chicken breast: we’re using 1 lb. of boneless skinless breast pounded super thin, and then egg washed and breaded with panko and parmesan before being pan fried to crispy perfection. Caesar dressing: we used our homemade dressing recipe, but feel free to sub 1:1 for your favorite store-bought caesar.

Substitutions + Variations

Use a different protein: Have fun with this salad recipe and use a different protein! Try one of the following for starters: Cast Iron Pan

Salmon Shrimp Tofu

Make it vegetarian: Hoping to keep this vegetarian? Simply remove the chicken breast. Add more veggies: Why skimp on the veggies when you can truly pack them in? Add whatever you have in the fridge such as bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower or carrots. Can’t find radicchio? You can use endive, red cabbage, or more kale. Choosing a dressing: We made our homemade caesar dressing for this salad, but you can also use a store-bought Caesar dressing in a pinch.

Our Go To Caesar Salad Dressing

Our homemade Caesar salad dressing is seriously so good. It’s creamy, tangy, and easy to make. What sets ours apart? Our classic Caesar dressing swaps the raw egg yolk for mayonnaise and use some Greek yogurt. Here’s what you need:

6 Baked Chicken Breast Recipes

You are going to love these 6 oven baked chicken breast recipes. Check out how to bake chicken breast perfectly every time and get 6 delicious flavor variations!

Storage

This salad is best enjoyed right away when the chicken is crispiest! The chicken breading will lose its crunch and become a bit soggy as leftovers. Want to prepare this salad ahead of time? Follow our make ahead instructions below. Homemade Caesar Dressing

Make Ahead Instructions

This is such a great make-ahead salad recipe! We recommend preparing everything besides the chicken, and then storing the veggies and kale separately from the dressing. When you’re ready to serve, cook the chicken, and then dice it into chunks. Then, toss everything together with the dressing. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

This crispy chicken kale salad is an amazing main dish, and we love serving it with our crispy baked sweet potato fries or our air fryer potato chips.