Homemade Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (chicken thighs)
A fresh and delicious grilled chicken caesar salad with lots of flavor from cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, parmesan, and grilled bread for croutons! An easy homemade caesar dressing elevates each bite. Chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts are used in this recipe for maximum juiciness and flavor.
Yield: 5 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 5 slices sourdough bread
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce, cut in half vertically then torn into bite size pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 small Persian cucumbers, sliced into half moons
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced into thin strips or cubed
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large clove garlic or 2 small cloves, minced
Instructions
- For dressing: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and store in a jar. Can be made 3 days ahead.
- For Salad: Preheat 2 burners of your grill to medium-high heat.
- Season both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of sourdough bread with olive oil.
- Place chicken and bread onto grill directly over burners. Let chicken and bread cook for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Check chicken at 4 minutes with a tong and if there is no resistance, flip the chicken. If there is resistance, let cook for another minute (to avoid meat sticking). Flip bread as well, and when it's golden brown on both sides, move to side of grill that is off.
- Let chicken thighs cook for another 3-4 minutes, until chicken reaches internal temp of 160 degrees F.
- Move chicken and bread to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Then slice chicken into thin strips, and tear grilled bread into small pieces.
- Assemble the salad with romaine in the bowl, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, parmesan, grilled chicken, and grilled bread.
- Pour 1/2 of salad dressing over the top and toss to coat, just before serving. Add more dressing to top of salad if you'd like. Serve.