Chicken Caesar Salad
This Chicken Caesar Salad features turkey bacon and pasta for a full entree salad. It’s a light take on traditional Caesar Salad.
My mother in law passed along this Cooking Light recipe a few weeks ago. I thought it looked really good, and Bob and I love to have dinner salads in the spring and summer. Using light Caesar dressing, this salad is a lighter take on traditional Caesar salad.
I’ve been inspired by Kerstin’s recipes using turkey bacon, so I thought I’d throw some of that in. I had tried turkey bacon a few times over the years, and I never thought it was that great. It didn’t crisp up like traditional bacon. Oscar Mayer brand turkey bacon was on sale this time, and it is SO good! It becomes crispy and has a very similar texture to bacon. I’m so excited to start substituting it in recipes that call for bacon and pancetta!
This salad is so delicious! We both loved it. I’m not sure how necessary the pasta is, so the second time I made it, I omitted the pasta, upped the amount of bacon, and used red onion instead of green since it was all we had. I think I like the green onion best though. I’ve included my changes below.
You can save time by using chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken. I have the recipe structured so that you prep the ingredients while the pasta cooks to save more time. Quick, easy dinners are always a plus for us!
Gluten Free Option for Chicken Caesar Salad
Omit the pasta or use gluten free penne pasta for an entirely gluten free meal. Skipping the pasta makes this a low carb entree.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these
Check out these other recipes:
Panera Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad
Panera BBQ Chicken Salad
Bacon Stuffed Cherry Tomato Appetizers
Panzanella
Roasted Vegetable Orzo
Caprese Salad Skewers
Harvest Chicken Salad
Chinese Slaw
Chicken Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, diced (may use a breast from a rotisserie chicken )
- 2-4 slices of turkey bacon (cooked and cut into small pieces)
- 1 container grape tomatoes (halved)
- half a bunch of green onions (sliced)
- 2 ounces feta cheese
- 1 bunch of Romaine lettuce (torn into bite sized pieces)
- 3 tablespoons fat-free Caesar dressing (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat penne (3 ounces uncooked, optional)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (or a small amount of basil puree)
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package direction. While the pasta cooks, prep the other ingredients.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Top with freshly ground pepper and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
I love salads. I’ll have to try this.
What a yummy salad (and great pictures!). I’m so glad you enjoyed the turkey bacon! We get the Oscar Mayer kind too (from Costco!).
I like your additions/deletions. Very ingenious!