This BBQ Chicken Caesar salad is such a easy and delicious go-to meal on a busy weeknight. Full of flavor, it's a classic everyone will love every time.
I love this recipe for how easy it is. It's such a classic that everyone loves. For some reason BBQ sauce and ceasar just happen to go so well together, unexpectedly. It's also something you can put together in a pinch without any planning. I love it even more because you can easily grab a Caesar salad kit from the store (for me it's usually Costco). If you're making the ceasar salad at home I suggest you try Marie's Caesar dressing and my HOMEMADE CROUTON recipe to pair with it. Add some scallions on top for the best added flavor and we're ready to eat!
Chicken thighs. Feel free to use chicken breast. Some breast meat is thicker so I suggest you keep an eye on it and cook it so it reaches the standard 165F internal temp for chicken.
Ceasar salad. You can technically do this with any salad, it doesn't have to be ceasar! Balsamic salad or cranberry goat cheese would also work!
Be scrappy! I'll pretty much always use salads as my waste (and $$$) saver. Any scallions that are about to go bad go into my ceasar salad. Any cucumbers getting old? I'll always put those in my salads too, especially ceasar. If you have any older bread or bread heels, save those up and store them in the freezer to make delicious homemade croutons!
your favorite chicken seasoning (optional, I use Treager by Treager and Coffee Rub By Treager. You can never go wrong with salt, pepper and garlic)
Set grill temp to 400F
Add your seasoning to the chicken now while the girll heats up. My favorites are Kickin' Chicken, Treager Rub and Coffee Rub by Treager. Sometimes I'll even combine them! If you only want bbq sauce that works too, I would recommend at least adding salt pepper and garlic for some nice added flavor to work with the BBQ sauce. Just put a nice even shake of each seasoning (whichever you choose).
I like to use my hands and save dishes, but a sauce brush works great for this too if you don't feel like gettin your hands messy. Just a nice even coat. No need to over saturate or they won't crisp up on the grill.
Once grill reaches 400F, place chicken thighs on grill. Make sure they're not touching so they all cook evenly and can get crispy. Set a chicken timer for 10 minutes.
Add chopped ingredients to a large bowl as you go!Slice up any scallions (1-2 bulbs), romaine lettuce (1 and 1/2 heads), optional cucumbers (1/4 of 1 large) and add them into your bowl as you go. Toss in the croutons (1/2 cup) and shred you're parmeasan (1/4 cup) then toss it in your ceasar salad bowl as well. Add any pepper to taste.
When 10 minute timer goes off, flip chicken thighs to the other side. Set another chicken timer for 8 minutes.
Add the ceasar dressing to your salad and toss.
When 8 minute timer goes off, check the chicken with an internal thermometer. You want your internal temp to be 165F on each of your pieces of chicken. Check in the thickest spot of each chicken.
Chop up the grilled chicken into bite sized pieces and either mix right into your salad or each individual can add the ceasar salad on their plate/bowl then chicken on top!
Leave the chicken on for a few more minutes checking every 2 minutes for extra crispiness!
Here's my crouton recipe! There's nothing like homemade croutons, epseically on a ceasar salad!
My veggie lasagna also would pair great with an italian inspired night!
The ceasar salad is best enjoyed fresh. The bbq chicken will keep for up to 6 days in the fridge and in an airtight container.
A caesar salad topped with freshly grilled chicken slathered in seasonings and bbq sauce..
Thank you so much for choosing one of my recipes to cook today! I hope you enjoy the cooking process. I love to hear any and all recipe suggestions. Please reach out to me for any questions or comments! :)
Have a wonderful day!
Hanna
hannabeeeatin@gmail.com