Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken

It’ll be an instant love affair when you take your first bite of this impossibly juicy Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken. Caressed in a generous coating of all the classic flavors of a garlicky, tangy, rich Caesar dressing, and finished with golden, lemony breadcrumbs, this spatchcocked chicken is a true feast for all the senses.

If the chicken Caesar salad put on a little black dress and her favorite sultry red lipstick, it would be this gorgeous and sassy chick. Combining the pure comfort of a roast chicken with the familiar and savory flavors of Caesar Cardini’s Tijuana creation, this crispy, moist, and tender bird will make you feel like a total diva of the grill.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Familiar Flavors – This pretty bird is coated in many of the same ingredients you’ll find in a traditional Caesar dressing. Sunny lemon, sharp Dijon, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano, the umami of Worcestershire sauce, and bold garlic. As the chicken grills these flavors mingle to make a total explosion for the taste buds.
• Texture – Say good-bye to dry chicken. Nothing makes juicy chicken quite like a slather of decadent mayonnaise. It not only creates juicy meat it also helps the skin of the chicken crisp and bronze. Toasted panko breadcrumbs add another finishing element of texture to this Caesar salad spatchcock chicken as well, mimicking the croutons in a traditional Caesar.
• Easy Process – The only real work involved in making this Caesar grilled chicken is removing the backbone from your chicken and spatchcocking it.
• Make Ahead – You can do several parts of this recipe in advance making it that much faster when you’re ready to fire up the grill. The panko breadcrumbs can be toasted a day or two in advance and the chicken can be prepared the night before.

Ingredient Lineup

• Caesar Dressing Coating – The base of the Caesar coating that goes onto the chicken starts with thick, luscious mayonnaise. Here in the south Duke’s is our favorite. Worcestershire sauce adds salty umami. Parmigiano-Reggiano adds nuttiness as well as helps crisp up the skin while both lemon juice and zest add an bright acidity. Dijon mustard makes this extra tangy. For spices you’ll need granulated garlic, Italian seasoning for an herbaceous punch, and crushed red pepper flakes for a little sultry kick.
• Lemony Breadcrumbs – Plain panko breadcrumbs are toasted in a combination of olive oil and butter along with a minced garlic clove. Crushed red pepper gives a kick while lemon zest and fresh parsley wake up the flavors. This topping goes on both the chicken as well as the grilled romaine at the end.
• Grilled Romaine – There is nothing like the smoky note of grilled romaine. It doesn’t take much for this grilled lettuce to shine. A little olive oil, salt, pepper, and squeeze of charred lemon along with the breadcrumbs and freshly grated parmesan, and you’re good!

How to Make Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken

• Spatchcock and dry brine your chicken. Face your chicken backbone side up. Use kitchen shears to cut down both sides of the backbone, removing it. Use a sharp knife to cut through the top of the breastbone. Turn the chicken over and use the palm of your hand to flatten the breasts. Pat both sides of the chicken dry with paper towel. Place the chicken on a wire rack fit into a baking sheet. Season both sides of the chicken evenly with kosher salt and place the baking sheet into the refrigerator uncovered. This portion can be done the night before or the morning of.
• Prepare your grill. Prepare your grill for indirect cooking. If using a charcoal grill bank your charcoal to one side, or on either side if cooking on a kettle. For a gas grill heat all of your burners, heating the grill to around 400-425 degrees, and then turn off the center burner. You can add wood chips at this time.
• Mix together the Caesar dressing coating. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and season the top with freshly cracked black pepper. Add all of the ingredients for the Caesar baste into a bowl and mix together. Use a silicone brush to evenly coat the entire top of the bird, making sure to get under the wings and legs.

• Grill the chicken. Carefully place the chicken onto the cooler side of the grill and close it up. Allow it to grill for 45 minutes undisturbed. After 45 minutes check to see if you need to rotate your chicken, as well as check the temperature. It should take another 15-20 minutes for your chicken to be done, depending on the size of your chicken. When the breast registers 160 in the thickest part and the thigh is 170, remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes.
• Toast the breadcrumbs. While your chicken is grilling make your lemony breadcrumbs. Heat a skillet on medium heat and add the butter and olive oil, allowing the butter to melt. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and let them cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to fully coat them. Continue to stir until they begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in a pinch of salt, the lemon zest, and parsley.

• Grill the romaine. Brush the cut side of the lettuce with olive oil and sprinkle on kosher salt and pepper. Place the lettuce cut side down onto the hot side of the grill, along with the lemon halves. As soon as the cut side begins to char remove it from the grill. It will only take about 60-90 seconds. Remove the lemons when charred.
• Garnish and serve. Grate fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano over the chicken and lettuce. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the chicken and romaine and serve with the charred lemon.

How to Make Caesar Salad Roast Chicken

There is no denying the smoky, mysterious element grilling this chicken adds, but if you don’t have a grill, no problem! Here is the process to make the same chicken in the oven.

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Follow the same process of preparing your chicken, leaving it on the wire rack fit into the baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet into the oven and allow the chicken to roast, keeping an eye that it doesn’t brown too quickly. If your chicken starts getting too dark lightly tent it with foil, still allowing the air to circulate.
• When your chicken breast registers 160 in the thickest part and the thigh is 170, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest. It should take 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the chicken and your oven.
• To roast your romaine, lower the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over the lettuce halves and season with salt and pepper. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow them to roast for 8-10 minutes until charred and slightly wilted.

Tips From the Beach

• If you have the time, don’t skip the step of dry brining your chicken. This is going to allow the salt to more deeply season the meat instead of just seasoning the outside.
• Hand grate your cheese. Because the Parmigiano-Reggiano is going on the outside of the chicken, you want to make sure you’re using the purest form. Already grated cheese has a coating on the outside that will not only give you a more muted flavor but a different texture as well.
• When toasting your breadcrumbs keep stirring them constantly. They turn golden fast and can quickly burn. Trust me, been there!
• If you want your chicken a little crispier, feel free to move it over to direct heat the last few minutes of cooking. Just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

For more chicken recipes make sure to check out Chicken Provençal and Coq au Champagne.

Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken

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• It’ll be an instant love affair when you take your first bite of this impossibly juicy Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 15
• Dry Brining: 192
• Cook Time: 60
• Total Time: 4 hours 27 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Category: Entree
• Method: Grilling
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken

• 1 4-5 pounds chicken
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 or more to taste crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and pepper

Lemony Breadcrumbs

• 1 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/4 crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
• pinch of kosher salt

Grilled Romaine

• 2 romaine hearts, halved, ends still attached
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 2 lemons, halved
• Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

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Instructions

Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken

1. Place your chicken on your work surface backbone side up. Use kitchen shears to cut down either side of the backbone, removing it. Use a sharp knife to cut a small slice in the top of the breast bone.
2. Turn the chicken over. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the chicken. Pat the chicken dry.
3. Place the chicken on a wire rack fit into a baking sheet. Season both sides of the chicken with kosher salt, leaving the chicken breast side up.
4. Allow the chicken to refrigerate uncovered for at least an hour but ideally 8 hours to overnight.
5. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and season with cracked black pepper. Let sit out for 30 minutes.
6. Add the mayo, lemon zest and juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, parmesan, red pepper, granulated garlic, and Italian seasoning to a bowl and mix to combine.
7. Use a brush to evenly coat the chicken in the mixture, making sure to get under the wings and legs.
8. Prepare your grill for indirect grilling. If using a charcoal grill bank the charcoal to either side, or one side depending on grill style. For a gas grill heat the grill to between 400-425 and then turn off the center burners. You can add wood chips at this point for additional flavor.
9. Carefully place the chicken on the cooler side and close the lid. Allow the chicken to grill for 45 minutes undisturbed.
10. After 45 minutes check to see if you need to rotate the chicken and check the temperature. Let the chicken grill until the thickest part of the breast registers 160, and the thigh is 170. It should take another 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken.
11. Allow the chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting.
12. Serve with grilled romaine. Sprinkle the lemony breadcrumbs over the top and garnish with additional fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Lemony Breadcrumbs

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat with olive oil and butter.
2. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to coat. Keep stirring until they turn a golden brown.
4. Remove from the heat. Stir in parsley, lemon zest, and kosher salt. 
5. Leftover breadcrumbs can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce

1. Brush the cut side of the lettuce with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the cut side down on the hot side of the grill along with lemon halves.
3. Allow the lettuce to grill until slightly charred and wilted. Remove from the grill.
4. Let the lemons grill until juicy and charred.
5. Drizzle additional olive oil over the lettuce if desired. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and garnish with freshly grated or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve with charred lemons.

Notes

1. If desired, you can place the chicken over direct heat the last few minutes of cooking for extra crispy skin.
2. For additional flavor add wood chips to your charcoal.

Frequently Asked Questions