You'll love this delicious Southwestern spin on the classic chicken Caesar salad. With tender grilled chicken, corn, avocado, cornbread croutons, and green chile Caesar dressing, it's anything but boring!
Hatch chile season means we're adding green chiles to everything. In this case, a classic Caesar salad gets a major upgrade with homemade Hatch chile Caesar dressing and some fun Southwestern elements that elevate this basic staple to a delicious new level. If you're a fan of Southwest flavors, this salad is a must-try!
Why You'll Love This Chicken Caesar Salad
Nobody said salads have to be boring! This Caesar salad delivers tons of flavor and contrasts in textures for a seriously satisfying salad. The homemade green chile dressing is both healthy and delicious, while fresh sweet corn, toasted pecans, creamy avocado and toasted cornbread croutons add lots of interest. Topped with tender grilled chicken, this salad delivers all the major macronutrients I look for in a meal-sized salad: protein, healthy fat, and fiber-rich carbohydrates.
The Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce - The best fresh, crunchy base for a Caesar salad.
- Chicken breast - Flavored with a simple marinade, and grilled to juicy perfection.
- Fresh corn - I love the texture and flavor of fresh corn. Grill it alongside the chicken if you'd rather have another smoky grilled element.
- Pecans - Toasted pecans are seriously underrated. They're my secret weapon for killer salads.
- Cornbread - This salad is a great use for day-old cornbread. Cubed and toasted, it makes delicious croutons!
- Avocado - Creamy, healthy, and satisfying!
- Red onion - For a little extra bite.
- Parmesan - Get a good quality parm in a block that you can shave yourself. It's so much better.
- Green chile Caesar dressing - this homemade dressing is based off of my Greek yogurt Caesar dressing and makes this salad shine.
How To Make Southwest Grilled Chicken Green Chile Caesar Salad
- Make the dressing. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add cold water or milk as needed to thin it if you need to.
- Sprinkle chicken breast with salt, pepper, chile powder, and garlic powder. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce and olive oil.
- Grill the chicken on medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. If needed, move the chicken to indirect heat until the center reaches the correct temperature to prevent the outside from burning.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and slice it.
- Meanwhile, make the croutons and toasted pecans. Cut the cornbread into half inch cubes and spread on one half of a baking sheet. Spread the pecans on the other half. Toast in the oven at 400°F for 10 minutes.
- Chop the romaine, cut the corn from the cob, and thinly slice the onion and the avocado.
- Assemble the salads. Place romaine on plates, then divide chicken, corn, onion, and avocado between the plates. Top each with croutons, pecans, and freshly shaved parmesan. Top with green chile Caesar dressing and serve.
Recipe Variations
- If you're short on time (or ingredients) and don't feel like making the dressing from scratch, grab your about a half cup of your favorite Caesar dressing and blend in 2 roasted hatch chiles (with seeds removed). Add more chiles as needed.
- You can use canned green chiles if that's what you have. I'd use one 4 oz can.
- As mentioned above, you can grill the corn alongside the chicken instead of leaving it raw.
- I've also made this salad with bacon in place of the pecans. It's delicious either way!
- Feel free to anything else you'd like, such as tomatoes, cilantro or black beans.
More Entree Salads You'll Love
- Arugula Steak Salad with Garlic Roasted Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
- Thai Salad with Ginger Ground Beef and Peanut Dressing
- Mango, Avocado and Roasted Chicken Salad
- Smoky Chicken, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Kale Salad
- Grilled Caesar Salad With Shrimp
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintSouthwest Grilled Chicken Green Chile Caesar Salad
You'll love this delicious Southwestern spin on the classic chicken Caesar salad. With tender grilled chicken, corn, avocado, cornbread croutons, and green chile Caesar dressing, it's anything but boring!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: salad
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: Southwestern
Ingredients
For the Green Chile Caesar Dressing:
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large clove garlic
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
- 2 roasted green chiles, seeds and stems removed (use 1 if chiles are very hot)
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
For the Salad:
- 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chile powder
- Garlic powder
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- ¼ small red onion
- 1 small avocado
- ½ cup pecans
- 1 cup cornbread, cut into ½ inch cubes
- ½ cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F and heat grill to medium high heat.
- Make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add cold water or milk as needed to thin it if you need to.
- Sprinkle chicken breast with salt, pepper, chile powder, and garlic powder. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce and olive oil.
- Grill the chicken on medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. If needed, move the chicken to indirect heat until the center reaches the correct temperature to prevent the outside from burning.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and slice it.
- Meanwhile, make the croutons and toasted pecans. Cut the cornbread into half inch cubes and spread on one half of a baking sheet. Spread the pecans on the other half. Toast in the oven at 400°F for 10 minutes.
- Chop the romaine, cut the corn from the cob, and thinly slice the onion and the avocado.
- Assemble the salads. Place romaine on plates, then divide chicken, corn, onion, and avocado between the plates. Top each with croutons, pecans, and freshly shaved parmesan. Top with green chile Caesar dressing and serve.
Notes
- Make sure the grill is clean before grilling. Heat it to the highest setting and brush it off, then turn the heat down to medium-high.
- I highly recommend using a meat thermometer any time you grill chicken and other meat to ensure thorough cooking without drying it out.
Ingredient Substitutions and Variations:
- If you're short on time (or ingredients) and don't feel like making the dressing from scratch, grab your about a half cup of your favorite Caesar dressing and blend in 2 roasted hatch chiles (with seeds removed). Add more chiles as needed.
- You can use canned green chiles if that's what you have. I'd use one 4 oz can.
- As mentioned above, you can grill the corn alongside the chicken instead of leaving it raw.
- I've also made this salad with bacon in place of the pecans. It's delicious either way!
- Feel free to anything else you'd like, such as tomatoes, cilantro or black beans.
Keywords: green chile grilled chicken Caesar salad, Southwest Caesar salad with chicken, Hatch chile Caesar salad
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