A summertime spicy chicken Caesar salad.
Take the creamy deliciousness of a traditional Caesar salad to new heights with the smoky spice of chipotle peppers.
Ok, so it technically deviates pretty far from Caesar salads, with the addition of black beans and banana peppers It’s more akin to a southwest chicken salad – but hey, it uses creamy Caesar dressing, so that counts for something. You can try your hand at homemade or use store-bought. Either way, take the dressing and blend it up with some chipotle peppers and adobo sauce to create a smoky/tangy/spicy Chipotle Caesar salad dressing that complements the crisp fresh romaine and savory chicken.
And while this is optional, it also adds to the flavor. After cooking the chicken, if you have any chipotle BBQ sauce on hand, or even spare some extra chipotle Caesar dressing, toss the chicken in it beforehand and then mix in with your salad for even more flavor.
Notes: If you don’t plan on serving all at once, only pour the dressing on individual servings so that the salad keeps better and doesn’t get soggy.
Time You Need
- 15-20 minutes prep
- 7-10 minutes cooking
- Yields about 5 servings
What You Need
- ~1.5 lbs thin chicken boneless skinless breasts or tenders (canned, grilled, or rotisserie chicken would work too)
- 3 hearts of romaine lettuce, washed
- 1 cup of Parmesan cheese shavings
- ~1.5 cups creamy Caesar salad dressing of choice (homemade or store-bought
- 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 cup banana pepper rings
- ½ Red onion sliced
- 1 can of black beans, drained, rinsed and dried
- Croutons of choice (homemade or store-bought)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ Red onion sliced
- Optional ½ cup of chipotle BBQ sauce
What You Do
- Start by cooking the chicken. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet of medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and any other desired seasonings. Cook thoroughly until no pink remains.
- Remove from skillet and let cool. Once cool, slice the chicken into thin strips.
- Optional (toss the chicken in chipotle BBQ sauce or the dressing for extra flavor).
- Prep your romaine. Cut the romaine in half lengthwise, then chop off ends. Cut remaining lettuce crosswise to create ribbons of lettuce about 1 inch thick. Wash lettuce and dry thoroughly, and then place in a large salad bowl.
- In a blender or small food processor, add your Caesar dressing, one or two chipotle peppers (or more), and 2 tbsp of the adobo sauce. Mix until evenly combined. Add more peppers for more heat!
- In your salad bowl of romaine, add sliced onion, banana peppers, black beans, and your dressing. Mix well.
- Then toss in chicken, parmesan cheese, and your croutons.
- Toss one last time and serve or place in the fridge to chill until ready.