Chicken Caesar Salad Skewers
Grilling your Caesar salad is one way to mix up a classic. But to take it even further, thread all of the salad ingredients on skewers for an outdoor salad party.
My first idea was to thread pieces of each ingredient — the chicken, the croutons, and the romaine — on skewers so everyone could have a salad on a stick. While that sounds good in theory, each component cooks a bit differently, so getting everything cooked to perfection on the same skewer is next to impossible. My solve? Make chicken skewers, crouton skewers, and split the romaine halves so everything can be cooked separately. Once all of the components are done, pile the skewers and greens on a platter so everyone can build their own salads just the way they like it. Serve with plenty of homemade Caesar dressing and watch it all disappear!
What Do You Need for Chicken Caesar Salad Skewers?
- The dressing: The classic elements are all here: egg, anchovy, garlic, lemon, and cheese. The homemade dressing is super delicious and can be made a day ahead. If you don’t have the time to make it from scratch, you can also use your favorite bottled Caesar dressing.
- The chicken: Cut a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces; toss with a little oil, salt, and pepper; and thread the meat on skewers. They’ll grill up in about 20 minutes.
- The romaine: You’ll need to halve a couple of romaine hearts and brush them with oil before throwing them on the grill. Easy!
- The croutons: Cut up some sourdough into 1-inch cubes, toss with oil and salt, skewer, and grill until the bread is toasty, charred in spots, and a little bit smoky.
- The Parmesan: There’s Parm in the dressing, but grate some cheese over the everything as it comes off the grill for a delicious finishing touch.
Chicken Caesar Salad Skewers Recipe
Prep time 45 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 12
(10 to 12-inch) skewers
- 1/4 cup
grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce), plus more for serving
- 4
oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 1 clove
garlic
- 1/2
medium lemon
- 1
large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
- 2 1/4 teaspoons
kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup
plus 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
- 1/2 cup
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2
large romaine lettuce hearts (7 to 10 ounces each)
- 8 ounces
uncut crusty sourdough bread
- 1 pound
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak 12 in water for at least 30 minutes. Heat an outdoor grill for direct, medium-high heat (about 375ºF). Meanwhile, prepare the dressing and ingredients.
Finely grate 1 ounce Parmesan cheese if needed, and grate more for serving.
Prepare the following, adding each to the same medium bowl as you complete it: Finely chop 4 oil-packed anchovies (about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Finely grate 1 garlic clove. Juice 1/2 medium lemon until you have 1 tablespoon.
Add 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Whisk until very smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
Stabilize your bowl by wrapping a damp, rolled-up kitchen cloth around the base. While whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle in 1/3 cup of the canola oil, followed by 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the Parmesan and stir to combine. The dressing should be thick and creamy. If the dressing is too thick, whisk in water 1 teaspoon at a time to thin out. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Halve 2 large romaine lettuce hearts lengthwise. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and brush the cut sides of the romaine with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Cut the 8 ounces crusty sourdough bread into rough 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes (about 7 cups). Place in a large bowl, drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, season with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and toss to combine. Thread onto 4 to 6 of the skewers and place on the same baking sheet.
Cut 1 pound boneless, chicken breasts into 1 to 1 1/2-inch chunks. Place in the now-empty bowl, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil, season with the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and toss to combine. Thread onto the remaining skewers, spacing them about 1/4-inch apart, 5 to 8 pieces per skewer. Place on the same baking sheet.
When the grill is ready, scrub the grill grates if needed. Place the chicken skewers on the grill grates. Grill uncovered, turning every 5 minutes, until charred in spots and cooked through, about 20 minutes total. Halfway through cooking, add the bread skewers to the grill. Grill, flipping every 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes total. Add the romaine cut side down to the grill a few minutes before the chicken and bread are ready and cook just until grill marks appear on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. (If your grill isn’t large enough to grill everything at once, grill the chicken and bread first, then the romaine.)
Transfer the skewers and romaine to a large platter. Garnish with more Parmesan and serve with the Caesar dressing for dipping.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The dressing can be made and the chicken cut and seasoned up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in separate airtight containers. The bread can be cut up to 1 day ahead and store in an airtight container at room temperature.