Chicken Caesar salad with lemon tahini dressing! A delicious and healthy twist on the classic Caesar – filled with so much fresh flavor.
I have always loved a good chicken Caesar salad. There’s something super satisfying about the simple combination. This one certainly has a twist to it. I mean, I guess technically it’s not a Caesar salad because of the dressing. But, since all of the other elements are similar I thought I could still call it one 😉
I have seen the tahini trend all over the place! I couldn’t really get into it for the longest time. The first brand I tried was Trader Joe’s. As much as I love their products, I am not a fan of their tahini. It’s a little too bitter for me. Once I tried another brand’s I realized, I do love it! It has a delicious rich and nutty flavor. I have been sticking to the Whole Foods 365 brand. It’s great for mixing into homemade salad dressing, topping over toast, mixing and using as a dipping sauce base. A lot of people also bake with it!
What is tahini?
Tahini is a condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It’s nutty, rich and creamy!
For the dressing I just blended the tahini with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, mayo, water, and nutritional yeast. You could use grated parmesan instead of nutritional yeast! I also added some salt, pepper and onion powder to the dressing. It is filled with flavor.
I made my own croutons in my air fryer which was a complete game changer! I used my favorite thin sliced Dave’s Killer Bread. I cut four slices into cubes and mixed them with oil, Italian seasoning and salt. I air fried them at 350 for 10 minutes, tossing half way through. So easy! You could just buy croutons if you want to skip this step.
I baked my chicken but you can used grilled, rotisserie – whatever you please! I also topped my salad with some shaved parmesan. If you’re dairy-free, feel free to omit this. It will still be delicious.
Other salad recipes you will love:
Steak salad with honey mustard caper dressing
Five spice almond chicken finger salad
Balsamic chicken and berry salad
This salad is perfect for a wholesome lunch or even a week-night dinner! You can cook your chicken ahead of time, prep the dressing and chop your romaine. It will come together so quickly. All about those convenient recipes.
PrintChicken Caesar Salad With Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
Lemon Tahini Dressing
1/3 cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
1 & 1/2 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp nutritional yeast or grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of onion powder
Air Fried Croutons
4 slices of bread, I used thin sliced Dave’s Killer Bread, cut into cubes
1/2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
pinch of Italian seasoning
pinch of salt
Salad
2 head of romaine, chopped
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into strips
shaved parmesan to taste
lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
For the dressing – in a blender or food processor combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If you don’t have a food processor or blender – just used minced garlic or garlic powder and mix together. It won’t be as smooth – but still delicious!
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the croutons – combine cubed bread, oil, Italian seasoning and salt.
Add to air fryer and cook at 350 for 10 minutes or until they’re crispy and golden, tossing half-way. Add to an air tight container until ready to use.
To assemble the salad – toss desired amount of dressing with chopped romaine. You will have some leftover dressing (don’t worry, it’s so good you’ll want to use it again) I would start with a little, taste and add more if desired.
Mix in croutons and shaved parmesan.
Next add your chicken.
Squeeze more lemon on.
Serve and enjoy!
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