Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad

I absolute love a Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad but can never have the real deal when eating out because it always contains gluten! Which is why I’ve made the BEST Gluten Free Caesar Salad, with tender grilled chicken, crunchy bacon bits, a super easy dressing and gluten free croutons galore. No more missing out!

This homemade Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad is just *perfect*. With crispy, seasoned croutons, a creamy and tangy sauce and tender chicken breast, its my favourite salad ever.

And using homemade gluten free croutons means you can enjoy the kind of salad you normally wouldn’t be able to eat in a restaurant with coeliac disease.

That’s right – just because you’re on a gluten free diet, you don’t have to miss out!

Plus you can make this homemade Caesar Salad Dressing in bulk and have gluten free Caesar salads all week long!

The 2-minute salad dressing is the perfect combination of mayonnaise, garlic, lemon, anchovies (fish haters, trust me!) and parmesan cheese.

It’s great for a gluten free lunchbox, for a gluten free picnic or as a BBQ side dish.

Ingredients

To make this Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad recipe you actually only need a few basic ingredients, and I’ll also suggest any possible substitutions here too.

Remember the salad dressing can be made in bulk – so don’t waste any ingredients, make a big batch and use it all week!

For the Chicken and Bacon Caesar salad base:

• Romaine or Cos Lettuce: I always use Romaine Lettuce as this is traditionally the best lettuce for a Caesar salad. You could use iceberg if you prefer but Romaine is best!
• Chicken Breast: Skinless chicken breasts are the best for this chicken caesar salad. You can swap this for something like turkey if you prefer.
• Smoked Streaky Bacon: Omit this if you don’t like or eat pork, but to me the best Caesar salad has bacon! Alternative buy some pre-cooked bacon pieces to save time.
• Parmesan: I buy the parmesan shavings as you can double this up in the dressing too. Freshly grated parmesan cheese is fine though.
• Gluten Free Croutons: I have never found gluten free croutons for sale in the UK but they are SO easy to make. Whip up a batch of my quick and easy gluten free croutons and keep them in the freezer ready for Caesar salad cravings.

For the Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing:

• Mayonnaise: I used a lighter mayonnaise, or you can swap this for natural yoghurt if you would like a lighter, tangier dressing. Mayonnaise is gluten free.
• Anchovy Fillets: Even if you’re a fish-hater, trust me on this. This adds the perfect level of flavour and saltiness without being fishy at all. Use any leftovers in my Penne Puttanesca sauce recipe.
• Dijon Mustard: Usually this is gluten free but always double check. English mustard contains gluten but dijon mustard is usually OK.
• Garlic Paste: I prefer a paste for convenience but you can use a finely chopped or minced garlic clove if you prefer.
• Lemon: You’ll need the juice of one whole lemon for this recipe.
• Parmesan Shavings: Essential for that cheesy taste in the dressing!
• Black Pepper: I like to add a generous seasoning of this to my dressing.

A lot of Caesar salad dressing recipes use Worcestershire sauce too. A lot of Worcestershire sauce is NOT gluten free, though you can buy free from alternatives.

You can buy a gluten free Worcestershire sauce and add 1 teaspoon to the caesar dressing but recipe. I have tried it with or without and found the difference negligible.

How to make Bacon Chicken Caesar Salad

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method, but here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free Bacon and Chicken Caesar Salad is to make.

To make the dressing:

Add all of the ingredients for the dressing into a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. It’s really that simple!

To construct the Chicken Caesar Salad:

Prepare the chicken breasts by cutting them in half lengthways to produce two, thin chicken pieces per breast.

Season with salt and pepper. (If making the croutons, get them in the oven now).

Add a little oil to a frying pan and add the streaky bacon rashers. Fry on both sides over a medium heat, flipping regularly, until the bacon is crispy.

Remove onto a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.

Without taking the heat off the pan, add the chicken breasts. Fry on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. Remove from the heat.

Wash the lettuce and cut into strips. Cut the cooked bacon into pieces.

Add to a large bowl along with the gluten free croutons, parmesan shavings, bacon pieces and dressing. Toss well to coat then pour into a serving bowl.

Finish the salad by chopping the chicken breasts and laying them on top of the salad, and sprinkle with a few extra parmesan shavings to serve.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs about this Chicken Caesar Salad recipe – if you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!