Perhaps the best salad of all time, and we have lightened it up. A Caesar Salad is such a classic! Crisp lettuce, shredded chicken and crunchy croutons, all smothered in a creamy dressing. Our Healthy Caesar Salad uses a homemade lighter dressing (made with yogurt) and homemade baked croutons. Still all of the flavour, with less calories and fat.
We can never have enough salad recipes in our life. Easy to throw together for a quick lunch, they have plenty of texture and flavour, and this Healthy Caesar Salad is one of our favourites.
This is traditionally probably one of the most calorific salads that you can have, but with a few small swaps you can save yourself some calories.
If you are looking for more chicken salad recipes, try our delicious BBQ Chicken Salad, easy Chicken Pasta Salad or our impressive Greek Chicken Bowls.
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What Is Caesar Salad?
The creation of the Caesar Salad is generally credited to Caesar Cardini, a Mexican based Italian restaurateur. On 4th July 1924, Caesar's restaurant in Tijuana was running low on supplies, so he invented the salad with what he had left. And it's been a popular dish worldwide ever since.
The Caesar salad is a base of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Often sliced chicken is added.
Why You Will Love It
- Only 229 calories per portion
- Good source of protein
- Really simple to make
- Easy to adapt
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Romaine lettuce - Also known as Cos lettuce. This gives the salad a nice crunch, but any salad leaves can be used.
- Bread - Used to make the croutons. Shop bought croutons can be used instead if you want to save yourself some time.
- Chicken - You don't have to add chicken, but it makes it a more filling meal. We used some leftover chicken we had from our Whole Roast Chicken recipe. You could use a store bought rotisserie chicken, or even grill a chicken breast and slice it.
- Yogurt - This is the base of our Caesar dressing and makes it nice and creamy, without all the calories.
- Lemon - This helps to balance out the creaminess.
- Worcestershire sauce - A must when it comes to a Caesar salad dressing, and it adds so much flavour, and a bit of colour too.
- Olive oil - This helps to thin the dressing out. Use the best quality you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Mustard - Dijon mustard is what we used and it adds a nice subtle flavour to the dressing.
- Parmesan - Good quality authentic Parmesan cheese is important for this recipe, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Anchovies - We used anchovy fillets and chopped them up, however you could use anchovy paste.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
Step by Step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Step 1: Put the cut bread onto a baking tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with oregano (and grated cheese if you wish). Bake for 8 minutes, or until crunchy.
- Step 2: Put all the ingredients for the dressing into a bowl (a) and mix well (b).
- Step 3: Add the lettuce, chicken, croutons, cheese and dressing to a bowl. Mix well and serve.
Healthy Caesar Dressing
The key to making this a lighter version of the classic salad is the dressing. Traditionally made with mayo (or oil and egg), it makes it heavy on the calories.
We have swapped it for a yogurt based dressing, with a little oil to loosen it up. Once the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan and anchovies are added, you really can't tell the difference.
Yes, this dressing has anchovies in it! We finely chop anchovy fillets, however you could stir in anchovy paste if you want them to be less noticeable. It really does take this dressing to another level though.
How to Adapt It
Traditionally, the only salad item used in a Caesar Salad is just Romaine lettuce, but any salad items can be used. The great thing about a salad is that they are so easy to adapt.
Some other ingredients that we love to add are tomatoes, cucumber and spinach. You could even add some sweetcorn to it for some extra crunch.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally a Caesar Salad has croutons and here is a great recipe for them. Not just any croutons though - cheesy, herby croutons. They are so easy to make, and a great way to use up bread that is going a little stale.
Just take a couple of slices of bread (sourdough bread works really well) and cut into 1 inch cubes and scatter on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan (or grated cheddar) and sprinkle with dried oregano.
Put them in a preheated oven at 180°C/160°C(fan)/350°F/Gas 4 for around 8 minutes.
Extra Tips
- To make this salad vegetarian, leave out the chicken and anchovies and use vegetarian alternatives to Parmesan and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add some extra flavour by topping with chopped cooked bacon or even some avocado.
- If you are skipping the chicken, you can give this healthy caesar salad a protein boost with some slices of boiled egg.
- You can save some more calories by leaving our the croutons. But we like the crunch that it gives.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not traditionally. But this one is much lighter than ones you would get in restaurants. We have made our own oven baked croutons, and then we have made a dressing made with Greek yoghurt for creaminess.
We have added chicken to ours, but you could leave it out. To make the dressing vegetarian, you would need to leave out the anchovies, and use a vegetarian alternative to Worcestershire sauce and parmesan.
A salad that has been dressed is nearly impossible to keep fresh in the fridge for more than a few hours. Usually, the dressing will contain an acid, either vinegar or a citrus juice (or both) and it is this acid that breaks down the cell structure of the salad leaves. This releases the water within the leaves, resulting in a wet and wilted leaf.
As with most dressed salads, it is always best to eat immediately. If you want to keep this salad until the next day, store each part (salad, chicken, dressing) separately, in airtight containers. This way, you can have a Caesar Salad up to 3 days later.
More Healthy Salad Recipes
If you’ve tried this healthy chicken caesar salad, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Healthy Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 150 g (10.5 oz) Cooked chicken
- 1 Romaine lettuce
Croutons:
- 1 slice Whole wheat bread - cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
Dressing:
- 5 tablespoon 0% Fat Free Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan - grated
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 Anchovy fillets - finely chopped
- 1 Lemon - (juice only)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
- Put 1 slice Whole wheat bread (cubed) onto a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon Olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon Dried oregano (and grated cheese if you wish). Bake for 8 minutes, or until crunchy.
- Mix together 5 tablespoon 0% Fat Free Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoon Parmesan, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 3 Anchovy fillets and juice of 1 Lemon.
- In a bowl, add 1 Romaine lettuce, 150 g Cooked chicken and the croutons and pour over the dressing. Mix well and serve.
Recipe Tips
- To make this salad vegetarian, leave out the chicken and use vegetarian alternatives to parmesan and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add some extra flavour by topping with chopped cooked bacon or even some avocado.
- If you are skipping the chicken, you can give this healthy caesar salad a protein boost with some slices of boiled egg.
- You can save some more calories by leaving our the croutons. But we like the crunch that it gives.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Beth says
Yum! My daughter and I are definitely going to love this recipe! So excited to try this! Looks so refreshing and so delicious!
Maria says
That looks like a meal of its own! Perfect for those nights when you want something light for dinner.
Katherine Hackworthy says
I love this lightened up version of chicken caesar, especially with fresh crutons!
Cathleen says
I always order a caesar salad at a restaurant when I am given a salad option, so I don't know why I have never made it at home. This is so perfect, thank you so much for the recipe :)
Toni says
I seriously love how easy this is to make!! SO amazing!
Ruth says
Mmmmmm. Making the most of summer whilst we still have it.
Amber says
I live on my own, so I would only use half of this dressing at a time. How long would it keep in the fridge for?
Rebecca says
I am trying to eat a salad every day, but they can get so boring. I shall add this to my list of recipes to try.
Kathy says
What would you suggest for healthier croutons? As I like having a bit of crunch in my salads.
Mariana says
I am so happy to see this. I am trying to stop buying bottles of salad dressing, but I was getting bored of just oil and vinegar. Do you have any other suggestions of salad dressings? Fat free hopefully?
Tia says
This looks and sounds delicious. I am already looking forward to making it.
Vanessa says
Do you not add any salt or pepper to the dressing? I know too much salt is not good for you, but it does add a little extra flavour.
Christy says
I can't get myself to like Greek yoghurt. I find it too bitter. Do you have any suggestions?
Holly says
I never knew how versatile Greek yoghurt was until I started reading your blog. You can do so much with it. Thanks for another idea on how to use it :) x
Katie says
This is one of my favourite salads. Thanks for the healthy version of it.