Air fryer chicken Caesar salad
Juicy air fryer chicken over crisp romaine with a creamy, garlicky Caesar dressing and croutons you make in 5 minutes.
- 35 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $3.64 a serving
- 660 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 slices sourdough bread, torn into bite-size pieces
- ¾ lb chicken breasts, about 2 small breasts
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan, divided
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
From your pantry
- 1½ tbsp olive oil, divided
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp black pepper, divided
Each serving has about 660 calories, 50 g protein, 33 g carbs and 36 g fat, and costs about $3.64 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No sourdough bread? French bread works.
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No romaine lettuce? Green leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 400°F. the torn bread with 1 teaspoon of the oil and of the salt.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Air fry the bread 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the basket once, until and . Tip the croutons onto a plate.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: They keep crisping as they cool, so pull them when they are golden, not brown.the chicken dry, rub it with the rest of the oil, and season both sides with the garlic powder, Italian , ½ teaspoon salt and of pepper.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Air fry the chicken 12 to 16 minutes, flipping halfway, until the thickest part reads 165°F.
Timer: 14 min
Dolly’s tip: Small breasts finish sooner, so start checking at 12 minutes. Overcooked breast is what makes it dry.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Move the chicken to a board and let it 5 minutes while you make the dressing.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 5 min
In a big bowl, the mayonnaise, most of the parmesan, the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, the rest of the pepper and 1 tablespoon of water.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Dolly’s tip: It should pour like heavy cream. Too thick? Whisk in another teaspoon of water.Add the romaine to the bowl and until every leaf is lightly coated.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
the chicken and pile it on the salad with the croutons and the rest of the parmesan.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Dolly’s tip: For lunch, pack the dressing in a small jar and the croutons in a bag, and toss it all together right before you eat so the lettuce stays crisp.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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