Gluten Free Chicken Caesar Salad

This gluten free caesar salad is crisp, fresh, with homemade croutons, grilled chicken and an easy and higher protein caesar dressing recipe that you will love. Plus, it’s dairy free friendly!

gluten free caesar salad in a bowl with chicken and croutons

Caesar salads and wraps were my favorite food group in high school. But, we need a gluten free caesar salad! And I’m absolutely obsessed with this recipe.

It has crispy homemade croutons that only take about 15 minutes to make, a creamy homemade caesar dressing (with no anchovies), grilled chicken, fresh parmesan and crisp romaine lettuce.

Like my massaged kale salad, this recipe is totally customizable – you can go the unconventional route and add extra veggies like tomatoes or grated carrot, make it dairy free, leave out the chicken for a vegetarian version or wrap it up in a tortilla for a gluten free caesar wrap.

If you love this recipe, be sure to try my gluten free pasta salad and healthy egg salad next.

Before we get started….

Romaine lettuce is standard for caesar salads, but you are welcome to mix in some kale, green leaf lettuce, whatever you see fit.
I used gluten free sandwich bread for the croutons. Whatever you have is great – sandwich bread, a baguette, dinner rolls etc.
I bought grilled chicken from Whole Foods, but this grilled chicken recipe is great if you want to make it yourself.

How to make gluten free caesar salad

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut your bread into cubes and add to a baking sheet.

Whisk up the olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper and drizzle on top the bread. Toss to combine. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust flavors as desired.

Chop up your lettuce and add to a bow. I like to add most of the dressing on top, toss to combine, then add the diced chicken, croutons and parmesan, but you can do this in whatever order you like.

Garnish with fresh black pepper and enjoy!

Key ingredients and swaps

Greek yogurt- Caesar dressings don’t usually have greek yogurt, but in place of some of the mayo, I decided to swap in some greek yogurt for a little added protein and nutrient boost.

For a dairy free version, I suggest the Kite Hill dairy free greek style yogurt. Just be sure to get the plain unsweetened and not the vanilla!

Mayo- This is classic for a caesar dressing and will help make it nice and creamy. You can use a vegan mayo that is made without eggs if you prefer.

Parmesan- I used freshly grated parmesan, but you can also swap for my homemade cashew parmesan if you need a dairy free version.

Can I prep it ahead of time?

You can definitely prep the croutons, chicken, dressing etc. ahead of time, but it will be best when it’s all freshly mixed together.

Caesar salads definitely hold up better than other salads, but I still like to store everything separately and mix up fresh so the lettuce stays nice and crisp!

gluten free caesar salad in a bowl with grilled chicken and parmesan

Are caesar salads healthy?

Even gluten free caesar salads aren’t considered to be the healthiest salads, but honestly, this version I would say is healthy. It’s made with simple ingredients, high in protein and lightened up a bit by swapping some of the mayo for greek yogurt.

You can swap all of the mayo for greek yogurt, use a low fat yogurt for an even lighter option. I also love adding in kale in place of half of the romaine to add some more nutrients.

Anchovies in caesar dressing

Anchovy paste is a common ingredient in caesar salad dressings, but I wanted to make this recipe accessible to all so we aren’t including it. I promise you won’t notice any kind of flavor difference.

overhead shot of the gluten free caesar salad with romaine and chicken

More salad recipes you’ll love!

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