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Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips on top on a plate with a fork.

Crispy Chicken and Kale Caesar Salad

Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken is full of delicious flavors and textures.  The kale is fresh and chewy - in the best way!  The Caesar dressing is super easy to make in a blender and brings creaminess and big flavor that's tangy, nutty, salty, garlicky, and delicious!  And finally, on top of all of this goodness is breaded and baked crispy chicken strips with a kiss of lemon zest.

Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword bread salad, caesar dressing, caesar salad, chicken, Chicken Salad, kale, kale salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 406 kcal
Author Carrie Tyler

Ingredients

Kale Caesar Salad

  • 6 cups Kale
  • 1 cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Anchovy paste
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
  • ½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper

Crispy Chicken

  • 1 pound Chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 1 Egg large
  • 2 tablespoons Water
  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Instructions

Prep-Ahead Steps

  1. BREADCRUMBS. Mix the breadcrumbs, salt, ground black pepper.

  2. ZEST. Zest the entire lemon and add 1 tablespoon of it to the breadcrumbs. Cut the lemon in half to be juiced in the next step.

    Hand holding small bowl with lemon zest over breadcrumbs for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

  3. MAKE DRESSING. Into a blender, add the mayonnaise, garlic cloves, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon, Worcestershire, grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Pulse to combine and then blend until smooth.

    Blender with a spoon scooping blended Caesar dressing for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

  4. PREP KALE. If you get the fresh kale on the stalks, they the easiest way to prepare it is to hold the end of the stem with one hand and pull off the leaves along the stem with the other hand.  Rinse the leaves off under cold water in a strainer and pat dry with a towel.  Then thinly slice the kale so that it's easy to eat and it isn't too tough.

    Hand stripping the kale leaves from a stem for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

  5. PREP CHICKEN. Slice the chicken breasts into 1 inch wide strips.

    Knife cutting raw chicken breast into thin strips on a pink cutting board for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

Cooking Steps

  1. PREHEAT. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees and spray a large sheet pan (I used an 17x11 inch) with olive oil cooking spray.

  2. STATIONS. Crack the egg into a separate medium size bowl and whisk it with the water. Get the breadcrumb mixture you prepared and place next to the sheet pan.

    Dish with breadcrumbs and a raw chicken strip on left bottom, above that a dish with beaten eggs with raw chicken strips, and on the right is a sheet pan with breaded chicken strips for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

  3. COAT CHICKEN. Add all of the chicken strips into the egg wash and mix them around to coat each and every piece with the egg.  Then one by one, transfer each chicken strip to the breadcrumbs and flip to coat. Then place on sheet pan that has been coated with olive oil cooking spray. Spray the top of each chicken piece lightly as well.

    Hand spraying olive oil over breaded chicken strips on a sheet pan for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

  4. BAKE. Bake the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes, then take the pan out and flip each piece of chicken over. Bake for another 10 minutes. After a total of 25 minutes in the oven, the chicken should be completely cooked through...browned and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

    Cooked breaded chicken strips on a sheet pan for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

Serve

  1. MIX & ASSEMBLE. Mix the kale and the caesar dressing. Then top with the chicken strips and enjoy! Garnish with more parmesan cheese if desired.

    Tongs tossing kale with caesar dressing in a clear bowl for Kale Caesar Salad with Baked Crispy Lemon Chicken strips

Recipe Notes

  1. Kale will last in the fridge for up to 7 days
  2. If you want to prep the chicken more than 1 day in advance, you can flash freeze the raw breaded chicken on the sheet pan in the freezer, then transfer it to storage container.  To cook, place the raw frozen chicken strips on the pan and cook exactly the same, but add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking after you flip the chicken over.