When the weather starts to get hot, there’s nothing I crave more than caesar salad. I’ve always been obsessed with caesar dressing, croutons, and cheese, so it makes sense. My favorite thing to do for lunch in college was scoot over to the express lunch line at the pub and get a chicken caesar wrap to eat in my room. I would catch up on my favorite TV shows between classes. Lately I’ve been craving chicken caesar salad. So, I set out to create a cold and hot chicken caesar schnitzel, which combines two of my favorite things. Fresh, tangy chicken caesar salad and crispy fried chicken schnitzel.

My Love of Caesar Salad

I used to eat a lot of those premade chicken caesar salad kits when I was younger. Always busy or stressed with some project or job. So, I would get creative in my dorm room, or at home after college. I would take half of the lettuce out to save for later. It would make sure my caesar salad was drenched in sauce. Then, I would make a wrap with the salad, cheese, croutons, and leftover chicken. This was my go-to for a while, and reminded me of that wrap I loved in college. I got the idea for chicken caesar schnitzel thinking about this, and craving fried chicken. Is there anything better?

This week at the farmers market I set my sights on butter lettuce. The farm stand had rows and rows of stacked crates, artfully tilted and filled with fresh vegetables. Salad mixes. Radishes. Lettuces. Rhubarb. So, I picked up a head of butter lettuce, a green bowling ball of silky, satiny lettuce leaves. Vibrant green with natural dark spots. I knew I wanted to make a chicken caesar salad, but I couldn’t stop thinking about fried chicken. Milanese. Schnitzel. So, I found myself at home quickly pounding chicken breast with a meat mallet under plastic wrap and dredging them in flour, eggs, and panko. A tedious process in the kitchen, but well worth it. The key to fried chicken, in my opinion, is to get your chicken super thin.

Farmers Market + Salad Dressing

At the same time, I made a homemade caesar salad dressing. If you’re not familiar with the recipe, it contains egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt, Worcestershire sauce, oil, and parmesan cheese. Anchovies, too, if you like them. It’s super easy to emulsify with so much fat, so I just pop all of my ingredients into a cup blender. It creates a super creamy, thick, luscious sauce. Instead of croutons, I decided to use the panko as my breading element. The jagged panko pieces give my chicken a really crisp, crunchy crust that makes a perfect base for salad on top. I love the contrast of something rich and fried and warm with something cold, fresh, and acidic. So, I was super excited to make and eat the chicken caesar schnitzel I had dreamed up.

After shallow frying my chicken in a pan with oil, I marveled at the golden brown and crisp crust and let it rest momentarily. I saved some of my caesar salad dressing for another day and tossed a generous amount of my butter lettuce leaves (ripping them each into bite size pieces) with a big dollop of dressing. Once they were slathered to my liking, I plated the dish. First, a small smear of caesar dressing to hold the chicken down. Then, a big handful of salad on top. Lastly, I sprinkled on some salt and cracked black pepper. And fresh shaved parmesan. It looked like a restaurant dish. And I couldn’t wait to eat it. If I saw “chicken caesar schnitzel” on a restaurant menu, I know I would order it in a heartbeat.

Fried Chicken Caesar Schnitzel

I ate this chicken caesar schnitzel for lunch. Normally I save fried chicken for dinner, but I had to test my creation. I’ve been seeing restaurants and cafes make chicken caesar schnitzel sandwiches lately on Instagram. Nothing makes me hungrier than seeing fried chicken and slaw and cheese between perfectly grilled homemade bread. So when I took my first bite, I quickly realized it didn’t need to be a sandwich (as much as I love sandwiches). The chicken holds up as the main focus of the dish and is so satisfying and crisp. With each bite, you collect a bundle of lettuce leaves and Caesar dressing and the rich chicken becomes lighter. The tang of the lemon and acidity in the dressing goes so well with the crisp, oily breadcrumbs. It reminds me of eating a caesar salad with extra croutons. 

I could eat this dish all day, and admittedly I almost ate the entire huge piece I photographed for my lunch. It’s one of those dishes that you wonder why you don’t make it more. It’s so simple, satisfying, and easy to make. The farm lettuce is such a perfect vehicle for sauce and makes me feel good about what I’m eating. Life is all about balance, so eating fried chicken with salad feels like a perfect compromise. If you love caesar salad, prepare to crave the chicken caesar schnitzel all the time.

Balance

Other than cooking, I’ve been searching for balance lately. I’ve been super busy with painting, fulfilling card orders, and trying to also have fun. Enjoying the summer and warm weather. So sometimes I feel like I don’t have a moment to breathe. Last night I pushed myself to finish this painting on top of another custom painting I finished earlier. But I’m always wary of burnout. I made over 100 watercolors during the pandemic. I stopped painting for a while to focus on other things, and was so scared that I’d never paint again. It gave me huge anxiety whenever I tried. So, I’m trying to be grateful that I can paint at all. And to be grateful for the talent I’ve honed and worked so hard on. 

But, I’m scared of becoming burnt out again if I don’t balance my painting with other things that make me calm. Rest. Cooking chicken caesars schnitzel for fun. Painting just for fun, too. Watching TV. Spending time with people I love. So, my goal for this week is to pump the brakes a little bit and take my time. I was planning to push myself and create two recipes, but I’m going to see how I feel. No pressure. I’m super excited to get back to the farmers market this week and create something with strawberries, basil, or mint. Three of my favorite things that are back in season! The one thing I know is that I love cooking and baking and have never grown tired of it. So, I look forward to getting creative and seeing what’s next!

If you like my recipes and paintings, go ahead and check out Etsy for hundreds of my recipe cards and art prints! Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thanks so much for reading.

Print Pin

Chicken Caesar Salad Schnitzel

A crispy fried chicken cutlet with caesar salad slaw

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword caesar salad, chicken caesar salad, fried chicken

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup AP flour
• 2 eggs + 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 cups frying oil vegetable or canola
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 anchovies optional
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Freshly shaved parmesan

Instructions

• Start by making caesar dressing: In a blender, combine egg yolks, mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, and lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds to combine.
• Add vegetable oil 1/3 at a time and blend until creamy. Remove from blender and add parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For the chicken, butterfly and pound cutlets with a meat mallet. Season with salt and pepper before breading.
• Prepare three plates with your 1 cup of flour on the first, the 2 eggs and cream in the second, and the panko, 1/3 cup parmesan, and Italian seasoning in the third.
• Dredge your chicken pieces in flour and shake off excess. Then, coat in egg mixture. Transfer to panko mixture and coat throughly. Press the panko into the chicken to form a tight crumb.
• Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat with 2 cups of frying oil. Once oil has reached about 350°F, fry your chicken one large piece at a time until golden on both sides.
• Remove from oil and let cool on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. I place tin foil under my paper towels to keep the grease from getting on my baking sheet.
• When ready to plate, smear a small spoonful of caesar dressing onto the plate and place your chicken on top. Then, tear your butter lettuce into bite size pieces and fold through about 1/4 cup of caesar dressing.
• Place salad mixture on top of each chicken cutlet and finish with salt and pepper and fresh shaved parmesan.

Notes

• I like to use a non-stick skillet to fry my chicken cutlets as it helps keep them crispy with the non-stick action. 
• If you like your salad extra lemony, serve your chicken with lemon slices on the side. 
• Season your flour and panko mixtures with whatever spices you like! Rosemary, thyme, garlic, go wild.