The viral crispy rice salad gets a Caesar-inspired makeover with juicy chicken, smoky chickpeas, shredded kale, parmesan-laced crispy rice and a lovely creamy Caesar dressing. Packed with protein, this one is fabulous for meal prep and entertaining.
Crispy rice salads have been doing the rounds on social media, and is one trend that MORE than lives up to the hype. I’ve made a couple of versions of the salad already (this satay crispy rice salad and Mediterranean crispy rice salad), and this Caesar-inspired version is another wonderful twist on the viral trend.
A chicken Caesar salad is always a go-to for me, and this one bulks it out to give it a bit more substance (and extra protein to boot). It’s SUCH a satisfying salad that doesn’t even feel like a salad if that makes sense? It’s hearty, filling and PACKED with the best flavor. My boyfriend couldn’t get enough of this one and may or may not have finished roughly three bowls in a row!
I’ve swapped the traditional rock-hard croutons for smoky crispy chickpeas which bake alongside the crispy rice to save time. These also provide another little hit of protein to the salad and more texture. Kale gives the salad a little more substance and I find it holds up better when mixed with the dressing and stored (lettuce can go a little soggy quite quickly).
Ingredients
- Rice. I’m using long-grain rice (like basmati), but you can use any leftover rice you might have, or use a packet of microwave rice for ease. If you’re making rice specifically for the recipe, I’ve included instructions in the recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Chicken. This is a brilliant recipe for using any leftover chicken you might have from roast chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken. If I’m cooking chicken specifically for this recipe, I like to use the marinade from this grilled chicken Caesar salad.
- Chorizo. Typically I’d use streaky (or American) bacon, and you can absolutely swap the chorizo for bacon here if you like. The chorizo just brings an extra hit of smoky spiciness which I love with the other ingredients.
- Kale. I’m using shredded kale instead of Romaine lettuce because I find it holds up a lot better in the salad and doesn’t go soggy – it retains that satisfying crunchiness. Because we’re using shredded kale, there’s no need to massage any dressing into it before mixing with the salad. If you’re not a kale fan, you can swap it for Romaine or another crunchy lettuce.
- The dressing. You’ll need garlic aioli (or regular or Kewpie mayo), Dijon mustard, parmesan, fish sauce (I find this is easier than using whole anchovies), lemon juice, miso paste and lots of black pepper. I sometimes like to add a little plain yogurt to the dressing too, just to lighten it up slightly.
How to make it
Start by spreading your cooled, cooked rice onto an oven tray and mix it with olive oil, parmesan and paprika. Bake until lovely and crispy, then set aside.
Toss your chickpeas with the seasoning and pop into the oven at the same time to crisp up.
While the rice and chickpeas are in the oven, chop and prepare the rest of the salad and pan-fry your chorizo (or bacon) until crispy. Mix all the ingredients for your Caesar dressing.
Add all your salad ingredients to a mixing bowl (or the serving bowl you’ll serve the salad in to save on washing up!) then pour over the Caesar dressing. Toss well to coat everything in the dressing, then serve.
Got a question?
Once you mix the salad with the dressing and store it, it won’t stay AS crispy as it was originally. This is generally fine if you’re making the salad for yourself and your family, but if you’re entertaining, I recommend mixing the rice and dressing through the salad just before serving for the best texture.
This is a common technique to soften up the kale when serving it raw, but when it’s shredded finely like it is here, it isn’t necessary. It’ll soften up perfectly when mixed with the salad, so there’s no need to do this extra step.
Like this recipe? Try these salads next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Chicken Caesar Crispy Rice Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
The viral crispy rice salad gets a Caesar-inspired makeover with juicy chicken, smoky chickpeas, shredded kale, parmesan-laced crispy rice and a lovely creamy Caesar dressing. Packed with protein, this one is fabulous for meal prep and entertaining.
Ingredients
For the crispy rice –
- 2 cups cooked rice (or 2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
For the crispy chickpeas –
- 14oz/400g can of chickpeas, drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the dressing –
- 1/2 cup aioli or mayonnaise (try this easy egg-free garlic aioli)
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste (or use more Dijon mustard)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- Black pepper
For the salad –
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped or shredded
- 5oz/200g kale, shredded (roughly 4 cups)
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2oz/50g chorizo
- 3 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Cook your rice (skip this step if you use leftover rice). Add 2/3 cup of rice to a small pot you have a lid for. Add 1 cup of water, then set over high heat until you see little bubbles starting to form on top. Pop the lid on, turn the heat right down and leave it to cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat (still with the lid on), and set aside for another 10 minutes, to finish cooking. After this, fluff up the grains with a fork, spread it onto an oven tray lined with parchment paper and pop it into the fridge to cool, for at least 10 minutes.
- Make your cheesy crispy rice. Heat your oven to 400F/200C. If you’re using leftover rice, transfer it to a parchment paper-lined oven tray. If you’re using your fresh rice, get the tray out of the fridge. Drizzle it with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Mix the seasoning through the rice and spread it into a thin even layer. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, to get lovely and crispy. PRO TIP: Check the rice after 15 minutes to see how it’s going – some ovens are a little uneven and you may want to rotate the tray. Check it at 20 minutes too as it can easily burn and again, all ovens are different.
- Make your crispy chickpeas. Arrange your drained chickpeas on a separate lined oven tray, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine the seasoning through the chickpeas, then pop into the oven for 15 minutes, until golden and a little crispy on the outside.
- Mix your Caesar dressing. Add 1/2 cup of aioli, 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of miso paste, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and a very good grind of black pepper to a bowl or a jar. Use a fork to mix well to combine, using the fork to press down on and break up the miso paste into the dressing. PRO TIP: If your dressing is a little thick (this will depend on the aioli and yogurt you use), drizzle in and mix a little water through to loosen it up.
- Prep your salad ingredients. Set a small pan over high heat and cook your diced chorizo for a couple of minutes until crispy. Add the shredded kale, chopped scallions, cooked chorizo, chicken and grated parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl, or the serving bowl you’ll serve the salad in to save on washing up.
- Mix your salad. Remove the crispy rice and chickpeas from the oven, then add to the other ingredients in your mixing bowl. Pour over three-quarters of your Caesar dressing, then toss everything so that the dressing coats everything well. Dollop the remaining dressing on top, then serve.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: Once you mix the salad with the dressing, the rice won’t stay AS crispy as it was originally. This is generally fine if you’re making the salad for yourself and your family, but if you’re entertaining, I recommend mixing the rice and dressing through the salad just before serving for the best texture. The Caesar dressing will keep for a couple of days in the fridge, and the salad, once mixed, will be fine for four to five days.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Use streaky (or American) bacon in place of the chorizo if you like, or you can skip it. You can play around with the ingredients – I like using shredded kale because it holds up well in the dressing, but use Romaine or crunchy lettuce if you prefer (though it does tend to get a little soggy over time). If you’re looking for a recipe to follow to make chicken specifically for the salad, I recommend using this grilled chicken Caesar salad recipe.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: salads
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Calories: 567
- Sugar: 5.2g
- Sodium: 1567.4mg
- Fat: 29.9g
- Saturated Fat: 8.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46.5g
- Fiber: 5.5g
- Protein: 28.5g
- Cholesterol: 45.4mg
Made this for dinner tonight, so so so yum. Definitely being added to my dinner rotation. Kind of addicted to the crispy rice, tbh. I even successfully made the aioli recipe suggested for the dressing (had backup mayo just in case)