Give the smash taco trend a chicken Caesar salad twist and thank me later! I’m talking a lemony chicken topping, smashed onto mini tortillas, pan-fried until golden, and topped with a crunchy Caesar salad (plus extra Caesar dressing for dipping!) Perfect for busy weeknights or a crowd-pleasing party bite.
There’s just something about a grilled chicken Caesar salad. The combination of umami flavors and crunchy textures just hits every time and in smash taco form? It’s a little magical.
That’s why I love this smash taco technique so much. They’re so easy to make, hugely deliver on flavor and are so adaptable to different ingredients. And this version is such a fun one.
It really is as simple as mixing ground chicken with a few simple ingredients, pressing onto mini tortillas, then pan-frying and topping with the crunchy salad. I love serving them with extra Caesar dressing on the side for dipping!
If you’re as big a fan of Caesar salad as I am, you might like to try making chicken Caesar salad flatbreads, chicken Caesar crispy rice salad, chicken Caesar pasta salad, creamy chicken Caesar dip or Caesar potato salad too.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken. You could use ground turkey if you prefer.
- Mini tortillas. You can use either wheat or corn tortillas – or gluten-free flour tortillas if you prefer.
- Bacon. I recommend using streaky bacon, and always free-range.
- Crispy chickpeas. These are optional but I love them as an extra crunchy element in the salad topping. I give directions for how to make them in the recipe at the bottom of the page.
- The dressing. This stuff is genuinely SO good – I love to have some on hand all the time. You’ll need aioli (or mayo), Dijon mustard, fish sauce (an easier way to get the classic anchovy flavor into the dressing), white miso paste, grated parmesan cheese and lots of black pepper.
How to make them
Mix all the ingredients for your chicken topping, then press a heaped tablespoon out onto each mini tortilla. You want to make sure it’s a thin, even layer so it cooks quickly. Make your dressing, then toss your salad together.
Heat a little oil in a pan over high heat, then place your taco, chicken side down, into the pan. Press down firmly with a fish slice (or similar) so that the chicken kind of seals itself and ‘smashes’ into the tortilla. This will help it to stick to the tortilla when you flip it.
Once golden and crispy around the edges, remove the cooked tacos from the pan. Spread some of the Caesar dressing on top, then divide the salad mixture between tacos. Top with more grated parmesan, chives and another dollop of Caesar dressing.
Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos FAQs
There are a couple of ways you can get ahead with this recipe. You can prepare every element in advance, then just top the tacos, cook and assemble when you’re ready (the chicken mixture will keep for 3 days, stored in the fridge). If you’re prepping the salad topping ahead of time, don’t add the Caesar dressing until you’re ready to serve, just so it stays nice and crunchy.
You can top the tacos with the chicken mixture up to 24 hours in advance, then store them in the fridge. Make sure to place a piece of baking paper in between each topped taco so they don’t stick together.
Pair them with more Caesar salad on the side, or crispy oven fries, loaded potato wedges or garlic butter potatoes. More Caesar sauce on the side for dipping is a must!
Watch how to make them
Like this recipe? Try these easy tacos 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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Speedy Smash Chicken Caesar Tacos
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 tacos 1x
Description
Give the smash taco trend a chicken Caesar salad twist and thank me later! I’m talking a lemony chicken topping, smashed onto mini tortillas, pan-fried until golden, and topped with a crunchy, umami Caesar salad (plus extra Caesar dressing for dipping!) Perfect for busy weeknights or a crowd-pleasing party bite.
Ingredients
For the salad topping –
- 14oz/400g can of chickpeas, drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 slices of streaky bacon
- 1 Romaine lettuce, shredded
- 3 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
For the Caesar sauce –
- 1/2 cup aioli or mayo
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus extra to serve)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste
- Black pepper
For the tacos –
- 1lb/500g ground chicken
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- Handful of chives, finely chopped (plus more to serve)
- Black pepper
- 12 mini tortillas
Instructions
- Make the crispy chickpeas (optional). I love adding these to the salad itself for some crunch, but you can skip them if you like. Heat your oven to 430F/220C fan and line an oven tray with baking paper. Add your drained chickpeas to the lined tray, then pour over 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Mix to coat the chickpeas, then pop into the oven for 15 minutes, or until they’re golden and crispy on the outside. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Cook the bacon. Add the chopped streaky bacon to a frying pan set over high heat, and cook until super crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Make the Caesar sauce. Add 1/2 cup of aioli ,1/4 cup grated parmesan, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of white miso paste and a very good grind of black pepper to a small bowl and mix well to combine into a cohesive sauce.
- Toss the salad. Add the shredded Romaine, half the crispy chickpeas, crispy bacon, sliced scallions and half of the Caesar dressing to a mixing bowl and toss to combine.
- Mix the chicken topping. Add the ground chicken, lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of dried thyme and a handful of chopped chives to a mixing bowl. Combine well, so that the seasoning is evenly dispersed throughout the chicken.
- Top the tacos. Spread a heaped spoonful of the chicken mix onto each mini tortilla, and spread it into a thin, even layer.
- Cook the tacos. Set a large frying pan or skillet over high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place a topped tortilla, chicken side down, into the pan. Use a fish slice (or similar) to press the tortilla firmly into the pan. This will help it cook quickly and stick to the tortilla when you flip it over. Cook for four minutes, then flip and cook for another minute on the other side. PRO TIP: Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to cook several tacos at once.
- Garnish and serve. Spread a little of the reserved Caesar sauce on top of each taco, then top with the salad. Finish with the extra grated parmesan, chives, crispy chickpeas and an extra dollop of Caesar sauce, then enjoy.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Any leftovers will keep for 3 -4 days, stored in the fridge. They will be soft after storing them in this way, but they’ll still be delicious. You can crisp up the bottom of the tacos on the stovetop for a few minutes if you like!
PREP AHEAD: You can prepare the individual elements in advance, then just top and cook the tacos when you’re ready. The chicken mixture will keep for 3 days in the fridge. If you make the salad topping ahead of time, don’t mix the dressing through until you’re ready to serve, just to keep it nice and crunchy. You can top the tacos with the chicken 24 hours in advance, then store them in the fridge if you like. If you do, make sure you separate the tacos with parchment paper so they don’t stick.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I like to serve the tacos with more of the Caesar salad on the side (and definitely the extra Caesar sauce for dipping!) You could also pair them with crispy oven fries, loaded potato wedges, crispy skin-on roast potatoes or garlic butter potatoes.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 tacos
Hi Kate,
Curious to know what a fish slice is that you mention above?
Hi Michelle! It’s kind of like a large spatula with a flat bottom – see here for an example! https://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenCraft-Professional-Stainless-Slotted-Turner/