These chicken Caesar smash tacos are the ultimate twist on a classic. Juicy, lemony ground chicken is smashed onto mini tortillas, pan-fried until golden, then piled high with a crunchy Caesar salad (plus extra dressing for dipping). Weeknight-friendly and dangerously delicious.
Why Smash Chicken Caesar Tacos Work
There’s just something about a really good chicken Caesar salad. The creamy, garlicky, umami-packed dressing, the crunchy lettuce, the juicy chicken…it hits every single time. And in smash taco form? It’s a little bit magical.
After my viral smash dumpling tacos went a little wild, I’ve been looking at basically every meal thinking, ‘could you be a smash taco?’ And a chicken Caesar version seemed like a bit of a no-brainer. It’s already a crowd favorite, and spoiler alert, it works brilliantly in smash taco form.
Smash tacos are one of my absolute favorite quick dinner tricks. They’re easy, packed with flavor, and endlessly adaptable, as this version proves.
It really is as simple as:
- Mixing ground chicken with a few Caesar-inspired ingredients.
- Pressing it onto mini tortillas.
- Pan-frying until golden and crispy.
- Loading on a crunchy Caesar salad topping (plus lots of lovely dressing, obviously!)
And if you’re a fellow Caesar fan, you’ll love some of my other twists on the classic, like my chicken Caesar salad flatbreads, chicken Caesar crispy rice salad, chicken Caesar pasta salad, creamy chicken Caesar dip, or Caesar potato salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 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, Greek yogurt, or whipped cottage cheese), 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 Smash Caesar Tacos
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the tacos – the full recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Mix the ingredients for your chicken Caesar topping.
- Press a heaped tablespoon onto each mini tortilla. You want to make sure you smooth it into 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.
- Flip the taco, and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side, just to crisp up the tortilla.
- Spread some of the Caesar dressing onto the tacos, then top with the Caesar salad. Sprinkle with 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!
This usually comes down to one of two things:
– You need to really press the taco into the pan when you add it (I like using a fish slice, or a flat spatula for this). This helps the chicken cook quickly and helps to seal it to the tortilla.
– Make sure your pan is nice and hot when you add the tacos. Again, this helps the chicken cook and seal to the tortilla.
At the end of the day, it’s not a huge deal if the meat doesn’t stick, though. It still tastes the same, so don’t worry too much!
Watch How to Make the Smash Tacos
Like this recipe? Try these easy smash 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
These chicken Caesar smash tacos are the ultimate twist on a classic. Juicy, lemony ground chicken is smashed onto mini tortillas, pan-fried until golden, then piled high with a crunchy Caesar salad (plus extra dressing for dipping). Weeknight-friendly and dangerously delicious.
Ingredients
For the Caesar salad topping –
- 14 oz (400g) can of chickpeas, drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 slices of bacon
- 1 Romaine lettuce, shredded
- 3 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
For the Caesar sauce –
- 1/2 cup aioli or mayo (or Greek yogurt or whipped cottage cheese)
- 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 –
- 1 lb (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. You can do this in the oven or air fryer. Mix your drained chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Oven: Heat your oven to 425°F (220°C fan) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer to the lined pan and pop into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’re golden and crispy on the outside. Remove from the oven and set aside. Air fryer: Transfer the chickpeas to your air fryer basket, and air fry for 15 to 20 minutes, giving them a shake halfway through, until super golden and crispy.
- Cook the bacon. Add the bacon to a frying pan set over high heat, and cook until super crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, then chop into small pieces.
- Make the Caesar sauce. Add ½ cup of aioli, ¼ 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. I like using a fork to press and mash the miso paste into the dressing.
- 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 the seasoning is evenly mixed through 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 flat spatula) to press the tortilla firmly into the pan. This will help the meat 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 more grated parmesan, chives, crispy chickpeas, and an extra dollop of Caesar sauce, then enjoy.
Notes
TOPPING NOT STICKING TO YOUR TORTILLAS? Make sure your pan is nice and hot, and you need to press down firmly on your tortilla with a fish slice, or similar flat spatula, to really ‘smash’ it into the hot pan. This way, you’re kind of ‘sealing’ the meat to the tortilla as it cooks. But please don’t worry if it doesn’t stick! It will still taste the same.
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/
These are amazing! So good! Thank you!
Yayyyy I’m so pleased you loved them Kathy! They’re such a fave for me too xx Kate