Keto Caesar salad

Keto Caesar salad

A true keto salad classic: moist chicken and crispy bacon are served on a bed of crunchy Romaine lettuce. In our version, we don't skimp on the dressing or the parmesan cheese!
March 31 2017 recipe by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Lunch, Meal

Keto Caesar salad

A true keto salad classic: moist chicken and crispy bacon are served on a bed of crunchy Romaine lettuce. In our version, we don't skimp on the dressing or the parmesan cheese!
USMetric
2 servingservings

Ingredients

Dressing
  • ½ cup 120 ml mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ ½ lemon, zest and juicelemons, zest and juice
  • ¼ cup (2⁄3 oz.) 60 ml (20 g) grated shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp finely chopped filets of anchovies
  • 1 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely choppedgarlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
  • salt and pepper
Salad
  • 12 oz. 350 g chicken breast, bone-in with skinchicken breasts, bone-in with skin
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 oz. 85 g bacon
  • 7 oz. (41⁄3 cups) 200 g (1 liter) Romaine lettuce, chopped
  • ½ cup (11⁄3 oz.) 120 ml (40 g) shredded Parmesan cheese
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Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Mix the ingredients for the dressing with a whisk or an immersion blender. Set aside in the refrigerator.
  3. Place the chicken breasts in a greased baking dish.
  4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil or melted butter on top. Bake the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked through. You can also cook the chicken on the stove top if you prefer.
  5. Fry the bacon until crisp. Place lettuce as a base on two plates. Top with sliced chicken and the crispy, crumbled bacon.
  6. Finish with a generous dollop of dressing and a good grating of parmesan cheese.

Tip

This recipe works great with chicken leftovers or with a store-bought rotisserie chicken as well. To warm up cold left-over sliced chicken, fry it in a bit of butter for a tasty, warm addition.

If you miss croutons and aren't in a hurry, check out our recipe for low-carb parmesan croutons.

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What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

48 comments

  1. 1
    David Waterbury
    March 26 2017
    I use the following recipe from Kenji Lopez-Alt in The Food Lab Cookbook. I make it with his "2 Minute Mayonnaise." I use freshly ground black pepper and additional parmesan cheese plus garnish with chopped anchovies:

    MAKES ABOUT 3/4 CUP
    Ingredients
    1/2 cup Mayonnaise
    1 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about 1/2cup)
    1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    2 anchovy fillets
    2 medium cloves garlic, minced or grated on a Microplane (about 2 teaspoons)
    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Directions
    1. Combine the mayonnaise, cheese, Worcestershire, anchovies, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until homogeneous, about 15 seconds, scraping down the sides once or twice during processing as necessary. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Whisk in water a teaspoon at a time until the dressing is just thin enough to flow slowly off a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The dressing will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

  2. 2 comments removed
  3. 4
    Carole
    April 1 2017
    Excellent dinner, although I made a few changes. For the sauce I combined the recipe herewith elements from another recipe I had, ending up with a tasty, zesty dressing we all loved:

    MAKES 1 CUP DRESSING
    Mix together:
    1-1/2 TB fresh lemon juice
    2 tsp. grated lemon zest
    1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
    1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    (optional: add 1 tsp. anchovy paste—but since Worcestershire has anchovy in it, the paste probably isn't needed—I didn't use it)

    Add in:
    1 cup Mayonnaise
    1/2 cup. fresh grated Parmesan

    Dressing will keep a week.
    ______________

    We all loved this salad and dressing. In addition to chicken and crumbled bacon, I also included sliced boiled egg, tomato wedges and avocado wedges.

    Family LOVED this, so I'm putting this on frequent meal rotation! This one needs to be included in the BACON section!

  4. 5
    Jocelyn
    April 6 2017
    I don't usually like a Caesar Salad when ordered from a restaurant, so I made this with caution. However it was delicious. I used speck in place of the bacon for chunkier pieces and it worked well. Highly recommend. I had it for lunch and didn't need anything for dinner, a plus (minus) for me!
  5. 6
    Rosalia
    April 26 2017
    This salad is exquisite. I did add some more vegetables like raw spinach and raw celery.
    I used a little more chicken breast. I cooked the chicken breast in the oven and afterwards as it did not turn out nice and golden I fried it in some butter. The juices of the chicken from the oven I added to my dressing.
    I did change the dressing to my liking. Added a whole lemon juice and some raw apple cider vinegar. I also added whole can of anchovies as I did not want to throw it away. You do not taste the anchovies at all after blending it all together.
    I ended up with enough for 4 servings! Very filling and not super greasy.
  6. 7
    Anne O'Neil
    June 21 2017
    What a brilliant salad. Wonder if adding a bit of fresh crushed garlic to the sauce would give it the tiny taste difference that was missing?

    Is a definite keeper, so simple to prepare, I even used my own homemade mayo for it :D

  7. 8
    Jeffrey
    October 15 2017
    Try grilling the romaine. It's adds such an amazing depth of flavor.
  8. 9
    Candy
    November 24 2017
    "1/2 romain lettuce"(2 srv) - 1/2 head? 1/2 pound? 1/2 cup? I'm guessing 1/2 head, but that's so vague due to variation in size.
  9. 10
    Victoria
    February 25 2018
    Love this, it was delicious. Fresh and lemony, perfect for a packed lunch. I substituted a few dashes of Worcestershire because I didn't want to deal with anchovies.
  10. 11
    BB
    May 3 2018
    Hi i made this dressing yesterday but it definitely lacked something (garlic) as you cant have a caesar salad without it....I added it but i'm also going to use some of the suggestions above - worchestershire and less lemon juice....
  11. 12
    Michelle Stone
    May 16 2018
    Hi, I made this today for lunch. I added Australian mustard instead of Dijon (didn't have any left) and Shallots. Also added boiled eggs. Opted out the anchovies due to kids. To make it quick I used store bought BBQ chicken. Yummy is all I can say.
  12. 13
    What's her face
    May 18 2018
    Hey just wondering what the serving size is for this recipe....... anyone know??
    Reply: #14
  13. 14
    Reply to comment #13 by What's her face
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    May 19 2018
    Hi!

    Choose 1 serving (left side below picture)

    Hey just wondering what the serving size is for this recipe....... anyone know??

  14. 15
    Geordi
    July 2 2018
    What is the exact amount of the Romaine that it is calling for I-4 servings? It really does not say??? Thnks
  15. 16
    Lea
    July 15 2018
    1 Romaine lettuce = one heart? What did you all use? YES to the garlic. I've never made or had a Caesar without garlic!
  16. 17
    Donna Mendes
    July 18 2018
    Can someone please tell me the macros for the dressing only? The dressing is lovely! The whole family lived it!
  17. 18
    Janice Okoh
    January 7 2019
    just divine. Will definintely make it again and use the sauce on other things! Will add some celery to the salad next time.
  18. 19
    Christine
    March 13 2019
    I love a good Caesar, I have to say this salad was excellent! The dressing was very tasty and I will definitely make this again and again!
  19. 20
    Annette
    April 4 2019
    This came out SOOOO salty for me last night. It was like I was eating a salt lick. I think the anchovies in the dressing took the saltiness to a whole other plateau. I'm want to make this again, but I'm a little afraid however.
  20. 21
    Jan
    May 2 2019
    This salad was beyond delicious; we loved it and is definitely a keeper. I did not use anchovies as we do not like them and the salad is complete without them. I used chicken, but may prepare again just using the bacon. Loved the Caesar dressing. If rating on a scale of one to ten, I give this a twelve. lol And in one word: Excellence.
  21. 22
    Jan
    May 21 2019
    LOVE this dish; however, we buy a Rotisiree chicken, and cut part of the breast in slices. The rest goes into other recipes for the next day and even place some in the food processor for chicken salad. It is delicious but oh so economical! We leave out anchovies--as they are so rich and it is complete without them.
    As for the post before me on April 4--the anchovies are the reason for the extreme saltiness.
  22. 23
    Diane
    May 22 2019
    Awesome! I can get used to this!
  23. 24
    Jeanette
    June 3 2019
    I love this recipe! However, one quick question - for one serving - 3.5 ounces of lettuce and 5-1/3 ounces of chicken - is this by weight or volume? I’m not complaining, but I made this by weight and there sure is a lot of food on my plate!
    Reply: #25
  24. 25
    Reply to comment #24 by Jeanette
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    June 4 2019

    I love this recipe! However, one quick question - for one serving - 3.5 ounces of lettuce and 5-1/3 ounces of chicken - is this by weight or volume? I’m not complaining, but I made this by weight and there sure is a lot of food on my plate!

    Ounces are always by weight unless the recipe specifies fluid ounces.

  25. 26
    Cristina
    June 13 2019
    This was delicious! However, I wanted to double check the macros. Are they really that high per serving?
    Reply: #27
  26. 27
    Reply to comment #26 by Cristina
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    June 14 2019

    This was delicious! However, I wanted to double check the macros. Are they really that high per serving?

    Which macro were you concerned about? The fat is from the dressing and the bacon and the protein is from the bacon, cheese and chicken.

  27. 28
    Rasha
    August 6 2019
    Delicious!
  28. 29
    Lara
    August 8 2019
    What can I use to substitute maionese ?
    Reply: #30
  29. 30
    Reply to comment #29 by Lara
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    August 8 2019

    What can I use to substitute maionese ?

    I'm sorry, I do not have a good suggestion for a substitute for the mayonnaise in this dressing.

  30. 31
    enainaam
    December 13 2019
    What can i substitute bacon with as i dont eat it?
    Reply: #32
  31. 32
    Reply to comment #31 by enainaam
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    December 13 2019

    What can i substitute bacon with as i dont eat it?

    You can omit it or use beef/turkey bacon.

  32. 33
    Cassieoz
    December 15 2019
    I occasionally shop at a large discount store that stocks 100% parmesan crisps. There are always a lot of broken bits in the bottom of the bag and I use them as cheesy 'croutons' in my caesar salad. Broken pork rinds add nice crunch too.
  33. 34
    Deb Pettit
    December 18 2019
    I didn't have any anchovies so used Chinese fish sauce.... Perfect!
  34. 35
    Bfogle1993
    February 29 2020
    This was absolutely amazing. My wife who isnt on keto tried it and she loved it and she hates salads usually
  35. 36
    hampshirebf
    May 6 2020
    we have left over dressing. how long will it keep in the fridge?
    Reply: #37
  36. 37
    Reply to comment #36 by hampshirebf
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    May 6 2020

    we have left over dressing. how long will it keep in the fridge?

    The dressing should keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

  37. 38
    discerningtaste
    June 14 2020
    Classic recipe to enjoy again and again BUT it didn't satiate me as I thought it would. I will add some avocado or something else to ensure that this carries me to the next meal. Excellent recipe!
    Reply: #39
  38. 39
    Reply to comment #38 by discerningtaste
    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
    June 14 2020

    Classic recipe to enjoy again and again BUT it didn't satiate me as I thought it would. I will add some avocado or something else to ensure that this carries me to the next meal. Excellent recipe!

    It's perfectly fine to add more fat as needed for satiety.
    Here are some ideas for you!
    https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/how-to-eat-more-fat

  39. 40
    Jeanene
    July 15 2020
    Delicious. My mom and I loved this recipe.
  40. 41
    Leesa
    August 18 2020
    This was delicious. I used rotisserie chicken. I didnt have time to make lemon zest so I just squeezed the juice from 1/2 a lemon. I could not eat it fast enough!! - Very good!
  41. 42
    Camille
    August 25 2020
    I really enjoyed this salad. I put the chicken in the oven and the anchovy's make the dressing taste so good.
    Reply: #43
  42. 43
    Reply to comment #42 by Camille
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    August 25 2020

    I really enjoyed this salad. I put the chicken in the oven and the anchovy's make the dressing taste so good.

    Yes!! No skipping the anchovies. :)

  43. 9 comments removed
  44. 53
    ANDREW
    January 25 2021
    Nice recipe, thanks. From the comments, it looks like many people like to tweak the sauce -- as I did. I try not to overdo salt, and most anchovies I look at are something like 15g per 100g, which is far too high a proportion for me. Following the suggestions above, I used a big splash of Worcestershire Sauce instead, and this worked just fine. As often happens, when I looked at the final dish, it didn't seem enough food to satisfy me -- but after eating, I felt like it was absolutely the right quantity. I'll make this again for sure.
  45. 54
    Ann
    August 2 2021
    Probably not a good idea to eat this salad frequently. There is not a lot of fibre in it for a healthy gut. The salad would be more healthy with finely sliced celery and as much other raw salad vegetables and herbs as possible. We shouldn't underestimate how much raw food we should be eating to help our gut flora. But the dressing and the chicken are great.
  46. 55
    Deanna
    September 7 2021
    This salad was great! Best ever!!
  47. 56
    Richard
    November 12 2021
    Really enjoyed this recipe. Next time though, I think I will dial down the anchovies slightly and also the amount of parmesan sprinkled on the salad. I like the idea of adding a little Worcestershire Sauce, will give that a go.
  48. 57
    Jane
    January 1 2022
    I halved the salad and dressing and doubled the meat. Otherwise there was a huge amount, and far too rich!
  49. 58
    wendytmele@gmail.com
    June 15 2022
    For the salad dressing, I doubled this recipe so I would have it for the next time and without the time spent making the dressing. It should keep in the fridge easily for 2-4 weeks.
    I have a lot of Caesar salad dressing recipes and this has turned out to be my favourite. So Yummy!
    I don't like anchovies, so instead I added 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce and 2 Tablespoons capers for the double recipe. This recipe was amazing and very satisfying.
    Reply: #59
  50. 59
    Reply to comment #58 by wendytmele@gmail.com
    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
    June 15 2022

    For the salad dressing, I doubled this recipe so I would have it for the next time and without the time spent making the dressing. It should keep in the fridge easily for 2-4 weeks.
    I have a lot of Caesar salad dressing recipes and this has turned out to be my favourite. So Yummy!
    I don't like anchovies, so instead I added 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce and 2 Tablespoons capers for the double recipe. This recipe was amazing and very satisfying.

    Sounds great! Smart to make extra dressing for later!

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