Quick & Easy Caesar Chicken Salad – for Wraps, Sandwiches and More
Need a 10-minute dinner idea that you can serve either cold or hot? Everyone will love caesar chicken salad made with pre-cooked chicken. Used as a filling for wraps, sandwiches, or served on a bed of lettuce, this will become your fall-back recipe for those busy weeknights to keep out of the takeout lines!
Our family absolutely loves Caesar anything – this slaw is fabulous, and we eat this classic dressing often – so I was pretty sure that combining chicken, lettuce, parmesan and Caesar dressing was going to go over well around here.
Um, yes, they immediately asked me when I would be making these again after tasting this delicious caesar chicken salad!
What’s even better than that, is that this meal comes together quickly whether I use my Spiced Whole Rotisserie Slow Cooked Chicken from the slow cooker, a store bought rotisserie chicken, or even cans of cooked chicken.
TIP: When using either of the rotisserie chickens, you will have leftover chicken you can frozen in portions you can use for easy dinners like this. It’s one of my biggest tricks for those nights we need quick meals.
Plus, theses wraps can be served with the chicken either warm or cold, depending on the weather and what your family feels like.
Ingredients & Variations
You only need 5 basic ingredients for this 10 minute recipe:
- Cooked chicken
- Parmesan
- Lettuce
- Tortillas – or pita, sandwich bread, or crackers to eat from a bowl – or simply use lettuce leaves for wraps or serve on a bed of lettuce.
- Optional veggies – I really like to add sweet onions to the chicken salad mixture and occasionally will chop up come sweet red peppers to add. Totally up to you.
- Caesar salad dressing– you can use this easy homemade classic caesar salad dressing or store bought (no shame around here, but do make sure it’s got quality ingredients).
If you haven’t tried homemade, I’m here to tell you it’s so easy (whir it all in a blender easy) and really good.
How to Make Caesar Chicken Salad
Mix chopped or shredded chicken with some of the dressing and parmesan in a medium bowl. Add any optional vegetables you’re using.
Layer it on tortillas, bread or wrap of choice, top with shredded romaine lettuce, more dressing and cheese, and roll up.
Or serve on a bed of lettuce, drizzling more dressing over.
Yep, you need this easy caesar chicken salad recipe on your go-to dinner list, right?
While these wraps are a one-dish meal easy to take to outdoor games and activities, they are just as good on a regular menu rotation, plugged in on those nights it’s busy or we just don’t feel like cooking (hello, 100 degree summer days).
Serving Ideas & FAQ
For dinner I often serve them with chips and salsa or carrot sticks, cut veggies, and hummus.
Other options include:
–chopped bean & veggie salad
–shaved cabbage slaw with feta
-baked fries
-potato chips
As written, this recipe is healthy with lean protein from chicken, a homemade real-food ingredient dressing (or the best you can buy) and lettuce. If using a wrap, it’s the equivalent of one piece of bread instead of two for sandwiches.
You can make the tortilla part healthier by using whole wheat or low carb wraps, or lose it altogether and wrap your dressed chicken in a piece of lettuce instead of shredding it inside.
It really depends on the ingredients you use and what type of diet you’re following.
Ah, someone after our spicy-loving family’s heart! Yes – to make this into a “spicy caesar chicken salad,” add either 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to your dressing or 2 tablespoons to 1/3 cup hot sauce to the dressing. This is obviously to taste, so start with the lower amount and increase as you’d like.
Of course – that would be yummy, too. You can use any kind of cooked chicken you like, really.
So…quick, easy, delicious and versatile? I know these will become a regular in your menu rotation, just like they are on ours!
Cook Once, Eat 2-3 Times More
Like I mentioned, I regularly make a Slow Cooker Rotisserie-Style Whole Chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken, eat it as is for one meal, and then remove the remaining meat to package up and freeze for future meals.
Stocking your freezer with containers of pre-cooked chicken means you can make all kinds of quick and easy dinners like these:
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Easy Caesar Chicken Salad for Wraps, Sandwiches and More
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rotisserie chicken OR Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken
- 1 cup homemade Caesar salad dressing divided (or a quality store bought dressing)
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 head romaine lettuce shredded*
- 8 flour tortillas, pita, sandwich bread – optional
Instructions
- To Make Warm Wraps:
- Shred the cooked chicken to equal about 4 cups (roughly equal to 2 breasts and and 1 thigh) and add to a medium pot.
- Stir 3/4 cup of the Caesar dressing and parmesan into the chicken and heat over medium-low heat until warmed, 5-10 minutes – usually about the time it takes to wash and shred the lettuce and prep any other meal items. (NOTE: if starting with hot chicken, simply shred and mix like the cold directions below.)
- Divide the chicken mixture evenly between the tortillas or bread of choice and top with a large handful of lettuce and more parmesan. Drizzle a bit more dressing over the lettuce before rolling up and cutting in half. OR fill lettuce leaves or serve on a bed of lettuce.
- To Make Cold Wraps (for picnics, lunches, and hot summer nights):
- Shred the cooked chicken to equal 4 cups and add to a medium sized bowl.
- Stir in 3/4 cup of the dressing and half the parmesan.
- Divide mixture between tortillas or bread of choice, top with lettuce and remaining parmesan. Drizzle with more dressing and roll up. OR fill lettuce leaves or serve on a bed of lettuce.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in April 2014.
My family would love that. We all love Caesar Salad.
We had wraps tonight, too! It’s one of my favorite, what-the-heck-am-I-gonna-make-for-dinner, meals. You can go to any country, with any protein, drizzle on some sauce, and it’s delicious. It was Thai-themed tonight. Ground pork with lots of ginger and garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, and honey. Lettuce, red bell pepper, cucumber, radish, and cilantro for filling in. (Clean out the crisper drawer) Lots of sriracha up on top for heat. Good stuff, Maynard! As frustrating as it is sometimes at the end of the meal plan, when the fridge is empty, some of the best meals are born that way.
Totally agree, Mindy! Wraps, roasting, or chopped salads are my go-to ways to use up bit’s and pieces of veggies – and you’re so right, many times they’re our favorite dishes!