Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches
Crispy panko fried chicken is topped with crunchy caesar salad and sandwiched between two slices of garlicky-buttery Texas toast.
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken cutlets or thinly sliced breasts
- 8 slices frozen Texas toast, garlic butter flavor
- 8 sandwich size slices monterey jack cheese mozzarella, havarti or pepper jack work too. Avoid sharp cheese.
- 12 oz bag romaine lettuce, sliced
- 1/3 cup shaved parmesan
- 1/4 cup croutons, crushed
Caesar Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 small garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Chicken Breading
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tso garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2-3 cups oil for pan frying
Instructions
Caesar Dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Place in an airtight container and refigerate until ready to use (it can be made a few days ahead, it lasts 4-5 days in the fridge.
Bread Chicken
- Prepare a frying station with three shallow dishes or bowls. Place the 1 cup flour, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper into the first container.
- Combine eggs and milk in a second dish and whisk until smooth. In the final dish, add panko, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Coat the chicken on both sides in the flour, dunk into the egg wash coating well, then finally into the panko, pressing the crumbs into the chicken so it's fully coated.
Fry Chicken
- Heat oil to 350 degrees in a large skillet. Set up a cooling rack atop a sheet of foil to catch the oil that will drip off the chicken.
- Fry two pieces of chicken at a time in the oil. Cook chicken until it's golden brown on both sides and internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Place chicken on rack to cool.
Make the Texas Toast
- Bake the toast according to the box instructions. Add cheese to each piece of baked toast. Switch the oven to broil and allow cheese to melt and bubble slightly. Be careful not to burn the toast, about 1-2 minutes is all it takes to melt cheese.
Toss Salad
- Toss the chopped romaine with crushed croutons, shaved parmesan and dressing.
Assemble Sandwiches
- To assemble the sandwiches, place toast cheese side up, add the fried chicken, top with prepared caesar salad and place the top toast cheese side down. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don't assemble the sandwiches while the chicken is too hot or it will wilt the salad.
- Prepare the salad dressing ahead for ease, or use your favorite store-bought variety.