croutons

Cajun Air fryer Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

March 1, 2021 1 Comment

This Crispy Cajun Caesar Salad recipe is Amazing! It’s LOADED with Spicy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, a EASY Homemade Caesar Dressing and paired with Crisp Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese and delicious Croutons! It makes such a delicious lunch or dinner salad!

plate of chicken tenders which are crispy and air fried

homemade caesar salad dressing in a bowl

What kind of lettuce is in chicken Caesar Salad?

Romaine or sometimes known as cos lettuce is most commonly used for Caesar salad recipes. The lettuce has a long oblong shape. The outer lettuce leaves can sometimes be mildly bitter however the centre of the romaine lettuce tends to be sweeter in flavour.

Do you love croutons with salad? – Well try out my AMAZING QUICK & EASY RECIPE!

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CROUTONS IN AN AIR FRYER

How to cut romaine lettuce for salad

The best way to cut romaine lettuce for a Caesar salad is to cut the tough bottom root off, slice the romaine down the middle to make two halves and then finally chop into 1.5/2 inch square pieces.

How to dry lettuce without a salad spinner

To dry lettuce without a salad spinner lay the washed lettuce leaves on top of a clean kitchen towel or disposable kitchen towels. Then get another towel to gently press against the top side of the lettuce to soak up any excess water still remaining on the leaves.

romaine lettuce in a bowl mixed with homemade caesar salad dressing

What cheese is used in air fryer chicken Caesar salad?

Classically Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is made in Italy, is used for Caesar salad. Or more commonly available parmesan cheese is also used. The hard cheese is within the Caesar salad dressing and also typically grated on top of the salad for additional flavour.

What is Caesar dressing made of

Caesar salad dressing is made of the following ingredients;

Grated parmesan cheese
Garlic clove
Tinned Anchovies
Fresh Lemon juice
Dijon Mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper
Mayonnaise

How to make your own Caesar salad dressing

Homemade Caesar dressing tastes so much better than store bought versions! My recipe for the dressing is lovely thick and creamy therefore coats the romaine lettuce in the salad quite well. The process of making the Caesar dressing is pretty easy as you just blend all the ingredients until smooth. I find the best tool for making the dressing is a food processor to achieve the best smooth texture.

homemade caesar salad dressing in a food processor

How to make Caesar salad dressing without mayonnaise

You can also make Cesar salad without mayonnaise. Instead you would incorporate egg yolks rather than mayonnaise and with the addition of olive oil to make the Caesar dressing. The consistency is usually slightly runnier than the dressing recipes containing mayonnaise

What goes well with chicken Air Fryer Caesar salad?

Caesar salad can be a standalone dish by itself as it is very filling especially with the addition of carbs from the croutons and protein when topped with chicken. The popular dish also appears in many mainstream fast food restaurants such as; Wendy’s, Chick fil a, McDonalds, cheesecake factory, featuring their own rendition of the classic dish.

As well as chicken Caesar salad being a side dish it can also be paired within other recipes. Here are some popular pairings below;

Chicken Caesar pasta salad
Chicken Caesar salad wrap
Buffalo chicken Caesar salad
Chicken Caesar salad pizza

How to make crispy chicken Caesar salad

Caesar salad is such an easy salad to make! All you need is cooked chicken, Caesar salad dressing, chopped romaine or cos lettuce, grated or shavings of parmesan cheese and croutons.

Simply mix in some of the Caesar dressing with the chopped salad
Place the salad into a large serving bowl
Top with croutons, sliced pieces of cooked chicken and then add the grated/shavings of parmesan cheese

Type of chicken for Air Fryer Caesar salad

The most popular cut of chicken used in chicken Caesar salad is chicken breast. For my Crispy Air fryer spicy chicken salad recipe I use the chicken tender section of the chicken breast.

What are chicken tenders

Chicken tenderloin is attached to the chicken breast, it’s a much smaller thin size of white meat just under the breast. Chicken tenders are super juicy and do not require a long time to cook due to their size.

How to make chicken tenders

You can buy chicken tenderloins from the supermarket already prepped, they are also sometimes described as “chicken fillets”. You can make your own chicken tenderloins by slicing 1 inch thick vertical pieces from boneless chicken breasts.

a plate of crispy spicy air fryer chicken tenders with a ketchup dip on the side

How to cook air fryer chicken for Caesar salad

An air fryer is perfect for cooking crispy chicken tenders. This method of cooking is also very healthy as you cut out the deep frying step which can be very fatty. Here are the easy steps below on how to make the Spicy Cajun chicken tenders for the caesar salad. (get the full detailed recipe at the bottom of this blog post; including ingredients, timings and measurements)

Add the chicken tenders to a bowl then mix with the Cajun seasoning, salt & black pepper.

Prepare another two small bowls, with whisked egg and the other with Cajun seasoned flour

Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then place into the seasoned flour and shake off the excess before adding to the air fryer basket. You might need to do this in batches depending on the size of your air fryer, do not overcrowd the basket!

Spray the chicken tenders with a generous amount of oil whilst in the basket. Air Fry for 10 – 12 minutes at 180◦C / 350◦F, flip over at 6 minutes and spray again with oil as there will be some flour patches on the chicken.

Once cooked remove from the basket and set aside.

the spicy cajun marinated chicken tender ingredients

How to cook chicken tenders in the oven

If you don’t have an air fryer you can also cook the chicken tenders in an oven. Simply added the chicken tenders, once dredged in the egg and seasoned flour mixture, onto a greased oven tray. Spray the chicken with oil & bake. Flip the tenderloins over half way through cooking and spray again with oil.

What temp to oven bake chicken tenders

The temperature to bake chicken tenders in an oven is 180°c/350°f for 15-18 minutes. Preheat the oven beforehand for the best results.

How to reheat chicken tenders in air fryer

Air fryers are super handy as they are also great for reheating meals as they keep the food item crispy. They are a lot quicker than a conventional oven and help to avoid the soggy texture you get in a microwave when reheating battered/fried food.

If you would like to save some of the chicken tenders for meal prep or lunch on another day. Simply add the chicken tenders to the air fryer basket and air fry for 5 minutes at 180°c/350°f .

crispy air fryer chicken tenders being dipped into tomato ketchup

How to season chicken for Caesar salad

The seasoning for a air fryer chicken Caesar salad will vary as there are so many ways to make this classic salad. Most chicken Caesar salads use chicken breast which is grilled or poached with mild seasoning such as salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, olive oil etc. The spicy chicken tenders in this recipe use Cajun seasoning for the chicken tenders marinade and in seasoned flour for extra amazing flavour! Here are some other ways below which you can season chicken for a Caesar salad;

Blackened chicken Caesar salad
Buffalo chicken Caesar salad
Fried chicken Caesar salad
Southwest chicken Caesar salad

What is Cajun seasoning

Cajun seasoning is a quintessential spice blend from the ethnic group Cajuns, mainly based in America, predominantly in the states of Louisiana and Texas. The spice is used throughout Cajun cooking and sometimes can be spicy.

How to make Cajun seasoning

To make Cajun seasoning rather than buying a premade spice blend is really simple, just mix the 1 x teaspoon each of ingredients below and store in an airtight jar. You can adjust more or less of the spices to suit your taste preferences too.

Smoked paprika
Garlic powder
Oregano
Kosher salt
Onion powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne
Thyme

What to use in place of Cajun seasoning

Some great substitutes for Cajun seasoning which also have great similar flavours is Creole Seasoning and Old Bay Seasoning. You can buy both spice blends premade or make homemade versions with the ingredients below;

Old Bay Seasoning

Cayenne pepper, celery Salt, nutmeg, paprika, ground cinnamon, black pepper, ground ginger, ground dry mustard.

Creole Seasoning

Salt, red pepper, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper and onion powder.

Is Chicken Caesar salad Keto friendly

Air fryer chicken Caesar salad can be slightly keto friendly with a few healthy tweaks to the recipe.

Keto Dressing – the dressing has a high fat content and minimal amount of carbs.
Keto Crispy Cajun Chicken – To make the air fryer spicy chicken Keto friendly swap the plain/ all-purpose flour for almond flour. Almond flour is a great alternative to plain flour as it has a substantially lower net carb composition compared to plain/ all-purpose flour which is made from wheat. You could also use seasoned grilled chicken as an alternative without any breading/coating.
Keto Croutons – For the croutons you could leave them out of the salad or use a keto friendly bread alternative rather than using the ciabatta bread in this recipe.

Thank you so much for reading along. I hope you making your Cajun air fryer crispy chicken Caesar salad!

If you try this recipe, I would be grateful if you could leave a review and star rating, you can find this at the bottom of the page and recipe card

You can also share via social media. If you can take a photo and hashtag #prettydeliciouseats — I would love to see your meals on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook !

Air fryer Crispy Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad PIN

Need some more recipe inspiration? – Try out these AMAZING recipes too!

CAJUN AIR FRYER CRISPY CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD RECIPE

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Catherine
Prep Time: 8
Cook Time: 12
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This Crispy Cajun Caesar Salad recipe is Amazing! It’s LOADED with Spicy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, a EASY Homemade Caesar Dressing and paired with crisp romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese and delicious croutons! It makes such a delicious lunch or dinner salad!

Ingredients

Scale

Homemade Caesar Dressing

Grated parmesan cheese – 3 x tablespoons
Garlic clove – x 1
Tinned Anchovies – x 3 fillets
Fresh Lemon juice – ½ lemon
Dijon Mustard – x 1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce – 1 x tablespoon
Black pepper – ½ tablespoon
Mayonnaise – 1 ½ Mayo / 345g

Air Fryer Crispy Cajun Chicken

Chicken breast tenderloins – 450g/1 pound
All-purpose flour – 2 cups/130g
Egg x 1
Cajun seasoning 4 x tablespoons
Red chilli Flakes – (optional 1 x teaspoon)
Salt 2 teaspoons
Pepper ½ tablespoon
Vegetable oil Spray bottle

Salad

Romaine or cos lettuce – chopped
Extra Parmesan cheese for topping
Croutons – use store bought or try out my How to make croutons in an air fryer recipe

Instructions

Air fryer crispy chicken

Add the chicken tenders to a bowl then mix with 2 x tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning and 1 x tablespoon of salt.
Then prepare another two bowls, 1 with the egg whisked and another with the combined flour, remaining 2 x tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, ½ black pepper and 1 x tablespoon of salt.
Dip the seasoned chicken into the egg mixture, then place into the seasoned flour and shake off the excess before placing into the air fryer basket. You might need to do this in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Spray the chicken tenders with a generous amount of oil whilst in the basket Air Fry for 10 – 12 minutes at 180◦C / 350◦F, flip over at 6 minutes and spray again with oil as there will be some flour patches on the chicken. Once cooked remove from the basket and set aside.

Homemade Caesar dressing

Whilst the chicken is cooking add the dressing ingredients into a food processor, blend until smooth. You may need to stop midway to scrape down the sides with a specular to ensure all the ingredients are blended into a smooth sauce.
Assemble the salad by mixing some of the Caesar dressing with the chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Add croutons and sliced pieces of the air fried crispy Cajun chicken tenders! You can add extra shavings of parmesans cheese to the salad.

Notes

Check the spice and salt level of the Cajun seasoning, some can be more salty or spicier than others, adjust the recipe to your personal taste preference where needed.
Spray the chicken tenders generously with oil before air frying. Half way through cooking repeat the process to remove any seasoned flour patches on the chicken tenders.
The excess Caesar salad dressing should be refrigerated and stored for up to 1 week.
If you don’t have an Air Fryer Oven baked instructions can be in the body of this post, scroll up for more details

Category: Lunch/Dinner
Method: Air Frying
Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: Air fryer, Caesar Salad, Caesar homemade dressing, chicken tenders, spicy chicken, Cajun, croutons

How to make homemade croutons in an Air fryer

February 7, 2021 1 Comment

Making homemade air fryer croutons is so EASY! This crouton recipe is moreish, super tasty and only takes 4 minutes to air fry! Pair them with your favourite salad or soup!

What are croutons

Croutons are small cubed pieces of crispy dried bread which have been re-baked or fried. Croutons can be plain or flavoured with oil, garlic, herbs, butter, cheese, bacon and various spice blends. They are crispy and crunchy, mostly paired with salads and soup.

Need some more recipe inspiration? – Try out these AMAZING recipes too! 🙂

ciabatta bread olive oil italian seasoning black pepper

Different types of seasoned air fryer croutons

Croutons are so veritable when it comes to the different types of flavours you can achieve. You can either flavour the oil, add seasonings / spices, herbs, use a pre flavoured bread or add cheese or cured meats. Here are some croutons variations below;

Garlic croutons
Garlic and parmesan croutons
Crotons with bacon
Italian croutons
French onion soup croutons

How to make croutons with garlic bread

Making croutons with garlic bread is a great way to use up leftover pieces. Simply cut up into cubes and air fry for 4-5 minutes at 190 °c /375 °f. You can also bake in an oven or Sauté in a pan. You shouldn’t need to add oil to the bread as the garlic butter should be sufficient to help the croutons crisp up and provide an amazing garlic butter flavour!

How to make croutons shapes from bread

To make croutons from scratch is pretty simple to do! All you need to do is slice bread into 1 inch or 1 cm cubes. The best type of bread for croutons is slightly dry/stale bread as the croutons will cook and crisp up quicker whilst cooking. More fresh and softer bread will take longer to dry out whilst cooking. In this recipe I’ve used a ciabatta loaf. Ciabatta is an Italian white bread made from wheat flour, water, salt, yeast and olive oil. It has a great crispy exterior already and amazing flavour already enriched with olive oil. You can also use these other types of bread to make croutons;

Sourdough bread
White sliced bread
Panini bread
Low carb keto sliced bread
Cornbread
Rye bread

How to make homemade croutons in an air fryer

Making croutons in the air fryer is a quick and efficient. You save time compared to using a convention oven as there is no need to preheat! Here’s how you make them;

Slice the ciabatta bread into 1 cm cubes and add to a large bowl.
Pour over olive oil, add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and mix.
Place the croutons into the air fryer, cook for 3-4 minutes at 190 °c /375 °f. Halfway through cooking turn shake the air fryer basket to rotate the majority of the croutons, so that they can cook on the other side as well.
Once cooked remove the croutons from the air fryer basket.

How to make croutons in the oven

If you don’t have an air fryer don’t worry as you can bake homemade croutons in the oven. Add cubed bread that has been seasoned and mixed with olive oil, to a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven for 6-7 minutes at 190 °c /375 °f.

How to make croutons in a pan on your stovetop

You can also make croutons without using an oven or an air fryer! Croutons can be toasted in a medium preheated shallow pan or cast iron skillet on a stove top / hob. They will take 6 minutes to cook once the pan is hot. Take care to flip the croutons pieces over whilst cooking to ensure they do not burn.

What are the benefits of an air fryer

Air frying is such a great way of cooking food! The popular small counter top electric air fryer convection oven, mimics the process of “frying food” without having to deep fry in oil! Here are some of the top benefits of cooking with an air fryer;

Healthier – Air frying is a much healthier alternative to deep or shallow frying food. Up to 80% less fat can be achieved in certain air fried meals by using this cooking method rather than frying conventionally in oil.
Even cooking – Because the fan in an air fryer circulates at a high speed within a small space, food tends to crisp up quicker and cook evenly throughout.
Time efficient – Although some air fryers have a pre heat setting, air fryers generally heat up very quickly. Due to their size, cook times are substantially lower compared to an oven, which can take up to 15 minutes to pre heat fully and come up to temperature.
Easy to use – Air fryers are very easy to use and are a great kitchen tool for cooks that might not be as confident in the kitchen.
Saves space – As air fryers are small and portable, they are great for people who may not have access to a fully functioning kitchen. For example a college student or someone who lives in a studio apartment where you may not have access to a full size oven.
Versatility – Air fryers are probably the most versatile kitchen gadgets available. Not only can you air fry food, you can also bake, grill, toast, steam and roast ingredients in the air fryer.

What air fryer do I use?

I’ve tested quite a few air fryers and one of my favourites is the Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer, 6 Quart/ 5.L. I love the size of this model and the large square shape air fryer basket, i find you can fit more food in air fryers shaped like this. The vortex air fryer comes with 4 built in smart programs in 1 appliance (air fry, roast, bake and reheat) so it’s super versatile! I especially love how easy the fryer basket is to clean as the drip tray on the base of the basket is removable.

What to have croutons with

You can use croutons in many dishes, here’s some ideas below;

Salad – Most commonly croutons are paired with salad, for example a Caesar salad. They add a great texture to a range of other salads too.
Soup – Croutons are great to add on top of soup for both texture and soaking up flavours. Slightly large shaped croutons are classically paired with French onion soup.
Bread crumbs – you can use up leftover croutons by making them into breadcrumbs. Simply add croutons to a food processor and blend until your desired crumb texture forms. You can then use the bread crumbs for stuffing or even as a crispy crust to coat food with e.g. crispy chicken tenders .

How long will homemade croutons last

Homemade croutons will last for up to two weeks. Once the croutons are fully cooked, place them into an air tight jar to ensure they stay fresh and crispy.

Can you freeze homemade croutons

Homemade croutons are freezer friendly which is quite handy if you make a big batch. It’s best to store the croutons in a food bag before freezing. When you’re ready to use the croutons, add them straight into your air fryer basket or oven tray if baking and then cook for 7-8 minutes.

Frequently asked nutritional questions about croutons

How many calories in croutons

There are 82 calories per 1/2 cup in this air fryer recipe, a lot less than you will find if the croutons where deep or shallow fried.

How many carbs in croutons

Croutons are carb dense as they are made from bread which are naturally high in carbohydrates. There are 10.6 net carbs in this air fryer croutons recipe per serving.

Are croutons vegan

Croutons can be completely plant based and vegan if vegan compliant bread is used. The remaining ingredients such as olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasonings are all vegan friendly.

Are croutons gluten free

Most croutons contain gluten as they are made from bread which contains wheat. To make gluten friendly croutons, swap the ciabatta bread for a gluten free approved sliced bread or crusty loaf/roll.

Are croutons keto

Croutons are not keto friendly due to the high net carbohydrate make up of most conventional sliced breads and loafs. A great alternative would be again to use a specialist bread which is keto compliant.There are alot of high protein & low net carb bread products currently on the market.

Thank you so much for reading along. I hope you making your Homemade Air Fryer Croutons.

If you try this recipe, I would be grateful if you could leave a review and star rating, you can find this at the bottom of the page and recipe card

You can also share via social media. If you can take a photo and hashtag #prettydeliciouseats — I would love to see your meals on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook ! 🙂

Homemade Easy Air Fryer Croutons Recipe pinterest image

How to Make Homemade Air fryer Croutons