Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos

Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos are the best of both worlds: the handheld taco and classic Caesar salad. With just 15 minutes of total prep and cook time, this is a weeknight dinner that’s sure to become a new family favorite.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Chicken Smash Tacos: Caesar Salad Edition

The world has fallen in love with smash tacos and for good reason. This Chicken Caesar Salad version is no exception. They are:

• Quick and Easy – Only taking about 15 minutes from start to finish.
• Flavor Packed – You’ve got crispy chicken, fresh salad, and chewy tortilla in every bite!
• Fun To Eat – Such a fun twist on taco night, the uniqueness of this taco really shines through when eating it.
• Satisfying without being to heavy – Perfect for a hot summer evening when you want something filling but also light.

These smash tacos start with seasoned ground chicken pressed onto mini flour tortillas, then seared to golden perfection. Once hot and crispy, they’re loaded with a chopped Caesar salad—complete with crunchy crouton crumbs, and plenty of parmesan cheese. It’s everything you love about a Caesar salad, smashed into taco form.

Ingredients

• Ground Chicken – Ground chicken is a lean meat that cooks fast and with the addition of Parmesan cheese the meat should crisp up well on the griddle.
• Street Taco Flour Tortillas – These are the really small mini tortillas, even a bit smaller than fajita flour tortillas. If you can’t find the super small street taco tortillas you can go a little bigger and use the fajita size flour tortillas instead.
• Parmesan Cheese – The cheese will be divided between the chicken mixture and salad, it adds a salty flavor to both the chicken and lettuce.
• Hearts of Romaine – Crisp and fresh, romaine is a classic for Caesar salad. I like to cut the lettuce into smaller pieces than normal so its nice and chopped and can fit in the tortilla a bit better.
• Croutons – Or similar items, like small toasts or crostini, whatever you use chop these up small into large crumbs so they mix evenly into the salad and will stay in the smash taco.
• Caesar Dressing – Use your favorite store-bought version or homemade, try my Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing for a homemade version.
• Salt and Pepper – To taste for the chicken, since we are adding parmesan cheese and it’s pretty salty don’t worry about adding too much salt.

Instructions

Start with getting the salad all prepped since the smash tacos cook so quickly you will want it ready to go right away. Chop the romaine lettuce into small, bite-sized pieces—slightly smaller than you would for a traditional salad. Next chop the croutons so they’re not too bulky and in large crumbs. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, crouton crumbs, ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing. Toss until everything is evenly coated, then set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the ground chicken with the remaining ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, plus salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture into 8 even portions.

Preheat a Blackstone griddle, electric griddle, or large skillet over medium-high heat. Take one portion of the chicken and spread it evenly over one side of a tortilla, making sure to cover the whole surface. Repeat with the remaining portions.

Place each tortilla chicken-side-down on the hot griddle. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 30 to 90 seconds on the tortilla side until golden and crispy. You may need to do this step in batches depending on the size of your cooking surface.

Remove the tacos from the heat. Spoon a generous amount of the Caesar salad mixture over each taco and serve immediately.

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, for all the latest recipes!