What If We Told You Chicken Caesar Salad Could Be A Pizza?

Chicken Caesar salad is a beloved dish, and for good reason. Between the juxtaposition of salty and crunchy, the lightness of the salad, and the richness of the dressing, it really is a masterclass in balance. Now, there's a fun new way to serve the classic meal that's sure to get the whole family excited: as a pizza. 

Combine cubed or shredded chicken with an egg, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs (feel free to skip if you're going gluten-free), and whatever spices you prefer: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, cayenne, rosemary, oregano, and thyme are all good options. Mix that combination into a thin, circular pizza dough, put on a parchment paper-lined pan, and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.

Once you have a crispy, crunch crust, remove it from the oven and top it with Caesar dressing, chopped lettuce, more parmesan, and whatever other salad toppings you prefer (black olives, anchovies, or sliced tomatoes), then slice and serve. Just make sure you have a napkin on hand — this can get messy, but it's worth it.

For a twist on this pizza idea, take the Caesar salad ingredients for the crust and use a waffle maker for a textured, delicious chicken Caesar salad waffle. You can even cut the waffle in half and turn it into a Caesar salad sandwich.

Once you get the baseline crust of this recipe down, you're never going to want to stop experimenting with different variations of it. Chicken Caesar salad is a wonderfully versatile dish capable of carrying all kinds of different toppings. 

If you want to up the wow factor, fried capers are the perfect accent to a chicken Caesar salad. The saltiness of the capers fits snugly in the flavor profile of the Caesar dressing, and the crunch can either complement or replace the role of croutons on the already-loaded pizza. Capers can be fried in shallow oil or an air fryer, and only need a few minutes of cooking time to reach peak tastiness.

You can also experiment with adding bacon, boiled eggs, or even fried chickpeas to the dish. Try incorporating extra egg yolks to upgrade your store-bought Caesar dressing. This will add volume and creaminess, which is perfect for serving as the base sauce for your pizza.

Choose something with more tooth and swap romaine lettuce with kale in your chicken Caesar salad for a more complex flavor profile. Top it all with pine nuts or sunflower seeds for an extra little pop of texture. Just make sure to massage the kale lightly before adding it to soften the leaves and release the flavor.