THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

Caesar Crunch Salad

Pre-cooked chicken + crushed protein chips + yogurt Caesar. 199 cal, 27g protein, 4 min build.

YIELD2 servings
TOTAL TIME4 min
COOK METHODSee method
EST. / SERVING~199 cal | ~27.5g protein

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 6 oz Tanimura & Antle Artisan Sweet Gem Lettuce, chopped (or romaine hearts)
  • 12 oz Soules Kitchen Fully Cooked Fajita Chicken Breast Strips, diced (6 oz per serving)
  • 3 tbsp Bolthouse Farms Creamy Caesar Parmigiano dressing (1.5 portions per serving — yogurt-based, ~38 cal)

Ingredients — continued

  • 0.66 bag Quest Hot & Spicy Tortilla Style Protein Chips, crushed coarse (~21g per serving — replacing croutons)
  • Generous sprinkle Dan-O's Jalapeño Cheesoning [adult]
  • Optional: 1-2 tsp Smoky Chipotle Crema drizzle [adult]

You want a Caesar salad that's restaurant-craveable but weeknight-fast and macro-honest. 27g of protein in 199 calories — that's the macro lever no other Caesar salad gives you. Built around pre-cooked Soules Kitchen Fajita Chicken (90-second cheat) + yogurt-based Bolthouse Caesar (1/3 the calories of real Caesar) + crushed Quest Hot & Spicy chips (crunch replacement for croutons, 19g protein per bag).

Method

  1. 1.CHOP LETTUCE. 6 oz Sweet Gem (or romaine) into bite pieces. Big bowl.
  2. 2.DICE CHICKEN. 12 oz Soules Kitchen Fajita Chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Pre-cooked, just chop and fold in cold OR microwave 30 sec if you want it warm.
  3. 3.CRUSH CHIPS. 0.66 of a Quest Hot & Spicy bag, coarse-crushed (zip-bag + rolling pin works in 30 sec). KEEP ASIDE — don't toss in yet.
  4. 4.BUILD UNDRESSED. Combine lettuce + chicken in the bowl. Toss gently to distribute.
  5. 5.DRESS PER PORTION (not the whole bowl). Spoon half the bowl into a serving bowl. Drizzle ~1.5 portions of Bolthouse Creamy Caesar. Toss until coated.
  6. 6.FINISH. Top with crushed Quest chips (NOT pre-tossed — they go on TOP). Generous sprinkle Dan-O's Jalapeño Cheesoning. Optional: 1-2 tsp Smoky Chipotle Crema drizzle for adult heat.
  7. 7.SERVE IMMEDIATELY. Dressed salad with chips on top goes soggy in 5-10 min — don't pre-dress the bowl unless you're eating right away.

SPLIT PLATE SERVING

Adult: Serve the adult portion as described above.

Kid: Serve the kid portion as described above.

If something fails

Salad wilted by dinner: You pre-dressed the whole bowl. Dress per portion right before serving. Or dress the salad, but keep crushed chips off until the very last second.

Tastes flat / one-note: Forgot the Dan-O's Jalapeño Cheesoning. Parmesan + jalapeño + Italian herbs are the brand differentiator — without it this is just 'Caesar with chips.' Bump if it still reads flat.

Chips lost their crunch: Crushed too fine (powder) OR sat dressed too long. Crush COARSE (visible flake bits) and add at the very last moment.

Too much chicken to lettuce ratio: Bump lettuce to 8 oz. The 6:12 chicken-to-lettuce ratio is calibrated for adult macro density; lighter eaters can do 8 oz lettuce per serving.

Kid won't eat it: Try the 'lettuce-refuser' variant from recipe 40: skip the lettuce entirely. 2 oz diced Soules Chicken in a small bowl + 1 tbsp Bolthouse Caesar for dipping = kid 'chicken nuggets.'

Storage and reheating

Store: Salad base (undressed) holds 3 days in the fridge. Bolthouse Caesar separately keeps as-purchased. Crushed Quest chips in a sealed jar 2 days.

Reheat: None — serve cold. If chicken was warmed, the salad goes lightly wilted.

Lasts: Best within 24 hr of build. Dressed salad with chips: same-day only.

Estimated nutrition

~199 cal | ~27.5g protein.

Per-serving (199 cal / 27.5g protein / 5.5g fat / 9.3g carbs / 2.6g fiber → ~6.7g net carbs) MacroFactor-verified from logged ingredients: 6 oz Soules Fajita Chicken (223c / 38P) + 1.5 portion Bolthouse Caesar (38c / 2P) + 6 oz romaine (30c / 2P) + 0.66 bag Quest Hot & Spicy (93c / 13P) + optional Liquid Chipotle (16c) ÷ 2 servings. Dan-O's Jalapeño Cheesoning adds ~5 cal/serving uncounted in the macros (negligible). Real chicken Caesar at a restaurant is typically 450-600 cal for the same protein density — this is the macro-honest weeknight version.

thesplitplate.com/cookbook/caesar-crunch-salad

Caesar Crunch Salad
Close view of the filmed romaine chicken Caesar salad with Quest chips
Close view of the filmed romaine chicken Caesar salad with Quest chips
Filmed chicken Caesar salad with crunchy Quest chips on the dinner plate
Filmed chicken Caesar salad with crunchy Quest chips on the dinner plate
See the filmed version ↓
Split Cook Method™Base

Caesar Crunch Salad

Pre-cooked chicken + crushed protein chips + yogurt Caesar. 199 cal, 27g protein, 4 min build.

Make this when

You want a Caesar salad that's restaurant-craveable but weeknight-fast and macro-honest. 27g of protein in 199 calories — that's the macro lever no other Caesar salad gives you. Built around pre-cooked Soules Kitchen Fajita Chicken (90-second cheat) + yogurt-based Bolthouse Caesar (1/3 the calories of real Caesar) + crushed Quest Hot & Spicy chips (crunch replacement for croutons, 19g protein per bag).

Total time
4 min
Yield
2 servings
Protein / serving
~27.5g
Cal / serving
~199
Flavor target

Tangy + creamy from the yogurt Caesar, crunchy from the chips, smoky-warm from the fajita chicken, sharp finish from Dan-O's Jalapeño Cheesoning. NOT mayonnaise-heavy. NOT crouton-driven. NOT spicy — just lifted.

Also filmed

The filmed salad is a separate build from the original Sweet Gem, Soules chicken, and Bolthouse yogurt Caesar recipe on this page. It uses romaine, cooked chicken, homemade Caesar dressing, and Quest protein chips.

Ingredients

Batch cookYields 2 servings — quantities below are the full batch.

Ingredients

Method

  1. 1
    CHOP LETTUCE

    6 oz Sweet Gem (or romaine) into bite pieces. Big bowl.

  2. 2
    DICE CHICKEN

    12 oz Soules Kitchen Fajita Chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Pre-cooked, just chop and fold in cold OR microwave 30 sec if you want it warm.

  3. 3
    CRUSH CHIPS

    0.66 of a Quest Hot & Spicy bag, coarse-crushed (zip-bag + rolling pin works in 30 sec). KEEP ASIDE — don't toss in yet.

  4. 4
    BUILD UNDRESSED

    Combine lettuce + chicken in the bowl. Toss gently to distribute.

  5. 5

    DRESS PER PORTION (not the whole bowl): Spoon half the bowl into a serving bowl. Drizzle ~1.5 portions of Bolthouse Creamy Caesar. Toss until coated.

  6. 6
    FINISH

    Top with crushed Quest chips (NOT pre-tossed — they go on TOP). Generous sprinkle Dan-O's Jalapeño Cheesoning. Optional: 1-2 tsp Smoky Chipotle Crema drizzle for adult heat.

  7. 7

    SERVE IMMEDIATELY. Dressed salad with chips on top goes soggy in 5-10 min — don't pre-dress the bowl unless you're eating right away.

Filmed variation: romaine chicken Caesar crunch

The filmed salad is a separate build from the original Sweet Gem, Soules chicken, and Bolthouse yogurt Caesar recipe on this page. It uses romaine, cooked chicken, homemade Caesar dressing, and Quest protein chips.

What the filmed batch used

  • About 3 oz romaine per salad for the nutrition estimate; not weighed in the shoot
  • About 3 oz cooked chicken per salad for the nutrition estimate
  • About 1.5 tbsp homemade Caesar dressing per salad for the nutrition estimate; not weighed in the shoot
  • About one-third bag Quest Hot & Spicy protein chips per salad for the nutrition estimate; not weighed in the shoot

How the filmed version came together

  1. 1Put chopped romaine in a large bowl.
    Romaine being tossed in the filmed salad bowl
    Romaine being tossed in the filmed salad bowl
  2. 2Add cooked chicken and toss with homemade Caesar dressing. The estimate uses about 3 oz chicken and 1.5 tbsp dressing per salad.
    Cooked chicken and homemade Caesar dressing added to romaine
    Cooked chicken and homemade Caesar dressing added to romaine
  3. 3Top with Quest Hot & Spicy protein chips immediately before serving so they keep their crunch. The estimate uses one-third bag per salad.
    Quest protein chips finishing the filmed salad
    Quest protein chips finishing the filmed salad
Filmed-batch nutrition

The filmed-version estimate is about 195 calories and 28g protein per salad using about 3 oz each cooked chicken and romaine, 1.5 tbsp homemade Caesar, and one-third bag Quest Hot & Spicy chips. These portions were not weighed in the shoot, so this is not a measured total. Pizza is excluded. The 199 calories and 27.5g protein elsewhere on this page belong to the original two-serving recipe, not this filmed variation.

Adult plate | Kid plate

Adult plate

Adult

Full recipe with Dan-O's Jalapeño Cheesoning sprinkled + optional Smoky Chipotle Crema drizzle. ~199 cal / 27.5g protein per serving.

Kid plate

Kid

Smaller portion: half a serving. Skip the Dan-O's Cheesoning (visible flecks deter), skip the chipotle. Just lettuce + chicken + 1 tbsp Caesar tossed in. Some kids accept the crushed chips on top, some don't — read your kid.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: Salad base (undressed) holds 3 days in the fridge. Bolthouse Caesar separately keeps as-purchased. Crushed Quest chips in a sealed jar 2 days.

Reheat: None — serve cold. If chicken was warmed, the salad goes lightly wilted.

Lasts: Best within 24 hr of build. Dressed salad with chips: same-day only.

Meal chainReinvent as Caesar Crunch Pizza Night (recipe 40)— The dinner this salad was built for. Adults get the full Caesar Crunch + 1/3 Bettergoods Margherita; kids get a personal Red Baron Deep Dish + small Caesar portion.→

Watch the full cook

Brands I use

Soules Kitchen
Soules Kitchen
Fully Cooked Fajita Chicken Breast Strips (16 oz refrigerated)
Pre-cooked, fully seasoned, fire-grilled. T2 reliable protein. 18g protein per 3 oz serving. Chop and fold in cold or microwave 30 sec.
Tanimura & Antle
Tanimura & Antle
Artisan Sweet Gem Lettuce (4-head pack)
Crisp without snapping; holds dressing without wilting fast. Cross-recipe with id 38 Pork Lettuce Wraps and recipe 40 Caesar Crunch Pizza Night.
Bolthouse Farms
Bolthouse Farms
Creamy Caesar Parmigiano (yogurt-based, ~50 cal per 2 tbsp)
Yogurt base = 1/3 the calories of restaurant Caesar (50 cal vs 150+ per 2 tbsp). Still creamy + parmesan-forward. The macro lever that makes Caesar weeknight-eligible.
Quest Nutrition
Quest Nutrition
Tortilla Style Protein Chips — Hot & Spicy (1.1 oz / 19g protein per bag)
Crunch replacement for croutons. Cross-recipe with id 22 Smash Tacos and recipe 40. 4g net carbs per bag, baked not fried. The Hot & Spicy adds tingle without overpowering.
Dan-O's
Dan-O's
Jalapeño Cheesoning Seasoning (2.6 oz)
Parmesan + dried jalapeño + Italian herbs. The 5-cal finisher that turns ordinary Caesar into 'Caesar Crunch.' Cross-Dan-O's-family with Original / Outlaw S&T / SPG / Cheesoning.
#Pizza Night (Caesar Crunch Pizza Night — recipe 40)#Sandwich night (next to a slider / smashburger)#Standalone lunch (4 min from fridge to plate)#Leftover chicken refresh#Cutting-friendly (199 cal / 27g protein per serving)#Post-workout (high-protein, high-volume)