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This Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata is not your ordinary salad. Grilled or pan-seared pesto chicken tossed together with a creamy, lemony parmesan tahini dressing, fresh romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and burrata cheese. This salad is simple to toss together, extra colorful, super flavorful, filling, and even healthy too. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s pretty hard for a salad to get more delicious than this herby pesto chicken Caesar. The perfect dinner to serve any night of the week all summer long.

overhead photo of Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

I’ve been thinking of my Nonnie often lately and missing our time together. I may have shared this story before, but I thought it was worth repeating.

For the longest time, I steered clear of all things Caesar salad. Way back when I was twelve I had a rather bad experience with Caesar Salad. I was out to lunch with my Nonnie, something the two of us would often do on weekends. We’d shop, grab lunch, then most likely shop a little more. It was something we both really enjoyed and I always looked forward to. Since her passing, it’s a memory I often look back on and cherish.

Me being the very odd child that I was, I decided to order a Caesar salad…

Two things I need to note. One, normally my Nonnie chose rather nice places to eat out. But this time we were at a Champs (which ended up closing) in Westlake, Ohio. It was a new spot, but I wouldn’t say it was the nicest place she’d ever taken me too.

overhead photo of raw tomatoes and herbs in bowl

Two, seeing that as I was only twelve, I didn’t know that a classic Caesar salad contained raw eggs in the dressing. I also didn’t understand that this might not be the right lunch spot to order a Caesar salad. Long story short, the salad ended up all over the floor of my Nonnie’s car on the ride home. It was not pretty. Yep, I was pretty much scarred for life…I’ve never had a classic Caesar salad since. Well…

At this point in my life, I think I’d surely eat a Caesar salad, but…I’d rather eat my own. I love creating my own version with a fun Caesar-like dressing that’s raw egg-free! I know, some will say that I cannot truly call this a Caesar salad then, but it’s close enough for me.

And most importantly? It’s GOOD. Very. GOOD.

overhead photo of tahini dressing

The details on this pesto chicken Ceasar salad…

Start with the croutons. Every Caesar-like salad needs crunchy croutons. I love making mine with torn ciabatta bread and lots of garlic plus flaky sea salt. I crisp them up in a little olive oil in a skillet. It’s very easy to do and they’re definitely worth the effort to make as opposed to using store-bought.

The salad itself has plenty of fresh greens. I like using a mix of romaine and shredded Tuscan kale, fresh

Pesto Chicken before cooking

cherry tomatoes, lots of herbs, and creamy burrata cheese too. If you have a hard time finding burrata, I would recommend using fresh mozzarella balls.

Onto the chicken. I kept it easy, yet flavorful at the same time, by simply tossing the chicken with basil pesto. Using pesto is my go-to way to add delicious flavor, but keep the recipe easy as can be. Right now I’m loving making basil pesto with all the fresh basil we’re currently growing in the summer garden (which was thankfully protected from Tuesday’s snow in the greenhouse).

Since the weather is nice now (I mean, except for Tuesday). I decided to skewer the chicken and throw it on the grill. Grilled chicken adds that summer touch, and I love the flavor and char the chicken gets from the grill. That said, if you don’t love grilling, you can easily cook the chicken up in a skillet.

overhead close up photo of Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

On to that creamy parmesan dressing…

This is truly one of my favorite dressings. I’ve used it before in this kale salad and I’m repeating here because it’s really just that good.

Now, a few notes on this dressing, because it’s not a classic Caesar dressing. Traditionally, Caesar dressing contains anchovies and raw egg yolk, but this dressing has none of that. I know, technically this really isn’t a Caesar salad, but hear me out. The flavors are spot on…actually better in my opinion.

So what’s the key? A combination of creamy tahini (sesame seed paste), Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (did you know that one of the main ingredients in Worcestershire is anchovies?). The tahini adds the creaminess that the raw egg yolk would add, while the Dijon and Worcestershire sauce add all the savory, salty flavors that the anchovies would add. Promise, it’s just as delicious…better actually.

Bonus? No raw eggs means you don’t have to worry about any kind of stomach issues while enjoying this Caesar. As mentioned, I know from experience how not-fun it is to eat a Caesar salad that’s delicious going down…but not so delicious coming back up.

overhead close up photo of Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

Put it all together…

Once the salad is tossed, and the chicken grilled, combine everything in a large bowl and top with burrata cheese.

Is cheese traditional? Nope. But let’s just be honest, adding burrata cheese is always a good idea. It’s mozzarella cheese on the outside and creamy burrata cheese inside. Delicious. And I especially love burrata paired with summer cherry tomatoes and basil. The mix is light and refreshing, yet still feels satisfying and exciting.

This is truly one of those salads you’ll be excited to serve. It’s full of color, flavor, texture, pesto chicken, homemade croutons…and the creamy burrata really seals the deal. This salad would be great for Father’s Day or the 4th of July!

overhead photo of Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

Looking for other summer salads? Here are a few of my go-to’s. 

Summer Niçoise Salad

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad

Greek Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Greek Chicken Chopped Salad

Lastly, if you make this pesto chicken Caesar salad with tomatoes and burrata, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 901 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

PARMESAN TAHINI DRESSING

Instructions

  • 1. To make the croutons. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the bread and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until golden and toasted all over, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Slide bread crumbs onto a plate, discard the garlic.
    2.To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
    3. To make the chicken. In a bowl, combine the chicken, pesto, crushed red pepper flakes, and a large pinch of salt. Set your grill, grill pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Take skewers and thread the chicken pieces on. Alternately, you can cook the chicken in a skillet until browned all over.
    4. Grill the skewers until lightly charred and cooked through, turning them occasionally throughout cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes total. 
    6. Assemble the salad. Add the romaine, tomatoes, croutons, chicken, croutons, and dressing. Toss to combine. Once the salad has been tossed, top with burrata, drizzle with oil, season with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately.
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Comments

  1. It was delicious! Hit with my husband and son, and so easy! Love all the recipes of yours I’ve tried.?

    1. Hey Lauren,
      Happy Friday! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xxTieghan

  2. Can’t wait to make this tonight! My local grocery didn’t have tahini sauce. Can I use Sesame sauce instead?

    1. Hey Kristie,
      Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

  3. This looks absolutely heavenly and it’s going on next week’s meal plan. I’ve got a question about dressing though…how much can you taste the tahini in the dressing? Or do parmesan and Worchestershire cover it? I have a (Lebanese- oh the irony) husband who doesn’t like tahini, so to know how much will he complain 😀

    1. Hey there,
      The tahini does not have a strong taste here, all of the other ingredients in the dressing really cover it up, I just love using tahini as a creamy base. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

  4. 5 stars
    There are no words. This isn’t salad. This is heaven in a dish. I honestly could just eat the ciabatta croutons as a snack. So delicious! I opted not to top the salad with more olive oil, and felt like it was great that way too! We also grilled the pesto chicken for less clean up and it was so good.

    1. Hey Sydney,
      Happy Thursday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan

  5. 5 stars
    First off, thank you for tying your recipes together with similar ingredients! I made your sheet pan pesto chicken yesterday, and then used up the rest in this salad. This is seriously a show stopper! I used parmesan instead of burrata (grocery store was limited), and panko instead of breadcrumbs. Perfect combo of salt, fat, acid, creamy, crunchy and a hint of heat from the sheet pan chicken. I’m so excited to keep making things from your site!! ?

  6. 5 stars
    This was incredible the dressing was super good and went very well with the pesto chicken, IK added some honey to the dressing to make it slightly sweeter

    1. Hey Axel,
      Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan

  7. 5 stars
    This was so good. I couldn’t find burrata cheese so I used Parmesan instead but the flavor of the chicken was amazing. One of my new go to salad recipes for sure.

    1. Hey Alex,
      Honestly any other dressing that you enjoy will work here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  8. Thanks so much for letting us adjust the number of servings! It makes cooking for 1 so much easier – I don’t need to eat the same meal 5 times 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was hit for our family of seven (with baby to ten-year-old approving)! How long would the dressing stay good? We had quite a bit extra. Thanks for the delicious recipe!

    1. Hey Jenna,
      I am so glad you family enjoyed this recipe! I would say the recipe is good for up to two weeks! xTieghan

  10. 5 stars
    Delicious! My pesto and burrata obsessed self was very happy. I never would have though to use burrata, my favorite cheese, in a salad…but it was so good. And I really liked the dressing, even though I am not a big tahini fan! Yum.

  11. 5 stars
    Wow, I think this is my favorite salad ever! I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit! Even my husband, who is not a huge salad fan, declared it was delicious. And the parmesan tahini dressing is sooo yummy. Thanks for the recipe–it’s a winner!