Kale Caesar Salad with Parmesan Crispy Rice

It is possible I am slightly obsessed with crispy rice. I love all of the recent recipe ideas using it. We’ve always enjoyed crispy rice in Korean dol sot bibimbap. The hot stone bowl crisps the rice that touches it, creating a delicious crunchy texture. Thank you to whoever had the genius idea to use it in so many dishes! This kale Caesar salad with parmesan crispy rice is a great twist, using the rice instead of croutons.

This recipe takes a traditional chicken Caesar salad and makes it a bit more interesting with homemade dressing, garlic herb marinated chicken and parmesan paprika crispy rice. You can make the crispy rice with leftover rice you have in the fridge. You can also cook some rice and then use the oven to crisp it up. I seasoned my rice with paprika, garlic powder, salt and parmesan.

You can also check out some of my other Caesar recipes like Chicken Bacon Caesar Sandwiches, Shredded Vegetable Caesar with Grilled Chicken, or Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella.

Kale Caesar Salad with Parmesan Crispy Rice

Creamy kale Caesar with marinated chicken and crispy parmesan rice

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

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For the rice:

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2-3 tbsp oil I used garlic olive oil
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup light sour cream or greek yogurt
• 1 tsp fish sauce or 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
• 1 tsp dijon
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup grated parm
• 1 tsp lemon juice more to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

For the chicken:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasted sliced into bite sized pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 2 minced garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried italian seasoning

For the salad:

• 4-5 cups washed and torn kale leaves use tuscan kale if you can get it
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan

Instructions

 

For the chicken:

• Combine the marinade ingredients in a ziploc or bowl and add the sliced chicken. Mix well and allow to rest for 30 min – overnight in the fridge. When ready to cook, heat a few tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until its nicely browned and cooked through.

For the dressing:

• Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, lemon etc as needed.

For the rice:

• Heat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment. If you are making fresh rice, cook the rice and allow to cool for 10 minutes. If using leftover rice, just use it directly. Spread the rice out on the parchment and drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with the paprika, garlic powder, salt and parmesan and toss well with your hands before spreading it into an even layer on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes or so, toss and re-spreading once during the cooking until the edges are crispy. Break into clumps the size of croutons.

To serve:

• Mix kale with as much dressing as you like and massage gently to soften the kate a bit. Place kale on the plate and top with the cooked chicken. Sprinkle the rice and grated parm over and drizzle with extra dressing. Serve.

Keyword Chicken, Lunch, Main Dish, Salad

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!