Super fun easy dinner – chicken caesar smash tacos! A crispy golden handheld with seasoned ground chicken and shredded caesar salad. It’s so good!
Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos
Chicken Caesar Salad, But Fold It Up And Dunk It!
In other words, my dream come true.
I’ve seen a few videos for this method, and I felt like I needed to give it a try, and I WAS CORRECT. What a genius little dinner invention for people who love chicken caesar salad and want to eat it in every available form (it’s me)!
These are crispy taco-like handhelds, golden and crispy outsides that kind of shatter when you bite into them, with seasoned ground chicken and shreddy Caesar salad + pepperoncini smashed inside?!
Dunked in a Caesar sauce?!?!
Holy smokes! They are so yummy. And so easy.
These fall in the same family as the black bean crispies or the pizza burgers – quick little hitters that require very little from you but actually end up being some of the meals you look forward to most.
Hope you love them!
Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Super fun easy dinner – chicken caesar smash tacos! A crispy golden handheld with seasoned ground chicken and shredded caesar salad. It’s so good!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Caesar Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- salt to taste
Caesar Salad:
- 1/2 head romaine, finely shredded (2–3 cups)
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini, sliced
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos:
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s aglio olio seasoning, or any chicken seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6–8 small flour tortillas (I use La Banderita “Street Taco” tortillas for this)
- avocado oil for frying
Instructions
- Make Your Caesar Sauce: Whisk sauce ingredients until smooth.
- Mix Your Salad: Toss romaine, pepperoncini, parmesan, and about half of the Caesar sauce until well-combined. (For the remaining sauce – whisk it with 1-2 tablespoons of water to make it smoother for dunking.)
- Prep the Tacos: Mix the seasoning into the ground chicken. Place your tortillas on a large cutting board or tray; spread each tortilla with some of the ground chicken mixture, pushing it all the way to the edges or even slightly past.
- Smash and Fry the Tacos: Heat a thin layer of oil over medium heat (2 tablespoons or more will give you the best crispy crust). Working in batches, place the tortilla chicken-side down and press down with a spatula for 15-30 seconds. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the chicken is browned and fully cooked. Flip to the other side for another minute to get a bit of crisping on the back side of the tortilla.
- Almost Done: Remove tacos from skillet and fold in half (the tortilla may crackle a bit when you fold them – that’s fine!). If needed, place on a baking sheet and pop in a warm oven until you’re ready to serve. When you’re ready to eat, stuff the Caesar salad inside the tacos!
- Serving: Serve alongside a dish of the remaining Caesar sauce for dipping. YUM!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: caesar tacos, smash tacos, caesar salad, easy dinner
Three More Fun Tacos To Try
Filed Under: All Recipes Dinner Kid-Friendly Lemon Lunch Meat and Chicken Quick and Easy Recipes Salads Sandwiches Stovetop Tacos
June 18, 2026
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Such a fun twist on tacos! Crispy, fresh, and really easy for a weeknight dinner. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I have tried this before with another recipe and the chicken never really stuck to the tortilla, just separated. Still good to eat but kind of a mess. Did you have a problem with this? or any tips to avoid it??
These look fun! I would definitely have bacon and Renee’s dressing, which, unfortunately I don’t think you have the states.
Looks fantastic! No anchovy paste for the Cesar though? Wonder how much to add if I wanted to make the sauce more authentic? Thanks!
These look really yummy and I’d like to try them, but have a few questions first.
In the photo with the chicken mixture on the taco, the meat is heaped on…did you spread out to the ends? What is that differently-colored tortilla in the middle?
Can you use corn tortillas?
Thank you!
Would have these tonight if I didn’t already have salmon marinating. Definitely on the menu tomorrow. I can see these as a super nutritious and quick lunch. Thoughts on using corn tortillas? Cheers
I want your version of all of these smash tacos!! Can’t wait to try this one 🙂