Fried Caesar Chicken: The Ultimate Picnic Chicken!

Potato salad, fried chicken, coleslaw, potato chips, strawberries, watermelon, sunshine, warm summer days and green grass; this is the glorious image that the word picnic conjures up for me.

But picnics can also be hard. At least I find them hard when I don't know what to bring because I don't want to bring the same old boring thing. You need something transportable, that will hold well in a picnic basket or cooler, you want it to be classic, yet a little different. Fried chicken is always a win but it's not exactly unique. If you agree, then say hello to my new picnic brainchild - Caesar fried Chicken! There is nothing boring about this fried chicken. And it perfect for your next picnic!

Picnics always signal the beginning of summer. And since summer is what I fantasize about pretty much all winter long, I'm making the most of it!

And that means lots of picnics! I adore picnics. You can actually eat your food, sitting on the ground, outside without heavy outdoor clothing. And when you live in the Northern Hemisphere,  this is a huge deal because you can't do this for at least 6 months the year!

We have been picknicking with our kids since they were small. And I'm very lucky, as I happen to live in one of the most beautiful places not only in the country, but in the world, for picnicking. And if you are looking for great places to picnic near the beautiful Rocky Mountains near Calgary, check out this article: Top 10 places to picnic in the mountains

Although a picnic pretty much anywhere is just fine by me!

We picnic in fields beside schools, parks or on the side of the road. Really, we'll picnic anywhere you can throw down a blanket or sit at a picnic table!

And since fried chicken is the ultimate picnic food and Caesar salad is one of my fave salads, it was a natural pairing. But that wasn't always the case. I have eaten a lot of BAD Caesar salads. Then everything changed when my little brother got a job working at a now defunct restaurant called Clancy's, in Winnipeg in the early 1990's, and discovered this Caesar Salad dressing recipe ! We quickly adopted it as our family's own and now this Caesar Fried Chicken is it's delicious offspring.

This pan fried chicken recipe is marinated in the base of this Caesar salad dressing for a deeper Caesar flavor experience, then fried with a Caesar salad coating, using crushed Caesar salad croutons and fried boneless chicken breasts. You end up with a tangy and crispy fried chicken that is perfect hot or cold!

Whether you're looking for picnic food ideas for couples or picnic food ideas for kids, this Caesar Fried Chicken is the ultimate picnic chicken!

If you are looking for other portable dishes for a picnic, check out these side dishes:

 Perogy Potato Salad

Greek Pasta Salad

Don't forget dessert!

This easy No Bake Black Forest Tiramisu is a great picnic dessert!

Light & Healthy Blueberry Cornbread

Fried Caesar Chicken

Make this Fried Caesar Chicken for your next picnic! If you are looking for something a little different than the usual fried chicken, it tastes great hot or cold and is portable, making it the ultimate picnic chicken!

4 from 2 votes

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Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 387kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Marination: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

• ▢ 6 boneless and skinless Chicken breasts
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil

Marinade:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 ounce lemon juice from concentrate
• ▢ 1 ounce worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 ounce white wine vineagar
• ▢ 2 eggs

Coating:

• ▢ ¾ cup Caesar croutons crushed to a fine crumb
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese non-fat, preferrably
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic powder

Instructions

Marinade:

• Whisk together lemon juice, anchovy paste, garlic, worscestershire sauce and wine vinegar. Pour into large ziplock bag and add chicken.

  Marinate for  at least 2 hours or ideally overnight (in fridge)
• Add olive to frying pan and heat to medium.
• Remove chicken from marinade and set aside set on a plate.
•  * Don't toss the marinade!!! Pour it into a large, shallow bowl and whisk egg into remaining marination mixture.

Ceasar chicken crumb coating:

• To make crouton crumbs: Crush croutons in food processor or by putting in a ziplock bag and rolling over with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs.
• In a separate bowl mix parmesan cheese, croutons crumbs, flour and garlic powder.
• Thoroughly coat chicken in egg/marination mixture then immediately roll in crouton crumb mixture, turning to cover completely.
• Immediately transfer to hot frying pan and cook uncovered for approximately 5-7 minutes on medium high, until one side is brown and crispy. Turn gently and cook on other side for same time or until browned on outside. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered until no longer pink in the middle (about 10 minutes) 
• Serve hot or cold!

Notes

*You can marinate for a couple of hours, but it's more flavorful if marinated overnight (that's what I do)

** You probably already have your own way of cooking fried chicken and this chicken is no different. My directions are a guideline. As long as you get the outside crispy and the inside is cooked (not pink), then you're set!

 

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal (19%) | Carbohydrates: 17g (6%) | Protein: 56g (112%) | Fat: 8g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) | Cholesterol: 201mg (67%) | Sodium: 506mg (22%) | Potassium: 984mg (28%) | Vitamin A: 165IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 3.5mg (4%) | Calcium: 133mg (13%) | Iron: 2.6mg (14%)

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