PREV
This is the ultimate recipe mash-up you never knew you needed. It’s smash burger meets taco meets Caesar salad, AKA your new favorite weeknight meal. It’s made with crispy panko-crusted chicken topped with crisp romaine, a creamy Caesar dressing, and lots of freshly shaved parmesan – all on top of a tortilla! What could be better? These take almost no time at all to whip up, making them the perfect quick lunch or a fun weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
You can make your Caesar dressing from scratch (I promise it is way easier than you think, and SO worth it) or you can use your favorite store-bought dressing to make this even easier. Either way, you absolutely must try these!
Watch Me Make Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make It
Storing and Reheating
Tips
Reasons to Love It
Smash Taco Recipe
Smash Taco Ingredients and Substitutions
Ground Chicken
I use a pound of 93% lean ground chicken, but you could also use ground turkey.
Flour Tortillas
Make sure to get the small 6-inch flour tortillas at the store. If you get bigger tortillas, eating these smash tacos might get pretty messy. Corn tortillas are a little too dry and don’t stick to the chicken mixture very well when fried, so I’d avoid using them as a substitute.
Romaine Lettuce
In my mind, Caesar salad has to be made with romaine, but you could toss any robust leafy green, like kale, in the Caesar dressing to top your smash tacos.
Caesar Dressing
It really is so easy to make your own Caesar dressing. Making your own also allows you to make it exactly how you like it. Dial up or down the anchovies, add lots of pepper or skip it – it’s up to you. Try this recipe for homemade Caesar dressing and save the extra for another salad. If you’re short on time or ingredients, store-bought dressing is fine, too.
Panko Breadcrumbs
I use unseasoned panko breadcrumbs, but you could get Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or make your own with day-old bread!
Italian Seasoning
I use Harmony Mediterranean Blend, but any Italian seasoning will do. You can even make your own blend by mixing dried basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder.
Parmesan Cheese
I always use freshly grated parmesan instead of the shelf-stable stuff because it tastes so much better. Use the smallest holes on your box grater or a microplane to get small shavings that will mix in well with the breadcrumbs. Pecorino is a nice hard, salty cheese that can substitute for parmesan.
How to Make Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos
Step 1
To a medium bowl, add the ground chicken, seasoning, salt, and pepper. Use a spoon to mix well.
Step 2
Use a spoon to spread 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each tortilla, using the back of the spoon to spread it out in a thin layer.
Step 3
On a medium size plate, combine the panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. Press the chicken side of each tortilla into the panko mixture. Set aside.
Step 4
Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet. When the oil is hot, add 1-2 of the tortillas, chicken side-down, making sure to not crowd the pan. (You may need to cook 1 at a time.) Cook for 3-4 minutes (only on one side) until golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Transfer the tortillas, chicken side-up, onto a serving platter.
Step 5
In a large bowl, mix the chopped lettuce with about 1/2 cup of the caesar dressing and use tongs to toss to coat.
Step 6
Top each taco with a scoop of the salad. Finish with more grated parmesan cheese and freshly cracked pepper.
Storing and Reheating Smash Tacos
You can store these fried smash tacos tortilla side-down in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. The best way to reheat them is to crisp them up again in a pan over medium heat for 5 minutes, or on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven.
When assembling the Caesar salad topping for your smash tacos, only mix the amount of romaine and dressing you’ll be eating that night. Save any remaining undressed lettuce in the refrigerator and bottle the extra dressing for leftovers. When it’s time to reheat your smash tacos, cut fresh lettuce and toss with the dressing.
Tips for Making the Best Smash Tacos
- Don’t over-fill your tortillas with the chicken mixture. Each tortilla should only be covered in a thin layer of about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture. Packing them too thick will take longer to cook, be harder to eat, and won’t have the same crispy “smash” taco texture you’re looking for.
- Grate the parmesan really small. If the parmesan is too big, it won’t mix well with the breadcrumbs and each taco will get very different ratios of cheese to breadcrumbs.
- Flour tortillas really work best in this recipe. If you’re using corn or rice flour tortillas, the chicken mixture might not stick to the tortillas very well once it’s in the pan.
- Don’t add too much oil to the pan. You don’t want these deep frying or swimming in oil and getting greasy.
Why You’ll Love These Smash Tacos
- It’s something different! I feel like I’ve made chicken every single way it can be made, but these smash tacos give chicken new life, new texture, and a new format I guarantee you’ve never had before. We gotta switch things up sometimes!
- They’re super fun to assemble with your family and are even easy enough for kids to help with.
- Even if you make your own Caesar dressing, these smash tacos are still an easy meal you can pull together in 20-30 minutes for lunch or a quick dinner.
So yummy!!
Loved these – dressing was delicious, super fun & quick to make the tacos.
WOW I mean I knew these would be good because of course, but they are so easy and SO tasty! If you don’t make the dressing highly recommend using the TJ’s vegan Caesar dressing!!!
These were sooo easy and extremely delicious!!
This is fantastic and so easy to prep ahead of time. The homemade caesar dressing was also extremely easy and so much better than bottled, worth the extra 10 minutes.