I'm embarrassed to admit this, but since Delish is a safe place, I'll be honest: McDonald's inspired this dish. The Premium Chicken Caesar menu New York metro ads have taunted me all summer long. Why do those Caesar wraps look so damn delicious? Answer: crispy chicken.
Something about fried chicken tenders on a bed of lettuce seemed wrong. My challenge—that I totally brought upon myself—was to create awesomely crispy oven-baked chicken. Truthfully, I didn't have a lot of faith in my panko-crusted cutlets as they went into the oven, but I was so pleasantly surprised. The flavor was bold and bright, the crunch on point, and the meat? Super juicy.
My secret to not-sad baked chicken requires two key steps. First, dredge the thinly sliced chicken in a mixture of Caesar dressing and lemon juice. I thought the dressing-citrus combo would add flavor (and I was right). Next, coat the chicken in panko mixed with lemon zest and seasoned with salt. Now that you know, there's no excuse for dry and boring chicken breast.
GET THE RECIPE HERE.
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