Air-fryer crispy chicken autumn Caesar salad recipe

Name: Air-fryer crispy chicken autumn Caesar salad
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 200g crusty white bread, torn into bite-sized pieces; 2 tbsp olive oil; 4 leftover portions crispy chicken (from the Chicken parmigiana); 180g pack curly kale, woody stems removed; ½ lemon, juiced; 1 Little Gem lettuce, roughly torn; 1 red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water; 1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks; 4 tbsp Caesar dressing; 30g Grana Padano, shaved

Created by The Tesco Recipes team

This speedy lunch uses leftover chicken parmigiana for an autumnal Caesar salad, all cooked in the air-fryer. Use ready-made Caesar dressing for ease.

See method

Serves 4
Takes 15 mins
552 calories / serving

Shop your ingredients

Tesco Crusty White Farmhouse Bread 400G
200g crusty white bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
£1.30
£3.25/kg
Tesco Olive Oil 250Ml
2 tbsp olive oil
£3.10
£12.40/litre
Tesco Buttermilk Chicken Tenders 305g
Any 2 for £7.50 Clubcard Price - Selected Tesco Breaded Chicken Products
Offer valid for delivery from 13/08/2026 until 03/01/2027
4 leftover portions crispy chicken (from the Chicken parmigiana)
£4.25
£13.93/kg
Tesco Curly Kale 180G
Aldi Price Match
180g pack curly kale, woody stems removed
£0.80
£4.44/kg
Tesco Lemons Each
½ lemon, juiced
£0.37
£0.37/each
Tesco Little Gem Lettuce Twin Pack
Aldi Price Match
1 Little Gem lettuce, roughly torn
£0.77
£0.38/each
Tesco Red Onions 3Pack Minimum
1 red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water
£1.00
£0.33/each
Tesco Ripe & Ready Avocado
1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
£0.69
£0.69/each
Tesco Caesar Dressing 250Ml
4 tbsp Caesar dressing
£1.10
£4.40/litre
Creamfields Grated Grana Padano 100G
30g Grana Padano, shaved
£1.65
£16.50/kg

Method

Toss the bread in 1 tbsp olive oil and cook in the air-fryer at 200°C for 2 mins. Shake, then place the chicken on top. Cook for 5 mins until crisp and piping hot. Slice the chicken into strips.
Meanwhile, put the kale in a serving bowl and drizzle with the remaining oil. With clean hands, massage and scrunch the kale for 1-2 mins until softened and deep green in colour. Toss through the lemon juice, lettuce, red onion and avocado. Top with the croutons and crispy chicken, drizzle with the Caesar dressing and finish with the Grana Padano shavings and a twist of black pepper to serve.

Tip: This recipes uses leftover chicken from our Air-fryer chicken parmigiana with spaghetti. If cooking in an oven, cook the croutons and reheat the chicken at gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C for 10-12 mins until piping hot throughout. If you don't have leftover chicken, try air-frying frozen Southern fried chicken steaks for 15-20 minutes until golden, before slicing and adding to the salad.