These chicken Caesar smash tacos combine crispy smashed chicken tortillas with cool romaine, bacon, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing for a fast, flavor-packed dinner. If you love the contrast of hot, crispy tacos and cold, creamy toppings, these tacos are an easy weeknight recipe that feels trend-forward but practical.
What are Smash Tacos?
Instead of a traditional taco where fillings and meat are added to a tortilla, smash tacos have the meat cooked directly onto the tortilla. They are crispy because the meat is pressed thinly onto the tortilla and cooked directly against a hot surface, which creates more browning and texture than a traditional taco filling.
These chicken Caesar smash tacos are tacos made by pressing seasoned ground chicken onto tortillas, cooking them until crispy, and topping them with Caesar-style ingredients like romaine, Parmesan, and dressing.
Recipe Essentials
With ingredients to make a caesar salad and a handful of others, you’ll be on to making these chicken caesar smash tacos in no time! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Ground chicken
- Seasoned breadcrumbs
- Italian seasoning
- Dijon mustard
- Coarse kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Flour tortillas
- Vegetable oil
- Hummus
- Bacon
- Quinoa
- Romaine lettuce
- Pickled red onions
- Parmesan cheese
- Caesar dressing
How to Make Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos (Step-by-Step)
These tacos are so easy to make that they might just be your new go-to for taco night!
- Make chicken mixture. In medium mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
- Add to tortillas. Evenly divide the mixture into 6 increments. Slather it onto one side of each of the tortillas.
- Prepare griddle or pan. If using a griddle, grease the whole griddle and heat. If using a cast iron pan, work approximately 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and one tortilla at a time and heat to medium heat.
- Cook chicken. Place the tortilla(s) raw chicken side down onto the hot surface. Using a spatula, press down hard to sear it. Leave in place for approximately 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Add toppings. When all are cooked, evenly divide the hummus between all 6 tacos, then the quinoa (so it sticks to the hummus), bacon, romaine lettuce, pickled red onions and parmesan cheese.
- Drizzle with dressing. Finish off with a drizzle of Caesar dressing and a few grinds of black pepper.
Make it A Meal
What with the protein and the lettuce, these chicken caesar smash tacos are almost a complete meal in and of themselves! However, they would be great paired with just about any side dish you can think of.
Some of my favorite vegetables to pair with these tacos would be broccoli or green beans. But they’d also be excellent with rice. And while they aren’t traditional tacos, you can always serve them with salsa, guacamole, queso and tortilla chips!
Tips for Crispiest Smash Tacos
These chicken caesar smash tacos are super simple to make, but these tips will help the process too.
- Ensure chicken is pressed evenly – An even layer helps the chicken cook at the same rate and gives you better browning across the full surface.
- Add toppings right before serving – The lettuce and Caesar dressing should go on at the end so the tortilla stays crisp.
- Don’t overcrowd pan – If the tortillas are too close together, they will steam more than sear.
More Fun Taco Recipes
If you know me, you know how much I love tacos! Here are some of my favorites.
Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 6- inch flour tortillas
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup pain or roasted garlic hummus
- 2 tablespoons quinoa , dry
- ½ cup bacon , cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups romaine lettuce , hand torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons pickled red onions
- ½ cup parmesan cheese , shaved or grated
- ½ cup Caesar salad dressing
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In medium mixing bowl, combine the 1 pound ground chicken, 2 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Evenly divide the mixture into 6 increments. Slather it onto one side of each of the 6 6- inch flour tortillas.
- If using a griddle, grease the whole griddle and heat to 350°F. If using a cast iron pan, work approximately 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and one tortilla at a time and heat to medium heat.
- Place the tortilla(s) raw chicken side down onto the hot surface. Using a spatula, press down hard to sear it. Leave in place for approximately 3 minutes. Flip the tortilla and continue to cook for 1 minute on the other side. If working in batches, transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200°F oven. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- When all are cooked, evenly divide the 1 cup pain or roasted garlic hummus between all 6 tacos, then the 2 tablespoons quinoa (so it sticks to the hummus), cooked and crumbled ½ cup bacon, shredded 2 cups romaine lettuce, 2 tablespoons pickled red onions and ½ cup parmesan cheese.
- Finish off with a drizzle of ½ cup Caesar salad dressing and a few grinds of Freshly cracked black pepper.
- If you've tried this recipe, please come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
